Transportation in Developing Economies (2019) 5:15

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40890-019-0080-x

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Effect of Joint‑ and Pavement‑Related Parameters on Load Transfer

Characteristics of Aggregate Interlocked Jointed Concrete Pavement
Swati Roy Maitra1 · K. Sudhakar Reddy2 · L. S. Ramachandra2

Received: 30 December 2017 / Accepted: 22 July 2019

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019

Abstract
In concrete pavement, load transfer through the natural mechanism of interlocking action of the aggregate particles has been
found to be effective for moderate to low traffic volume roads. This paper investigates the influences of some of the joint-
related parameters (e.g., roughness, crack width and aggregate size) and pavement-related parameters (e.g., slab depth and
modulus of subgrade reaction) on the load transfer efficiency (LTE) of an aggregate interlocked joint in concrete pavement.
A three-dimensional finite element analysis of a jointed concrete pavement has been carried out. An aggregate interlocked
joint with irregular fractured surfaces has been modeled in this work. The nature of the fractured surfaces or its roughness
influences the LTE of the joint. The effects of varied roughness, crack widths and maximum aggregate size on the LTE of a
joint have been investigated in the present work. It has been found that LTE increases with increase in roughness levels for
all aggregate sizes and crack widths. The effects of depth of concrete slab and modulus of subgrade reaction on LTE have
also been investigated. LTE has been found to increase with increase in slab depth; whereas it decreases with increase in the
modulus of subgrade reaction.

Keywords Jointed concrete pavement · Load transfer efficiency · Aggregate interlocking · Fractured surface · Finite
element

Introduction of the adjacent panels, which results in several distresses of

In India, a typical concrete pavement consists of a concrete
slab, which is placed upon cement-treated or dry lean con-
crete base and granular subbase over compacted subgrade.
Joints are the integral parts of concrete pavements, which
are formed by saw-cutting the pavement at regular intervals
along the transverse and longitudinal directions through-
out their lengths. Joints are provided to control irregular
cracking due to shrinkage, thermal contraction and moisture
variation within the slab [1]. The joints transfer the applied
wheel load from one panel to another. The performance of
pavement depends upon the performance of its joints in
terms of their load transfer efficiency (LTE). Inadequate load
transfer through joints may give rise to unequal deflections
* Swati Roy Maitra
swati@iitkgp.ac.in
1
RCG School of Infrastructure Design and Management, IIT
Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India
2
Civil Engineering Department, IIT Kharagpur, Kharagpur,
India
the pavement like corner breaking, faulting of joints, spalling
of concrete at/near the joints, poor riding quality, etc.
In jointed plain concrete pavement, the joints transfer the
applied wheel load primarily by two mechanisms. One is
through a load carrying device, which is a series of equally
spaced plain or deformed steel dowel bars and the other is
through the natural mechanism of interlocking action of the
aggregate particles present within the concrete slab. Dowel
bars are generally provided across the transverse joints when
the traffic volume is relatively high [2]. However, the inter-
locking action of the aggregates is quite effective with mod-
erate to low traffic volume concrete roads. In aggregate inter-
locking, load is transferred from one panel to the adjacent
panel by shear action. The efficiency of an aggregate inter-
locked joint depends upon several joint-related parameters,
like width of joint opening, properties of aggregates, nature
of fractured surfaces, etc. and also on various pavement-
related parameters, like slab thickness, subgrade strength
as well as the magnitude and repetition of loads [3]. This
paper investigates numerically the influences of some of the
joint- and pavement-related parameters on the LTE of an

