Future Climatic Temperature Change Effects and Environmental Considerations for South African Concrete Pavements

Abstract

This study investigates the pavement distresses caused by microstructural and mesostructural changes in behaviour of concrete pavements due to changing climatic conditions. To mitigate the effects of thermal distresses, such as cracking and curling of
concrete pavements, pavement engineers consider factors such as reinforcement detailing, joint location and spacing. Thermal insulation and the use of expansion joints may also be considered under harsh conditions. For each applicable concrete pavement design situation, the approach considers historical temperature records in estimating the daily variation in air temperature, in both magnitude and frequency for the service life of the concrete pavement. Current practice does not incorporate future climate projections and urban heat island (UHI) effects, affecting both the safety and serviceability of concrete pavement infrastructure. Therefore, this article examines the need to investigate concrete pavement deterioration with projected global warming effects for South Africa. To achieve this, future climate projections are used to assess the change in the maximum diurnal temperature range (DTR) for the duration of the concrete pavement's service life. To ensure the construction of more reliable concrete pavements which are able to withstand the severity of projected environmental conditions, this future-based climatic input will need incorporation into performance-based tests and specifications.