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Design of Rigid Pavements

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Structural Design of Rigid Pavements

In this lecture;
A- General
B- Types of Rigid Pavements
C- Joints in PCC pavements
D- Design of PCC Pavements
- AASHTO 1993 Method.

Information listed in this lecture is mainly taken from AASHTO Guide for Design of
Pavement Structures (AASHTO, 1993), Traffic and Highway Engineering (Garber,
2009), Asphalt Pavements (Lavin, 2003), Pavement Analysis and Design (Huang,
2004), http://www.pavementinteractive.org (Accessed on 2015) and Highways
(OFlaherty, 2007).

A- General
Rigid highway pavements are normally constructed of Portland cement concrete
(PPC) and may or may not have a base course between the subgrade and the
concrete surface. When a base course is used in rigid pavement construction, it is
usually referred to as a subbase course.

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B- Types of Rigid Pavements

Rigid highway pavements can be divided into three general types: plain concrete
pavements, simply reinforced concrete pavements, and continuously reinforced
concrete pavements. The definition of each pavement type is related to the amount
of reinforcement used.
B-1 Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement (JPCP)
Plain concrete pavement has no temperature steel or dowels for load transfer.
However, steel tie bars often are used to provide a hinge effect at longitudinal joints
and to prevent the opening of these joints. Plain concrete pavements are used
mainly on low-volume highways or when cement-stabilized soils are used as
subbase. Joints are placed at relatively shorter distances (10 to 20 ft) than with
other types of concrete pavements to reduce the amount of cracking.
B-2 Simply Reinforced Concrete Pavement
Simply reinforced concrete pavements have dowels for the transfer of traffic loads
across joints, with these joints spaced at larger distances, ranging from 30 to 100 ft.
Temperature steel is used throughout the slab, with the amount dependent on the
length of the slab. Tie bars also are used commonly at longitudinal joints.
B-3 Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP)
Continuously reinforced concrete pavements have no transverse joints, except
construction joints or expansion joints when they are necessary at specific positions,
such as at bridges. These pavements have a relatively high percentage of steel, with
the minimum usually at 0.6 percent of the cross section of the slab. They also
contain tie bars across the longitudinal joints.

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C- Joints in Concrete Pavements

Different types of joints are placed in concrete pavements to limit the stresses
induced by temperature changes and to facilitate proper bonding of two adjacent
sections of pavement. These joints can be divided into four basic categories:

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D- Structural Design of PCC Pavements

The main objective in rigid pavement design is to determine the thickness of the
concrete slab that will be adequate to carry the projected traffic load for the design
period.
D-1 Methods of Design
Several design methods have been developed over the years, some of which are
based on the results of full-scale road tests, others on theoretical development of
stresses on layered systems, and others on the combination of the results of tests
and theoretical development. However, two methods are used extensively: the
AASHTO and American Concrete Pavement (PCA) methods. In this lecture only the
1993 AASHTO method will be adopted.
1993 AASHTO Empirical Design Method for Rigid Pavement
The AASHTO design procedure provides for the determination of the pavement
thickness and the amount of steel reinforcement when used, as well as the design of
joints. It is suitable for plain concrete, simply reinforced concrete, and continuously
reinforced concrete pavements.
Design Considerations
The factors considered in the AASHTO procedure for the design of rigid pavements
as presented in the 1993 guide are
Pavement performance
Subgrade strength
Subbase strength
Traffic
Concrete properties
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Drainage
Reliability
Pavement Performance. Pavement performance is considered in the same way as
for flexible pavement. The initial serviceability index (Pi) may be taken as 4.5, and
the terminal serviceability index may also be selected by the designer.
Subbase Strength. Subbase thickness is usually not less than 6 in. and should be
extended 1 to 3 ft outside the edge of the pavement structure.
Subgrade Strength. The strength of the subgrade is given in terms of the
Westergaard modulus of subgrade reaction k, which is defined as the load in lb/in2
on a loaded area, divided by the deformation in inches. Values of k can be obtained
by conducting a plate-bearing test in accordance with the AASHTO Test Designation
T222 using a 30 in. diameter plate. Estimates of k values can also be made either
from experience or by correlating with other tests.
Traffic. The treatment of traffic load is similar to that presented for flexible
pavements, in that the traffic load application is given in terms of the number of
18,000 lb equivalent single-axle loads (ESALs). ESAL factors depend on the slab
thickness and the terminal serviceability index of the pavement.
Tables below give ESAL factors for rigid pavements with a terminal serviceability
index of 2.5. Since the ESAL factor depends on the thickness of the slab, it is
therefore necessary to assume the thickness of the slab at the start of the
computation. This assumed value is used to compute the number of accumulated
ESALs, which in turn is used to compute the required thickness. If the computed
thickness is significantly different from the assumed thickness, the accumulated
ESAL should be recomputed. This procedure should be repeated until the assumed
and computed thicknesses are approximately the same.
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Reinforcing Steel
Steel reinforcing may be used in concrete pavements to reduce the amount of
cracking that occurs, as a load transfer mechanism at joints, or as a means of tying
two slabs together. Steel reinforcement used to control cracking is usually referred
to as temperature steel, whereas steel rods used as load transfer mechanisms are
known as dowel bars, and those used to connect two slabs together are known as
tie bars.
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Concrete Properties. The concrete property is given in terms of its flexural strength
(modulus of rupture) at 28 days. The flexural strength at 28 days of the concrete to
be used in construction should be determined by conducting a three-point loading
test as specified in AASHTO Designation T97.
Drainage. The drainage quality of the pavement is considered by introducing a
factor (Cd) into the performance equation. This factor depends on the quality of the
drainage - as described in the design of Flexible Pavement- and the percent of time
the pavement structure is exposed to moisture levels approaching saturation. The
Table below gives AASHTO-recommended values for Cd.

Reliability. Reliability considerations for rigid pavement are similar to those for
flexible pavement as presented in the previous lecture. Reliability levels, R%, and
the overall standard deviation, So, are incorporated directly in the design charts.

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The design equation above can be solved for the thickness of the pavement (D) in
inches by using either a computer program or the two design charts in the next
pages. The use of a computer program facilitates the iteration necessary, since D has
to be assumed to determine the effective modulus of subgrade reaction and the
ESAL factors used in the design.

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