• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.75-86
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• 2016

PURPOSES : The purpose of this study is to investigate characteristics of crack spacing and crack width and their relationship in continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) based on the data obtained from long-term field observations. METHODS : The crack spacings and crack widths are measured periodically over 10 years at two different CRCP sections: one with asphalt bond breaker beneath concrete slab, and the other with bonded lean concrete base beneath concrete slab. The effects of steel ratio, type of underlying layer, terminal treatment method, and seasonal temperature change on the crack characteristics are evaluated by analyzing the measured data. RESULTS : The CRCP with lean concrete base shows smaller crack spacings than those of the CRCP with asphalt bond breaker. As the steel ratio increases, both the crack spacing and crack width tend to decrease. The crack width becomes larger as the crack age increases, but once the crack age is over a certain value the crack width tends to converge. When the terminal anchor lug system is not used and the expansion joints are employed at the terminals, the crack spacings and crack widths increase near the terminal sections. The crack spacing and crack width seem to be proportional each other, but not necessarily linearly, and their relationship is more distinguished in the summer when the crack widths become smaller. CONCLUSIONS : The steel ratio, underlying layer type, terminal treatment method, and seasonal temperature change affect the characteristics of cracks and the crack spacing and crack width are related to each other.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.9 no.2 s.32
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• pp.39-49
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• 2007

The objective of this study was to investigate features of transverse crack occurrence and propagation in continuously reinforced concrete pavement(CRCP) when subjected to environmental loading. The finite element model of CRCP was developed and the element removal method was implemented to predict the crack propagation process. To investigate the effect of the type of environmental loading on the CRCP behavior and cracking aspects, the following three different cases were considered: (1) the temperature gradient between top and bottom of the slab does not vary and the constant temperature drop throughout the depth occurs; (2) the temperature at the slab bottom does not vary and the temperature gradient increases; and (3) the temperature between the mid-depth and the bottom of the slab is the same and does not vary and the temperature at the top decreases. The analysis results showed that the crack occurrence and propagation through the depth of the slab in CRCP were significantly affected by the type of environmental loading. The changes in stress distribution and displacements during the crack occurrence and propagation process could also be investigated.

• 한국도로학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2006.10a
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• pp.153-156
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• 2006

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.8 no.1 s.27
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• pp.119-130
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• 2006

The behavior of continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) and the effect of the steel ratio on the behavior under moving wheel loads were investigated in this study. The CRCP sections having different steel ratios of 0.6, 0.7, and 0.8% were considered to evaluate the load transfer efficiency (LTE) at transverse cracks and to investigate the strains in CRCP when the system is subjected to moving vehicle loads. The LTEs were obtained by conducting the falling weight deflectometer (FWD) tests and the tests were performed at three different times of a day to find the curling effect due to the daily temperature changes in CRCP. The strains in the concrete slab and the bond braker layer of the CRCP system under moving vehicle loads were obtained using the embedded strain gages. The results of this study show that the LTEs at transverse cracks are very high and not affected by the time of testing and the steel ratio. The strains in CRCP under vehicle loads become smaller as the vehicle speed increases or as the wandering distance increases; however, the strains are not clearly affected by the steel ratio.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.13 no.1 s.53
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• pp.106-114
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• 2009

The steel design based on the width of transverse crack which is the major factor to affect a long-term performance of continuously reinforced concrete pavement was developed. For this study, twenty-one cities of Texas were selected and the temperature data was collected at those locations during the past ten years. From the data, zero-stress temperatures were calculated by the PavePro program and the widths of transverse crack were analyzed by the CRCP program. The variables used to this numerical analysis were slab thickness, coefficient of thermal expansion of concrete, steel ratio, and design temperature. The total of 448 factorial runs were made and the regression analysis was performed using the results. Steel ratios from the regression equations were backcalculated and a steel design table was proposed.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.3 no.2 s.8
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• pp.131-140
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• 2001

Concrete pavement of Jungbu Expressway composed of CRCP(Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement) and JCP(Jointed Concrete Pavement). The CRCP was firstly constructed and applied to new expressway in Korea. It is a good source of the study to analyze the performance of CRCP and JCP because it experiences same amount of traffic and environmental loading. Up to the present, condition survey has conducted several times during 13 years but roughness measurement has not been carefully conducted. Through comparisons among several types of pavement(CRCP, JCP, Asphalt) by roughness, CRCP is superior to JCP. In addition, connected sections in the highway such as bridges and tunnels that have higher IRI values, about 5mm/m, than normal sections should be considered appropriated maintenance such as diamond grinding. The relationship between IRI and distresses carried out by Korea Highway Cooperation in 1999 skewed that the number of crack is related to IRI value in JCP, while other distresses of JCP and CRCP are not shown clearly. The comparison study with IRI values between Jungbu Expressway and GPS-3(JCP) and GPS-5(CRCP) of LTPP data also showed that roughness of Jungbu Expressway is not inferior to that of the state. Some of section showed larger values of IRI are linked with under-9round structures for passages and drainages. The overall performance considering only roughness, the CRCP is also superior to JCP in sections with under-ground tunnels.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.25-34
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• 2014

