Title: PERFORMANCE OF VARIOUS THICKNESSES OF PCC PAVEMENT
Abstract: If adequately designed and high-quality material and good construction practices are used, portland cement concrete is very durable. This is demonstrated by the oldest pavement in Iowa (second oldest in the United States), which was paved in 1904. It performed well for 70 years without resurfacing. The design thickness is an important factor in both the performance and cost of pavement. The objective of this paper is to provide a 30-year performance evaluation of a pavement constructed to determine the required design thickness for low-volume secondary roadways. In 1951 Greene County and the Iowa Highway Research Board of the Iowa Department of Transportation initiated a 4-mile (6.4-km) demonstration project to evaluate thicknesses that ranged from 4.5 to 6 in. (11.4-15.2 cm). The project, which consisted of 10 research sections, was formed pavement placed on a gravel roadbed with very little preparation except for redistribution of the loose aggregate. Eight sections were nonreinforced except for centerline tie bars, and no contraction joints were used. Mesh reinforcing and contraction joints spaced at 29 ft. 7 in. (9.02 m) intervals were used in two 4.5-in. (11.4-cm) thick sections. The only air-entrained section was nonreinforced. The pavement performed well over its 30-year life of carrying a light volume of traffic and did not require major maintenance. Cracking was substantial; average slab length varied directly with thickness. The 4.5-in-thick nonair entrained, mesh-reinforced pavement with contraction joints has performed the best. (Author)
Publication Year: 1982
Publication Date: 1982-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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