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Lec 17 Highway Engineering - Rigid Pavemen Design
Lec 17 Highway Engineering - Rigid Pavemen Design
Lec 17 Highway Engineering - Rigid Pavemen Design
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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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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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