Non-destructive Performance Evaluation of Experimental Short Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement

Abstract

As a proposed long-term pavement solution for bus stops and corridors in highly urbanized areas, four experimental continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) sections with different percentages of longitudinal steel were built in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The pavement sections are only 50 meters long each, a short construction length in comparison to traditional CRCP, which is normally built as long as the construction process allows. A four-year cracking survey of the experimental sections showed that the shorter section length, perhaps due in part to the lack of anchorage, results in a cracking pattern unlike that of the CRCP with traditional lengths. Additionally, two non-destructive tests were carried out to evaluate the structural performance of the experimental sections. First, deflection tests using a falling weight deflectometer (FWD) were conducted to measure the load transfer efficiency (LTE) across all cracks and to determinate slab parameters by backcalculation. Second, dynamic load tests to obtain the concrete stresses under a known load. The results show that the LTE values are adequate (above 90%) in all sections, despite its distinct crack pattern and that tensile stresses at the bottom of the slab are within critical strength values for the concrete. The results from this experimental study are discussed in light of the current literature for CRCP design and performance.