Analysis of Prestressed Precast Concrete Pavement

Abstract

One of the major hindrances in the construction and renewal of rigid pavement is the obstruction of traffic for extended periods of time. The time period required for the completion of a regular concrete pavement is inclusive of its base preparation, pouring and curing of concrete. This period can be reduced considerably by the application of prestressed precast concrete pavement. In this method of construction, pre-tensioned concrete panels are casted in a precast yard and once they have gained sufficient strength, they are transported to the site and placed on a prepared base. Pre-tensioning is required to indirectly reduce the thickness of the panels which in turn makes the process of transporting and placing the panels easy. The duration for which the traffic gets hindered reduces considerably as the time consuming activities are performed in the yard. The quality of concrete can be maintained at its best as the concrete mixing, pouring and curing occur in a controlled environment. Another major advantage of these panels is the ease with which they can be replaced. This paper aims at analysing the behaviour of the panel using finite element analysis. A commercially available software SAP2000 has been used for this purpose. It is observed that the critical stresses are developed at the panel edges for a combination of temperature stresses and vehicular stresses developed due to a vehicle travelling at the edge of the panel.