Abstract
Concrete pavements are characterized by their high durability and low conservation costs. However, concrete production causes large amounts of harmful emissions. In this context, short slab pavements allow us to reduce the slab thickness and the amount of concrete used in their construction. These benefits are only valid if the design assumptions are fulfilled, one of which is the provision of enough Load Transfer Efficiency (LTE) by the aggregate interlock. However, the current design method for short slabs does not relate the LTE with the Crack Width (CW) under the joints. This can jeopardize the sustainable benefits of short slabs. The objective of this study is to propose a method to develop the LTE–CW relationship for the short slabs’ design. The sustainable and accessible approach adopted in the proposal represents a paradigm shift compared to the traditional methods, which are limited to laboratories with sufficient resources to perform real-scale testing. The results show that it is possible to develop the LTE–CW relation in a sustainable manner. Furthermore, the aggregates that fulfill the technical specifications for pavements provide enough LTE when most of the joints are activated. When that happens, short slab pavements reduce environmental and human health impacts by 33% and 26%, respectively.
Highlights
Concrete pavements are used in highways, bus lanes, airports, and bridge deck solutions [1]
This is evidence that, at least up to a Crack Width (CW) of 1.5 mm, the Load Transfer Efficiency (LTE)–CW relation with the hard aggregate is able to offer excellent levels of LTE, certainly higher than 70%. This asymptotic behaviour is consistent with other investigations where hard aggregates were applied, and it contrasts with the usual behaviour reported by traditional studies, i.e., gradual LTE reduction as the CW increases [31,44,45,50,62,77,78,79]
The sustainable and accessible approach adopted in the proposal represents a paradigm shift compared to the traditional methods of joint performance evaluation
Summary
Concrete pavements are used in highways, bus lanes, airports, and bridge deck solutions [1] These pavements are characterized by their high durability and lower life cycle maintenance compared to flexible pavements [2,3,4,5,6]. This means lower conservation costs, which represents an advantage in countries where monitoring and maintenance funds are limited. It offers clarity during rolling, and its shape is not altered by traffic or weather conditions [7]. Cement production is responsible for high emissions of NOx and SOx, which cause acid rain, deterioration in public health, and global climate change [12,13]
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