LOAD TRANSFER AT TRANSVERSE CRACKS IN CONTINUOUSLY REINFORCED CONCRETE PAVEMENT

Abstract

In the structural design of continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP), load transfer across transverse cracks should be properly taken into account. Finite Element Method (FEM) based on the elastic plate theory is a good tool for stress analysis of concrete pavement slab with joints and cracks. Though the load transfer across the cracks could be modeled by three elastic springs, it is difficult to determine the specific values of the spring constants. In this study, the values of the spring constants were backcalculated from the results of loading experiments conducted on test sections of CRCP. It was found that the backcalculated values depend on the temperature in the concrete slabs. The values were verified by comparing the strain predicted by FEM analysis with the measured ones. Effects of the spring constants on thermal strains were also examined.