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aggregate interlocked joint. A three-dimensional (3D) finite
element (FE) analysis for an aggregate interlocked jointed
concrete pavement has been carried out for this purpose.
The fractured faces of an aggregate interlocked joint have
been modeled in this work and the combined effect of crack
width, maximum aggregate size and nature of fractured faces
on LTE has been investigated. The effect of slab thickness
and subgrade strength on the performance of the pavement
is also examined using the FE model.
Literature Review
In a jointed concrete pavement, when the irregular-shaped
surfaces of a cracked slab are in close contact, the interlock-
ing action of the aggregate particles plays an important role
in providing load transfer across the crack. However, abra-
sion and attrition of the aggregates along with variation of
temperature and moisture may change the width of the crack,
due to which the effectiveness of load transfer due to aggre-
gate interlocking reduces over time [4]. The effectiveness
of a joint is measured by its LTE, which is estimated as the
ratio of the deflections of the unloaded slab panel (δul) to that
of the loaded slab panel (δl), and is expressed in percentage.
It is seen from the literature that several experimental
investigations have been performed to understand the com-
plex nature of load transfer through aggregate interlocking
mechanism. Colley and Humphrey [5] performed a number
of laboratory tests to study the performance of joints on
model concrete pavements considering various parameters
like width of joint opening, thickness of concrete slab,
magnitude of load, foundation support and shape of aggre-
gates. The authors concluded that the joint/crack width
was the most significant parameter along with the strength
and angularity of the aggregates for load transfer through
aggregate interlocking mechanism. Thickness of PCC
slab and strength of foundation also affect the efficiency
of the joints. Jensen and Hansen [6] investigated aggregate
interlocking mechanism on model concrete pavement and
concluded that crack width and roughness of the cracked
faces were important factors for load transfer. Brink et al.
[7] studied the effect of type and size of aggregates on the
load transfer mechanism for both static and dynamic load-
ing conditions. The authors suggested that for crack widths
larger than 2.5 mm, the stiffness of the subbase started
playing a role in the response of the slabs. Also the size
and strength of aggregates play significant roles in LTE
[7]. Arnold et al. [8] developed a deterioration model for
joints and cracks under cyclic loading by performing labo-
ratory tests. The authors concluded that a rapid increase in
displacement at the initial stage was due to the degradation
of fine aggregates and after that there was a slow change
where the larger aggregates began to bear upon each other.
13
Transportation in Developing Economies (2019) 5:15
Pradena and Houben [9] developed a load transfer–crack
width relationship of non-dowelled pavements by perform-
ing field tests and confirmed that high-quality aggregates
provided higher load transfer. In an experimental study by
Vandenbossche [10], an attempt was made to quantify the
texture of the fractured surfaces of a joint using volumetric
surface texture ratio.
A number of finite element analyses have been carried
out by researchers to investigate the aggregate interlock
load transfer mechanism. Aggregate interlocked joint has
generally been modeled using spring elements. A series of
discrete spring elements are normally provided which con-
nect the two cracked faces of the joint [11–15]. Ioannides
and Korovesis [4] investigated the pure-shear load trans-
fer mechanism due to aggregate interlock and carried out
dimensional analysis to define the relative joint stiffness of
the pavement in terms of its structural characteristics. Jeong
and Zollinger [16] used a total stiffness ratio, which is a
function of dowel and aggregate interlocked joint param-
eters. Maitra et al. [3] suggested a guideline for the selection
of the stiffness of these springs considering the effects of
aggregate size and crack width. In some cases, quadratic
interface elements were also used to model the aggregate
interlocked joints [17–19]. It has been found from literature
that the nature of the cracked faces has an influence on the
load transfer efficiency of joint [6, 10], though no significant
attempt was found to model the surface roughness. A joint
with comparatively smooth surfaces has much less LTE as
compared to that with rough surfaces. Roesler and Chupanit
[20] experimentally studied the effects of coarse aggregates,
in terms of its strength, maximum size and gradation on
concrete fracture energy and joint stiffness. The authors con-
cluded that aggregate size and strength are the most impor-
tant factors for higher fracture energy; whereas, aggregate
gradation has marginal influence on it. Pavement parameters
like concrete slab depth and modulus of subgrade reaction
also influence the LTE of joints significantly.
It has been observed from literature that crack width,
coarse aggregate type, its angularity and maximum size and
the roughness of the cracked surfaces are important joint-
related parameters that affect the LTE of a jointed pavement.
Experimental and numerical studies have also been carried
out to understand their effect on the joint performance. How-
ever, no significant attempt has been found to model the
