Modified Portland Cement Association Stress Analysis and Thickness Design Procedures

Abstract

A new stress analysis and thickness design procedure for jointed concrete pavements was developed. On the basis of Westergaard’s edge stress solution and several prediction models for stress adjustments for a variety of loading and environmental (i.e., thermal curling) conditions, a modified Portland Cement Association (PCA) equivalent stress analysis and thickness design procedure was proposed and implemented in a highly user-friendly, Windows-based program, TKUPAV, for practical trial applications. The proposed approach has been further verified by reproducing results very close to the PCA’s equivalent stresses and fatigue damages using a spreadsheet program and the TKUPAV program. The possible detrimental effect of loading plus daytime curling has been illustrated in a case study, which also indicated that the effect of thermal curling should be considered in the thickness design of concrete pavements.