PURPOSES : This paper numerically evaluates the contribution of transverse steel to the structural behavior of continuously reinforced concrete pavements to understand the role of transverse steel. METHODS : Two-lane continuously reinforced concrete pavements with and without transverse steel were analyzed through finite element analysis with the aid of commercial finite element analysis program DIANA; the difference in their structural behavior such as deflection, joint opening, and stress distribution was then evaluated. Twenty-node brick elements and three-node beam elements were used to model concrete and steel, respectively. Sub-layers were modeled with horizontal and vertical tensionless spring elements. The interactions between steel and surrounding concrete were considered by connecting their nodes with three orthogonal spring elements. Both wheel loading and environmental loading in addition to self-weight were considered. RESULTS : The use of transverse steel in continuously reinforced concrete pavements does not have significant effects on the structural behavior. The surface deflections change very little with the use of transverse steel. The joint opening decreases when transverse steel is used but the reduction is quite small. The transverse concrete stress, rather, increases when transverse steel is used due to the restraint exerted by the steel but the increase is quite small as well. CONCLUSIONS : The main role of transverse steel in continuously reinforced concrete pavements is supporting longitudinal steel and/or controlling unexpected longitudinal cracks rather than enhancing the structural capacity.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.9-18
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• 2008

Curling is caused by the difference in the temperature and humidity by the depth of the slab in Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement. Slab curvature shape and size change due to curling exert a profound influence on the internal stress and roughness of the pavement, affecting structural and functional performance of the pavement. Direct measurement of the slab curvature entails many problems. Many measuring instruments have to be installed at the early-stage of the pavement construction, and the behavior of the slab curvature needs to be measured accurately from the early-stage. Moreover, the cost and technical difficulty are very formidable to measure the slab curvature. This study develops a measurement method for slab curvature in jointed concrete pavement at any given time by applying Power Spectrum Density Analysis and Inverse Fast Fourier Transformation to the profile data, that can be easily obtained at the construction field site. The effectiveness of this developed method is verified by measuring the profile data of the test road of jointed concrete pavement at an inland central expressway by the hour and by examining the result of extracting the slab curvature shape from this profile data. Additionally, the profile data of CRCP(Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement) sections on the same expressway were obtained and analyzed at the same time. The validity of the method developed for the slab curvature shape extraction is verified by comparing the result from the analysis of the profile data of CRCP sections with that from the analysis of the prof1Ie data of jointed concrete pavement sections.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.445-469
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• 2024

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has recommended the use of AASHTOWare Pavement Mechanistic-Empirical Design (PMED) software for Roller-Compacted Concrete (RCC) pavement design, but specific calibration for RCC is missing. This study investigates the software's capacity to predict the long-term performance of RCC roadways within the framework of conventional concrete pavement calibration. By reanalyzing existing RCC projects in several U.S. states: Colorado, Arkansas, South Carolina, Texas, and Illinois, the study highlights the need for specific calibration tailored to the unique characteristics of RCC. Field observations have emphasized occurrence of early distresses in RCC pavements, particularly transverse-cracking and joint-related issues. Despite data challenges, the AASHTOWare PMED software exhibits notable correlation between its long-term predictions and actual field performance in RCC roadways. This study stresses that RCC applications with insufficient joint spacing and thickness are prone to premature cracking. To enhance the accuracy of RCC pavement design, it is essential to discuss the inclusion of RCC as a dedicated rigid pavement option in AASHTOWare PMED. This becomes particularly crucial when the rising popularity of RCC roadways in the U.S. and Canada is considered. Such an inclusion would solidify RCC as a viable third option alongside Jointed Plain Concrete Pavements (JPCP) and Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavements (CRCP) for design and deployment of rigid pavements. The research presents a roadmap for future calibration endeavors and advocates for the integration of RCC pavement as a distinct pavement type within the software. This approach holds promise for achieving more precise RCC pavement design and performance predictions.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.8 no.2 s.28
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• pp.55-62
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• 2006

Transverse cracks in continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) occur at early ages due to temperature and moisture variations. The width and spacing of transverse cracks have a significant effect on pavement performance such as load transfer efficiency and punchout development. Also, crack widths in CRCP depend on 'zero-stress temperature,' which is defined as a temperature where initial concrete stresses become zero, as well as drying shrinkage of concrete. For good long-term performance of CRCP, transverse cracks need to be kept tight. To keep the crack widths tight throughout the pavement life, zero-stress temperature must be as low as practically possible. Thus, temperature control at early ages is a key component In ensuring good CRCP performance. In this study, concrete temperatures were predicted using PavePro, a concrete temperature prediction program, for a CRCP construction project, and those values were compared with actual measured temperatures obtained from field testing. The cracks were also surveyed for 12 days after concrete placement. Findings from this study can be summarized as follows. First, the actual maximum temperatures are greater than the predicted maximum temperature in the ranges of 0.2 to 4.5$^{\circ}C$. For accurate temperature predictions, hydration properties of cementitious materials such as activation energy and adiabatic constants, should be evaluated and accurate values be obtained for use as input values. Second, within 24 hours of concrete placement, temperatures of concrete placed in the morning are higher than those placed in the afternoon, and the maximum concrete temperature occurred in the concrete placed at noon. Finally, from the 12 days of condition survey, it was noted that the rate of crack occurrence in the morning placed section was 25 percent greater than that in the afternoon placed section. Based on these findings, it is concluded that maximum concrete temperature has a significant effect on crack development, and boner concrete temperature control is needed to ensure adequate CRCP performance.