nature of the cracked surfaces and consequently its influence
on the LTE of jointed concrete pavement. The present paper
discusses the development of an FE model which represents
the fractured faces of an aggregate interlocked joint and
investigates the combined effect of crack width, maximum
aggregate size and nature of the cracked surfaces on the per-
formance of pavement in terms of its LTE. The effect of slab
thickness and subgrade strength on the performance of the
pavement is also examined using the FE model.
Transportation in Developing Economies (2019) 5:15
Numerical Modeling of Aggregate
Interlocked Joint with Irregular Crack Faces
In this work, concrete pavement with aggregate interlocked
joint has been modeled using three-dimensional finite ele-
ment method. The commercial structural analysis software
ANSYS [21] has been used for this purpose. The FE model
has three major components: the concrete slab, the founda-
tion and the aggregate interlocked joint. The details of the
modeling of these components are discussed herein.
Details of FE Modeling
The rigid concrete slab has been modeled as a linear elastic
and isotropic material, with eight-noded solid brick elements
(SOLID45) found in the ANSYS software. The brick element
has three degrees of freedom per node, translations in the
nodal x, y and z directions. Young’s modulus (E) and Pois-
son’s ratio (υ) are the two elastic constants to represent the
material properties of this element. The density (γ) and coef-
ficient of thermal expansion (α) are other input parameters
required for the analysis. The entire foundation, comprising
of base, subbase and compacted subgrade, has been modeled
as Winkler foundation. In this case, the contact pressure at
any point is assumed to be proportional to the deflection at
that point and independent of the deflections at other loca-
tions. A number of closely spaced linear springs represent
the Winkler foundation. In the present work, two-noded lin-
ear spring elements (COMBIN14) available in the ANSYS
software, with three degrees of freedom (translations in the
nodal x, y and z directions) at each node, are used to model
the Winkler foundation. The strength of foundation is rep-
resented by the parameter termed as modulus of subgrade
reaction (k). The effective normal stiffness of each spring
element can be estimated by multiplying the modulus of
subgrade reaction with the influencing area of the corre-
sponding element. The influencing area of each spring is the
effective area between two adjacent springs. Figure 1 shows
an irregular crack which is formed below the saw-cut depth
of a pavement and Fig. 2 shows the finite element representa-
tion of the same. In the figure, the brick elements represent
the concrete slab and the springs below the brick elements
Crack below saw-cut
Wheel load
Concrete Slab
Fig. 1  Irregular crack formed below the saw-cut depth of pavement
Page 3 of 8 15
Wheel load
Springs at the irregular
faces of Joint
Saw-Cutting
Brick elements for
Concrete Slab
Springs for
Winkler foundation
Fig. 2  Finite element representation of concrete pavement with
aggregate interlocked joint having irregular crack faces
represent the subgrade as Winkler foundation. In the pre-
sent work, the FE model developed by Maitra et al. [3] for
aggregate interlocked joint in concrete pavement has been
extended to capture the nature of the irregular cracked faces.
Series of linear spring elements at several layers are used
to model the aggregate interlocked joint. Two-noded linear
spring elements (COMBIN14), with three degrees of free-
dom (translations in the nodal x, y and z directions) at each
node, are used for this purpose. The springs are connected
with the corresponding nodes of the adjacent slab. The irreg-
ular joint/crack face has been modeled as shown in Fig. 2.
The roughness of the cracked face has been represented by
the uneven surfaces with a larger bearing area. Adjacent slab
panels are connected at their outer irregular faces by several
series of spring elements representing the interlocking action
of the aggregates at the joint.
In modeling the aggregate interlocked joint, the stiffness
of the spring elements is estimated as per the guidelines
proposed by Maitra et al. [3] using a new parameter termed
as ‘Modulus of Interlocking Joints (Kj)’. This new parameter
was developed based on a number of FE analyses of aggre-
gate interlocked jointed concrete pavement with different
configurations, varied crack width and maximum aggregate
size [3]. The modulus (Kj) represents the strength character-
istics of the cracked face and hence is a property of the same
(similar to “modulus of subgrade reaction” used to define the
strength of subgrade). Kj is a function of crack/joint width
and interlocking ratio, i.e., the ratio of the maximum aggre-
gate size to crack width. Kj is expressed by Eq. 1 [3].
Kj = 0.4568 × x−0.7493 × exp(0.0643 × IR), (1)
where IR = Interlocking ratio = agg/x; agg = maximum size
of aggregates in mm; x = Crack/Joint width in mm.
Modulus of interlocking joints is expressed in terms of
pressure per unit length of the joint (MPa/mm). Higher mod-
ulus value indicates higher strength of the joint. To estimate
the stiffness of each spring (S) at the joint face, the modulus
value Kj needs to be multiplied with the effective bearing
area (Ab) of that spring as given in Eq. 2.
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 15 Page 4 of 8 Transportation in Developing Economies (2019) 5:15

