CONTINUOUSLY REINFORCED CONCRETE PAVEMENT: STRUCTURAL PERFORMANCE AND DESIGN/CONSTRUCTION VARIABLES

. . I TECHNICAL REPORT STANDARD TITLE PACE 1. Report No. 2. Government Acce .. ion No. 3. Recipient'l Catalog No. CFHR 3-8-75-177-7 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date CONTINUOUSLY REINFORCED CONCRETE PAVEMENT: STRUCTURAL I-cM;--a--:y:----:-1_9_7_7-=-__ ---=---:--___ PERFORMANCE AND DESIGN/CONSTRUCTION VARIABLES 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Authorlll Pieter J. Strauss, B. Frank MCCullough, and W. Ronald Hudson 9. Performing Organization Nome and Addre .. Center for Highway Research 8. Performing Orgoni zotion Report No . Research Report 177-7 10. Work Unit No. 11. Contract or Grant No. The University of Texas at Austin Austin, Texas 78712 Research Study 3-8-75-177 [--;-:;--;-_-:-_:-_--:: __ -:-:-:-: _________________ -1 13. Type of Report and Period Covered 12. Span loring Agency Name and Addre .. Texas State Department of Highways and Public Transportation; Transportation Planning Division P. O. Box 5051 Interim 14. Sponloring Agency Code Austin, Texas 78763 15. Supplementary Notel Work done in cooperation with the Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. Research Study Title: and Implementation of the Design. Construction and Rehabilitation of Rigid Pavements" 16. Ab.tract The structural performance of continuously reinforced concrete pavements (CRCP) on two sections of the interstate highway system in Texas is analyzed by employment of regression techniques. A probabilistic model is used in relating the distressed area of the pavement to theoretical models of fatigue and thus stress in the pavement system. Additional models for load transfer by means of dowel action of the longitudinal steel reinforcement and aggregate interlock are developed to explain the distinction in performance of different types of CRCP in Texas. Utilization of theoretical models allows the extrapolation of the results to other cond i tions, but discrepancies still exis t between the theoretically explainable and the actual occurrence of distress. This difference is explained in terms of other construction, environmental and design variables. It is found that variation in pavement properties is a big contributor to distress. Important variables in this respect include pavement roughness and the subsequent variation in dynamiC wheel loading, deflections and surface curvature which relate to layer stiffnesses and the variance of crack spacing which can be interpreted as a nonuniformity in slab properties. Final equations are derived which can be used in the design of new pavements or in the prediction of future distress on existing pavements. 17. Key Word. continuously reinforced concrete pavement, regression, pavement distress, prediction of distress, load transfer, stress, dynamic loading 18. Diltrlbutlon Stot_ent No restrictions. This document is available to the public through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161. 19. Security Clo .. ,f. Cof thl. report) Unclassified 20. Security CIa .. ". Cof thl. pagel 21. No. of Pagel 22. Price Unclassified 184 Forlll DOT F 1700.7 , .... ,