Types of concrete pavements

There are a number of different types of concrete pavements that have been
built. However, for the most part, they have two features in common. First,
they resist traffic loads through flexure of the concrete. If reinforcement is
used, it is used for crack control and not to carry load. The second element
is that concrete pavements contract due to drying shrinkage of the concrete,
and expand and contract due to thermal effects, and these movements must
be dealt with. Different types of pavements use joints, reinforcing steel,
or both.
The term “conventional concrete pavements” is generally taken to mean
either jointed plain, jointed reinforced, or continuously reinforced concrete
pavements (the first three categories described below) but not other types.
Design and detailing of joints is important for these pavements. All three
conventional pavement types have been used as overlays, although jointed
plain overlays are most common.
Prestressed and precast concrete pavements are used for similar applica-
tions as conventional concrete pavements, but have been used infrequently.
Other types of concrete pavement include roller compacted concrete (RCC)
and pervious or porous concrete, which are generally used for specialized
industrial or parking lot applications.
Jointed plain concrete pavement

Jointed plain concrete pavement, or JPCP, consists of unreinforced con-

crete slabs 3.6–6.0 m (12–20 ft) in length with transverse contraction joints
between the slabs. The joints are spaced closely enough together so that
cracks should not form in the slabs until late in the life of the pave-
ment. Therefore, for JPCP, the pavement expansions and contractions are
addressed through joints.
One important performance issue with JPCP is load transfer across the
joints. If joints become faulted, then drivers encounter bumps at the joints
and experience a rough ride. Two methods are used to provide load transfer
across JPCP joints – aggregate interlock and dowels.
Aggregate interlock joints are formed during construction by sawing
1/4−1/3 of the way through the pavement to create a plane of weakness. A
crack then propagates through the remaining thickness of the pavement as
the concrete contracts. This crack has a rough surface because it propagates
around the aggregates through the green cement paste, and as long as
it remains narrow the joint can transfer load from one slab to another
through bearing stress of the aggregate particles against each other across
the crack. Load transfer is compromised if the joint opens too widely or if
the aggregates wear away. The quality and erosion resistance of the material
supporting the slab at the joint also affect load transfer.

When the pavement carries heavy vehicle traffic, particularly at high

speeds, aggregate interlock will break down over time and will not prevent
faulting over the life of the pavement. In this case, dowels are provided
across the joint for load transfer. Dowels are smooth rods, generally plain-
or epoxy-coated steel, which are usually greased or oiled on side to allow
the joints to open and close without resistance.
Jointed reinforced concrete pavement
Jointed reinforced concrete pavement, or JRCP, is distinguished from JPCP
by longer slabs and light reinforcement in the slabs. This light reinforcement
is often termed temperature steel. JRCP slab lengths typically range from
7.5 to 9 m (25–30 ft), although slab lengths up to 30 m (100 ft) have been
used. With these slab lengths, the joints must be doweled. The slab steel
content is typically in the range of 0.10–0.25 percent of the cross-sectional
area, in the longitudinal direction, with less steel in the transverse direction.
Either individual reinforcing bars or wire fabrics and meshes may be used.
Because the steel is placed at the neutral axis or midpoint of the slab, it
has no effect on the flexural performance of the concrete and serves only
to keep cracks together.
Although JRCP was widely used in the past, it is less common today.
The only advantage that JRCP has over JPCP is fewer joints, and this is
outweighed by the cost of the steel and the poor performance of the joints
and the cracks. Because the joints are spaced further apart than JPCP, they
open and close more, and load transfer suffers as joints open wider. JRCP
joints always use dowels.
Furthermore, even though the slabs are longer,
the cracks still form at the same interval as JPCP, and therefore JRCP slabs
generally have one or two interior cracks each. The light steel reinforcement
across these cracks is generally not enough to maintain load transfer, and
therefore the cracks fault as well as the joints. As a result, the latest proposed
AASHTO M-EPDG procedure does not have provisions for JRCP. A 1999
survey by the American Concrete Pavement Association identified only nine
US states as constructing JRCP, and several of those are states that have
small highway networks (ACPA 1999c).
Continuously reinforced concrete pavement
Continuously reinforced concrete pavement, or CRCP, is characterized by
heavy steel reinforcement and an absence of joints. Much more steel is used
for CRCP than for JRCP, typically on the order of 0.4–0.8 percent by volume
in the longitudinal direction. Steel in the transverse direction is provided in a
lower percentage as temperature steel.