S = Kj × Ab (2) present study, the LC values (below the saw-cut depth)

as considered for the FE analysis are given in Table 1. In
The effective bearing area of each spring is the area between
actual field, the roughness or the length of the cracked sur-
two adjacent springs at the face of the joint. Ab, thus, depends
faces below the saw-cut depth can be measured with suit-
upon the spring spacing along the width and depth of the
able devices. Five different maximum aggregate sizes for
joint. In case of irregular crack faces (as shown in Fig. 2),
the concrete slab have been assumed as given in Table 1
the available bearing area is higher as compared to that for
[24]. To understand the effects of joint parameters, the
smoother crack faces having almost straight surfaces. Conse-
pavement parameters are kept the same for these analyses.
quently, the total spring stiffness becomes greater giving rise
The slab depth (h) and the modulus of subgrade reaction
to an increase in the overall strength of the cracked faces.
(k) are kept as 250 mm and 0.08 MPa/mm, respectively,
for all these cases [22].
Pavement Configuration
Pavement-related parameters like slab depth and soil
strength also influence the LTE of an aggregate interlocked
A concrete pavement of dimension 3.50 m × 4.50 m, as
joint. For the present parametric study, the effects of these
typically constructed in India [22], has been considered
pavement-related parameters are also investigated. Three
for the present study. The properties of M40 grade of
different slab depths and five different subgrade strengths
concrete considered for the analysis are: elastic modulus,
with varied modulus of subgrade reaction values have been
E = 30,000 MPa, Poisson’s ratio, υ = 0.15 and density,
considered (refer Table 1), which are generally encoun-
γ = 2400 kg/m3 [23]. The foundation is assumed to be con-
tered for the construction of concrete roads in India [22].
sisted of granular base, subbase and compacted subgrade,
For all these cases, the joint-related parameters, e.g., crack
the strength of which can be expressed by a combined modu-
width, maximum aggregate size and roughness or length
lus of subgrade reaction. For the FE analysis, only two adja-
of fractured surfaces are kept the same as 1.0 mm, 32 mm
cent panels with one interlocking joint in between have been
and 200 mm, respectively.
considered, as the effects of other panels are insignificant on
The concrete slab is meshed with brick elements
the LTE of that joint. It is assumed that no dowel bars are
(SOLID45) of size 50 mm × 50 mm × 50 mm with a length
present along the joint and the load is transferred from one
of fractured surface (LC) of 200 mm. The mesh size has
panel to another only through the interlocking action of the
been selected based on a convergence study. A number of
aggregates. The slab panels are assumed to be continuous
Spring elements (COMBIN14) connect the fractured sur-
along the longitudinal and transverse directions.
faces along their widths and depths of the adjacent panels.
As found from the results of various experiments
Along the width of the slab, the spring spacing is kept the
reported in the literature [5, 7], the maximum size of
same as 50 mm for all cases. The spring spacing varies
aggregates, crack/joint width and the nature of the cracked
along the depth depending upon the length of the fractured
surfaces have significant influences on the LTE of an
surfaces. The values of Kj for different crack widths (x)
aggregate interlocked joint. In the present work, the effects
and aggregate sizes (agg) (refer Table 1) are estimated
of these joint-related parameters have been investigated
using Eq. 1. The stiffness of each spring (S) is obtained
using the FE model. For the parametric study, six different
using Eq. 2 considering the estimated K j values and the
crack/joint widths (x) (refer Table 1) [3], and five differ-
corresponding bearing area (Ab) of that spring. Since the
ent roughness levels have been considered. The roughness
springs are equally spaced, the bearing area of the spring
of the cracked faces is represented by the length of the
at the edge of the crack face becomes half of that at the
fractured surface (LC). More is the length of the fractured
springs at the intermediate locations. Table 2 gives some
surface, more is the roughness of the cracked face. For the
typical values of Kj and S corresponding to some particular
values of agg, x and Ab as selected for the FE analysis.

