Evaluation of In Situ Pavement Material Properties and Behavior through Field Instrumentation and Load Testing

Abstract

State highway agencies have been experimenting with new concrete mixtures and pavement design features for improving the behavior and performance of concrete pavements. This paper presents the results of a field study undertaken in Maryland with alternative concrete mixtures. The objective of the study was to evaluate the in-place material properties for three concrete mixtures: a control, a fiber-reinforced, and a low-shrinkage concrete mix. Field instrumentation was used for monitoring the deflections and strains of the concrete slabs built with these concrete mixtures. Nondestructive testing (NDT) and back-calculation analysis were then used to evaluate the in situ material properties immediately after construction. Although traditional back-calculation analysis is based primarily on deflection measurements, in this study an iterative approach using NDT methods and measured strain and deflection data was employed for estimating the in situ modulus of subgrade reaction,