Cracks form in CRCP approximately 0.6–2 m (2–6 ft) apart. The rein-
forcement holds the cracks tightly together and provides for aggregate
interlock and shear transfer. CRC pavements require anchors at the begin-
ning and end of the pavement to keep the ends from contracting due to
 Conventional pavement joints

Conventional pavements (JPCP, JRCP, and CRCP) make use of several

types of transverse and longitudinal joints. Transverse contraction joints
are used in JPCP and JRCP, usually with dowels. At the end of each daily
paving operation, or for a significant delay in paving, transverse construc-
tion joints are placed, generally at the location of a planned contraction
joint for JPCP or JRCP. Transverse expansion or isolation joints are placed
where expansion of the pavement would damage adjacent bridges or other
drainage structures. Longitudinal contraction joints are created where two
or more lane widths or shoulders are paved at the same time. In contrast,
longitudinal construction joints are used between lanes or shoulders paved
at different times (ACPA 1996a: VII-9–VII-10).
 construction and maintenance procedures

The performance of concrete pavements depends to a large extent upon

the satisfactory performance of the joints. most jointed concrete pave-
ment failures can be attributed to failures at the joint, as opposed to
inadequate structural capacity. Distresses that may result from joint
failure include faulting, pumping, spalling, corner breaks, blowups, and
mid-panel cracking. Characteristics that contribute to satisfactory joint
performance, such as adequate load transfer and proper concrete con-
solidation, have been identified through research and field experience.
The incorporation of these characteristics into the design, construction,
and maintenance of concrete pavements should result in joints capable
of performing satisfactorily over the life of the pavement. Regardless
of the joint sealant material used, periodic resealing will be required
to ensure satisfactory joint performance throughout the life of the
pavement. Satisfactory joint performance also depends on appropriate
pavement design standards, quality construction materials, and good
construction and maintenance procedures
 Transverse contraction joints

A transverse construction joint is defined as “a sawed, formed, or tooled

groove in a concrete slab that creates a weakened vertical plane. It reg-
ulates the location of the cracking caused by dimensional changes in the
slab, and is by far the most common type of joint in concrete pavements”
(FHWA 1990a).
Lightly loaded jointed pavement contraction joints may rely only on
aggregate interlock across joints. More heavily loaded pavements almost
always use load transfer dowels in the joints. Dowels prevent vertical
movement or faulting between slabs, but allow the joint to open and
close to relieve stress buildup due to moisture and temperature changes in
the concrete pavement. A dowel basket assembly with corrosion resistant
epoxy-coated dowel.
Dowel basket assembly with corrosion resistant epoxy-coated
dowels
 Longitudinal joints
A longitudinal joint is defined as

A joint between two slabs which allows slab warping without apprecia-
ble separation or cracking of the slabs Longitudinal joints are used
to relieve warping stresses and are generally needed when slab widths
exceed [4.6 m] 15 feet. Widths up to and including [4.6 m] 15 feet
have performed satisfactorily without a longitudinal joint, although
there is the possibility of some longitudinal cracking. Longitudinal
joints should coincide with pavement lane lines whenever possible, to
improve traffic operations. The paint stripe on widened lanes should be
At (3.7m) 12 feet and the use of a rumble strip on the widened section.
Is recommended load transfer at longitudinal joints is achieved through
Aggregate interlock.
Tie bar basket assemblies with corrosion resistant epoxy-coated
tie bars –dowel baskets
 Construction joints
A construction joint is defined as “a joint between slabs that results when
concrete is placed at different times. This type of joint can be further broken
down into transverse and longitudinal joints” (FHWA 1990a). A header and
dowel basket for a transverse construction joint are shown in Figure 2.8.
After paving up to the header, the header will be removed. The next
paving day will start with the new concrete butted up against the old
concrete.