Table 1  Values of Joint and Pavement-Related Parameters Considered for FE Analysis

Type Parameters Values considered for analysis

Joint-related Parameters
Pavement-related Parameters
Crack Width (x in mm) 0.50, 0.75, 1.00, 1.50, 2.00, 2.50
Roughness (LC in mm) 200, 250, 300, 350, 400
Maximum Aggregate Size (agg in mm) 12, 20, 25, 32, 36
Concrete Slab Depth (h in mm) 200, 250, 300
Modulus of Subgrade Reaction (k in MPa/mm) 0.04, 0.08, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20

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Transportation in Developing Economies (2019) 5:15 Page 5 of 8 15

Table 2  Modulus of h (mm) agg (mm) x (mm) LC (mm) Kj (MPa/mm) Ab (mm × mm) S (N/mm)
interlocking joint and spring
stiffness values for slabs with 250 32 0.50 200 47.04 50 × 50 117,608
different crack widths and
0.75 250 8.81 50 × 62.5 27,521
roughness levels
1.00 300 3.58 50 × 75 13,408
1.50 350 1.33 50 × 87.5 5814
2.00 400 0.76 50 × 100 3801

Fig. 3  Location and details of

dual-wheel loads on concrete
pavement for estimation of LTE
of an aggregate interlocked joint

Axle Load Details 100

Single-axle load with dual-wheel assembly of magnitude 90

120 kN with a tire pressure of 0.80 MPa has been considered
for the present analysis [25]. Rectangular tire imprints of
LTE (%)

size 234.4 mm × 160 mm corresponding to a single-wheel 80 Lc = 200 mm

load of 30 kN are considered with dual-wheel configuration Lc = 250 mm
LC = 300 mm
[2] as shown in Fig. 3. The load is selected as representative 70 LC = 350 mm
of a typical axle load observed on Indian highways. The load LC = 400 mm
is placed near the joint with the dual wheels tangential to the
60
transverse edge of one panel (refer Fig. 3). For the purpose 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0
of the present analysis, the dual-wheel loads are applied only Crack width (mm)
on one panel of the pavement, as the effect of other dual
wheel on the LTE is insignificant. Fig. 4  Variation of LTE with crack width and LC

Effect of Joint‑Related Parameters on LTE

Analysis and Discussion of Results
The jointed concrete pavement has been analyzed by devel-
oping the 3D FE model with various configurations. Para-
metric studies are carried out to investigate the influence
of several joint-related parameters (joint width, maximum
aggregate size and roughness level) and pavement-related
parameters (slab depth and modulus of subgrade reaction)
on LTE. The deflections of the loaded and unloaded slabs
due to an applied dual-wheel load are obtained from the
analysis and LTE is estimated for each case. The effects of
joint-related and pavement-related parameters on LTE are
discussed in the following sections.
Joint width (x), maximum size of aggregates (agg) and
roughness or length of fractured surfaces (LC) are the three
joint-related parameters considered for the present study. It
has been found that all these factors influence the LTE sig-
nificantly. Figure 4 shows the variation of LTE with crack
widths (x) at various roughness levels (LC). It is observed
that at any roughness level, the LTE decreases with increase
in crack width which is in line with the results obtained from
literature [5, 7]. Colley and Humphrey [5] performed experi-
ments on slab of 229-mm thickness with maximum aggre-
gate size of 38 mm. The researchers found that the variation
of LTE is about 23.4% for the change in crack width from

