Crack behavior of continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavements (CRCP) in Germany

Abstract

The traffic volume on German motorways increased steadily and this trend is expected to continue in the future. To guarantee mobility in the future and reduce the national economic consequential costs, road construction with a maximum service life and a minimum of necessary maintenance are needed. Rigid road pavements with continuous reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) are extremely durable in terms of use and maintenance. The behavior of CRCP is influenced by a number of specific characteristics such as the thickness and the quality of the concrete, the design of the longitudinal and transversal reinforcement, the base layer and the environmental conditions at the time of construction and during service life. These aspects influence the crack pattern crack distance and crack widths. Identified positive crack pattern are one important indicator of positive long-term behavior. In Belgium, the continuously reinforced concrete pavement has been a standard construction for many years. In Germany and Poland CRCP is in the stage of field testing. From 1997 to today, a total of 8 sections with many variations have been built. A detailed comparative study of these sections has so far been lacking. As part of a research project, the RWTH university of Aachen and the German Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) are investigating these sections with CRCP with and without an asphalt surface course in Germany, and Poland and compare it to the Belgium standard constructions. Load capacity measurements, georadar measurements, visual and automated condition assessments and crack recordings are carried out. The aim is to evaluate the different designs in the sections in terms of their behavior in service, to quantify achievable service lifes, necessary maintenance and availability. From this, a preferred variant of the construction is designed, presented in a concept and implemented on a motorway in Germany as part of a trial site. The Project is financed by the German Federal Ministry of Transport and digital Infrastructure (BMVI).