Effect of bond stress and slip model for Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavements

Abstract

A mechanistic model has been developed using finite element formulations to analyze the behavior of the Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP) subjected to environmental loads such as changes in temperature and drying shrinkage. Concrete and longitudinal steel were discretized using the plane strain and the frame elements, respectively. Various bond stress and slip models between concrete and longitudinal steel and between the concrete and the underlying layers were developed using the spring elements. The creep effect was also included using the effective modulus method. The sensitivity of input values was investigated and the parametric studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of design, materials, and construction variables on the CRCP responses. Different concrete-steel, bond-slip models produced varied results. An accurate bond-slip relationship needs to be investigated further by experiments to increase the accuracy of the mechanistic model. The thermal coefficient of concrete had significant effects, on crack width and stresses. The longitudinal steel variables such as the amount of steel and bar diameter were important design variables which influenced the CRCP behavior.