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 15 Page 6 of 8
0.889 mm to 2.159 mm. The present numerical results indi-
cate the variation of LTE as 24.6% for change in crack width
from 0.75 mm to 2.50 mm for a slab of 250-mm thickness
and maximum aggregate size of 36 mm with a length of
cracked surfaces as 300 mm. The results are, thus, in agree-
ment with those obtained from the literature. The effect of
roughness on LTE is also pronounced as is indicated in the
figure. At any crack width, the LTE increases with increase
in roughness of the fractured surfaces. The effect of rough-
ness, however, is more pronounced at higher crack widths.
At lower crack width of 0.5 mm, the LTE increases by about
1% for increase in length of cracked surfaces from 200 mm
to 400 mm; whereas, LTE increases by 11% for the same
increase in length of cracked surfaces at crack width of
2.5 mm.
When concrete cracks, a fracture process zone (FPZ)
develops at the tip of the crack, within which cohesive
stresses get mobilized and the material is still able to transfer
load across the crack faces [26]. The magnitude of cohesive
stresses depends upon the width of the crack. At lower crack
widths, the cohesive stresses are much active which results
in higher load transfer. With increase in crack width, the
cohesive stresses decrease and the effect of the bearing area
(length of cracked surface) influences the LTE. When the
crack width exceeds a critical value, termed as critical crack
mouth opening displacement, cohesive stresses become zero
and real crack is formed with no load transfer [27].
Figure 5 shows the variation of LTE with maximum size
of aggregates (agg) for various roughness levels (LC). It
is seen that LTE increases with increase in maximum size
of aggregates for all cases, which agrees with the results
obtained from literature [5, 7]. Brink et al. [7] performed
experiments with two different maximum sizes of aggre-
gates for slabs of depth 230 mm with a 1.00-mm crack in
between and observed that the LTE increased by about
7% when the maximum size of aggregates increased from
19 mm to 37.5 mm. The present numerical results indicate
that the LTE has increased by 7.3% when the maximum size
100
90
LTE (%)
80
70
60
0 10 20 30
Maximum Aggregate Size (mm)
Fig. 5  Variation of LTE with aggregate size and LC
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Transportation in Developing Economies (2019) 5:15
of aggregates increased from 20 to 36 mm for a slab of 250-
mm thickness with a crack width of 1.0 mm and the length
of cracked surfaces as 300 mm. The present numerical
results are, thus, in agreement with those obtained from the
literature. Also, for slabs with all aggregate sizes, a higher
roughness level results in higher LTE of the joint. In this
case, the effect of surface roughness is more pronounced at
lower maximum size of aggregates. It is seen that, at higher
maximum aggregate size of 36 mm, LTE increases by about
3% for an increase in the length of cracked surfaces from
200 to 400 mm; whereas for aggregate size of 20 mm, LTE
increases by 7% for similar increase in the length of cracked
surfaces. Similar to the previous case, FPZ develops at the
crack tip when concrete starts cracking and the cohesive
stresses become activated. The cohesive stresses are higher
when concrete has larger maximum size of aggregates result-
ing into higher fracture energy [20]. Higher fracture energy
at the crack faces results in higher LTE of the joint. With
decrease in aggregate sizes, the cohesive stresses and the
corresponding fracture energy also decrease and the bearing
area at the cracked faces starts influencing the LTE. Thus,
LTE increases more prominently with increase in roughness
level at lower aggregate sizes as seen in the figure.
Effect of Pavement‑Related Parameters on LTE
Concrete slab depth and modulus of subgrade reaction are
the two pavement-related parameters considered in the
present study and their effect on pavement deflection and
joint LTE has been investigated. Figure 6 shows that the
subgrade strength influences the pavement deflections sig-
nificantly. With increase in modulus of subgrade reaction,
the maximum deflection of the slab reduces. The deflection
reduces with increase in slab depth as well as expected. With
