Comparison of stresses in jointed plain concrete pavement without shoulder

Abstract

Concrete pavements are repeatedly subjected to the vehicular traffic loading and the environmental loading. The major advantage of construction of concrete pavement is its durability and low maintenance requirement. The combined loading develops stresses in the jointed plain concrete pavement (JPCP). These stresses are generally the reason for the development of cracks in the slab at critical locations. These stresses may lead to the failure of the pavement in terms of cracks. Stresses mainly depend on the strength of the foundation (soil-subgrade), concrete properties, the thickness of the slab, and loading type and its location. Therefore, to avoid the failure of the concrete pavement, it is necessary to estimate critical stresses precisely for the given site conditions and loading configurations. The aim of the study in this paper is to compare the variation of critical stresses in the concrete pavement without concrete shoulder for the various parameters and their combinations. In this paper, critical stresses are calculated for pavement without concrete shoulder as per the widely used design guidelines/documents. The results obtained are compared and some important conclusions and recommendations to improve the design are suggested.