Stresses in Jointed Rigid Pavements

Abstract

A novel application of the principles of fracture mechanics combined with multilayered elastic theory is used to obtain the design stresses midway between the transverse joints at the bottom of the longitudinal edge of rigid pavements and for corner loading of slabs without dowels. The thermal curl stresses and deflection for slabs that are curled up, with and without vehicular loading, are also determined. The basic idea is to treat a joint with no load transfer, as a crack in a continuously supported plate on an elastic foundation. The deflection and stresses caused by the joint are determined by fracture mechanics, and those for the continuous pavement are determined by the CHEVRON multilayered elastic computer program. The total deflection and stresses are then obtained by superposition. The deflection and stresses so determined are compared with the Westergaard theoretical solutions, the results of finite-element programs, and experimental data from the American Association of State Highway Officials Road Test, showing good agreement.