increase in subgrade k value or the slab depth, the stiffness
of the pavement system increases which results into lower
deflections of the slabs. Figure 7 shows the variation of LTE
0.70
h = 200 mm
0.60 h = 250 mm
Maximum Deflecon (mm)
0.50 h = 300 mm
0.40
0.30
LC = 200 mm
LC = 250 mm 0.20
LC = 300 mm
0.10
LC = 350 mm
LC = 400 mm 0.00
0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25
40 50 Modulus of Subgrade Reacon (k in MPa/mm)
Fig. 6  Variation of maximum deflection with modulus of subgrade
reaction for different slab depths
Transportation in Developing Economies (2019) 5:15
100
h = 200 mm
95
h = 250 mm
h = 300 mm
90
LTE (%)
85
80
75
70
0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20
Modulus of Subgrade Reac on (k in MPa/mm)
Fig. 7  Variation of LTE with modulus of subgrade reaction for differ-
ent slab depths
with modulus of subgrade reaction (k) for three different
slab thicknesses (h). Though the slab deflections have been
reduced due to the increase in subgrade strength, however,
the LTEs of the joints have found to decrease with increase
in modulus of subgrade reaction. For 250-mm-thick slab, the
LTE reduces by about 14%, when the subgrade k increases
from 0.04 to 0.20 MPa/mm. The reason is that stronger sub-
grade actually resists the deflection of the unloaded slab
more as compared to that of the loaded slab resulting in
lower LTE of the joints.
Conclusions
Aggregate interlocked jointed concrete pavement with
irregular cracked faces has been modeled in this work using
3D finite element method. The FE model is capable of cap-
turing the roughness levels, crack widths and maximum
aggregate size to estimate joint stiffness. A jointed con-
crete pavement with a dual-wheel load has been analyzed
using the FE model and the load transfer efficiency of the
joint is evaluated. Parametric studies have been carried out
to investigate the combined effect of roughness and crack
width and roughness and maximum aggregate size on LTE.
However, as no experimental data are available, the effect
of crack width on roughness has not been considered in the
present work. Parametric study has also been carried out to
estimate the LTE due to the combined effect of slab depth
and subgrade strength. The results of the present work are
summarized as follows.
• Roughness of the cracked surface has a significant influ-
ence on LTE of an aggregate interlocked joint. Rough-
ness is modeled and quantified in this work in terms of
length of fractured surfaces (LC). More is the roughness
or LC, more is the strength of the joint.
Page 7 of 8 15
• The combined effect of crack width and roughness on
LTE of an aggregate interlocked joint has been investi-
gated and it is observed that the influence of roughness
is more pronounced at higher crack widths. At lower
crack widths, the cohesive stresses are higher, resulting
in more load transfer across the cracks. As the crack
width increases, the cohesive stresses decrease and the
influence of roughness or the length of fractured sur-
faces becomes predominant.
0.25
• The combined effect of maximum aggregate size and
roughness on LTE of an aggregate interlocked joint
shows that the LTE increases with increase in rough-
ness levels for all aggregate sizes. However, the influ-
ence of roughness is predominant as the maximum size
of aggregates decreases. At larger maximum size of
aggregates, higher fracture energy is developed result-
ing in higher LTE. With smaller aggregates, less frac-
ture energy is developed and the LTE is more influ-
enced by the roughness of the cracked faces.
• The combined effect of PCC slab thickness and sub-
grade strength on LTE of an aggregate interlocked joint
indicates that LTE increases with increase in slab thick-
ness. In case of subgrade strength, though the deflec-
tion values reduce with increase in modulus of sub-
grade reaction, however, the LTE reduces significantly
with increase in subgrade strength.
Acknowledgement The authors acknowledge the opportunity to pre-
sent the research work that forms the basis of this article at the 4th
Conference of the Transportation Research Group of India held at IIT
Bombay, Mumbai from 17 to 20 December, 2017.
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