Header and dowel basket for a transverse construction joint

 Overlays
Concrete pavements may also be used as overlays for either existing asphalt
or concrete pavements. For each of the two existing pavement types, there
are two overlay classifications based on whether the overlay is bonded to
the existing pavement, or whether the bond is either ignored or prevented,
and thus not considered in the design. A complete discussion of concrete
overlays is provided by Smith et al. (2002) and ACI Committee report
ACI 325.13R-06, Concrete Overlays for Pavement Rehabilitation (ACI committee325
2006)
The oldest type of concrete overlay over an existing asphalt pavement
is termed whitetopping. Generally, no special measures are taken to either
achieve or prevent bond between the new concrete and the old asphalt.
Many of these were constructed in the United States when existing asphalt
highways were added to the Interstate Highway system and upgraded. For
all practical purposes, these are designed and built as conventional concrete
pavements, using the existing asphalt as a high quality base. Special details
may be needed when the new concrete must be wider than the existing
asphalt. Traditionally, whitetopping overlay designs do not consider any
reduction in flexural stress in concrete due to bond.
However, for some time it has been recognized that the concrete bonds
to asphalt, and thinner overlays have been developed to take advantage
of that fact. Ultra-thin white topping (UTW) was developed in the United
States in the early 1990s, with overlays between 50 and 100 mm (2 and
4 in) in thickness. In order to reduce curling stresses in such thin pavements,
they are typically cut into squares 0.6–2 m (2–6 ft) on a side. Conventional
White topping overlays are typically at least 200 mm (8 in) thick.

Prestressed and precast concrete pavement

All conventional concrete pavements rely on the flexural strength of the

concrete to resist traffic loads over time. By using prestressing tendons to
induce a net compressive force in the pavement section it is possible to
considerably decrease the thickness of the pavement, because the traffic
loads must overcome the compressive stress before inducing a net tensile
Stress and flexural fatigue into the pavement.
In addition to prestressed pavements for original construction or overlays,
precast concrete sections with either conventional or prestressed reinforce-
ment have been used as full depth patches. Precast sections may be left in
place as a permanent pavement, or may be temporary to allow traffic until
a permanent full depth patch is placed.

Roller compacted concrete

Roller compacted concrete (RCC) pavements are described in detail by

ACI Committee 325 in report ACI 325.10R (ACI 1995). RCC is a very
dry mixture that can be produced as ready-mixed concrete but is often
produced in a pugmill. RCC is also extensively used for dam construc-
tion and rehabilitation, although the mixtures and construction methods
are different. It is a low to no slump mixture that is closer in some
respects to cement treated aggregate base than a conventional, flowing concrete.
The construction process resembles that of hot-mix asphalt pavements.
The material is delivered by dump trucks, placed into an asphalt paver, and
then rolled with steel wheel rollers. The RCC is then cured. The pavement
may be allowed to crack naturally, or joints may be cut. Because RCC
shrinks less than conventional concrete, the joints or cracks are further
apart than those for JPCP.
Traditionally, the construction process has left RCC pavements with
rough surfaces which are not suitable for high speed traffic. Unsurfaced
RCC pavements have many industrial applications – multimodal freight
transfer facilities, automobile plants, and military facilities. Recent large
scale industrial projects have included Honda and Mercedes facilities in
Alabama (Delatte et al. 2003).
RCC pavements have also been constructed with hot-mix asphalt riding
surfaces. These have been widely used for new subdivision construction in
Columbus, Ohio, and for streets and roads in Quebec province, Canada.
Figure 2.10 illustrates RCC pavement construction in Columbus for a new
subdivision.
RCC pavements have proven to be very economical to construct. Com-
pared to JPCP pavements, RCC pavements do not require forms, dowels
or tie bars, or labor for texturing and finishing, so construction costs are
lower. Maintenance costs also tend to be lower than other pavement types.
The flexural strength of RCC is typically equal to or better than that of conventional
Concrete
RCC pavement construction – Columbus,
Ohio
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