PAVEMENT ENGINEERING

(ECG524)
TOPIC 4.0

PORTLAND CEMENT
CONCRETE PAVEMENT
(PCCP)
 Topic Outlines

4.0 Introduction
4.1 PCC pavement types.
4.2 PCC pavement distress types.
4.3 PCC pavement materials,
characterization, design and
specifications.
 Learning Outcomes
At the end of the topic, students should be
able to:
1. Distinguish the different types of PCCP (CO3-PO3)
2. Design Reinforced Pavement (CO3-PO4)
3. Explain the process of highway pavement
construction, (CO3-PO3)
4. Undertake supervision work and ensure quality
control on materials and workmanship. (CO3-PO4)

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 Topic 4.0

Introduction

4
 Constructed- Portland cement &
aggregate

Subgrade-soil Natural ground,

Concrete / Rigid graded, and compacted on which
the pavement is built

Subbase-crushed aggregate,
Layer of material directly below
Subbase (optional)
the concrete pavement
Subgrade
Concrete slab-portland cement

Transverse contraction joints-

built into pavement to control the
cracking of the slab
 Load Distribution
Distributes heavy traffic axle loads over a large area
of subgrade by concrete slab through bending action.
Less sensitive to the subgrade support and do not require
the thick subbase layers like asphalt concrete pavements.

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 Rigid vs. Flexible Pavements
Pavement Types & How They Effect the Subgrade

3,000 kg. 3,000 kg.

pressure < 0.2 MPa pressure = 0.2 MPa

Concretes Flexural Stiffness spreads the load over a large area

and keeps pressures on the subgrade low.
 Components / Terminology

Longitudinal joint Surface smoothness

Thickness Design

Transverse joint

Surface Texture

Concrete slab

Tie bars Dowel bars

Subgrade
Subbase or base
 Topic 4.1
PCC Pavement Types

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 PCC pavement types
(TYPES OF JOINTS)

Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement (JPCP)

Jointed Reinforced Concrete Pavement (JRCP)

Continuous Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP)

(A) Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement (JCPC)
Longitudinal Joint
Jointed plain concrete pavement (JPCP, see
Figure) uses contraction joints to control
cracking and does not use any reinforcing
steel. Transverse joint spacing is selected
such that temperature and moisture stresses
do not produce intermediate cracking
between joints. This typically results in a
spacing no longer than about 6.1 m (20
ft.). Dowel bars are typically used at
transverse joints to assist in load transfer. Tie
bars are typically used at longitudinal joints.

Transverse Joint

Base / Subbase
Subgrade
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 JPCP

Crack Control: Contraction joints, both transverse and longitudinal

Joint Spacing: Typically between 3.7 m (12 ft.) and 6.1 m (20 ft.). Due to the nature of concrete, slabs longer
than about 6.1 m (20 ft.) will usually crack in the middle. Depending upon environment and
materials slabs shorter than this may also crack in the middle.

Reinforcing Steel: None.

Load Transfer: Aggregate interlock and dowel bars. For low-volume roads aggregate interlock is often
adequate. However, high-volume roads generally require dowel bars in each transverse joint
to prevent excessive faulting.

Other Info: A majority of U.S. State DOTs build JPCP because of its simplicity and proven performance.
JPCP
 (B) Jointed Reinforced Concrete Pavement
(JRCP)
Longitudinal Joint

Steel mesh (0.1-0.2%)

30-100 joint spacing
6-10 slab
Granular / stabilized base
Got dowels Transverse Joint
Problems
Dowel Steel Mesh
- Load transfer failure
- Large tensile strength
Base / Subbase
Subgrade
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JRCP

Jointed reinforced concrete pavement (JRCP). As with JPCP, JRCP controls cracks
by dividing the pavement up into individual slabs separated by contraction
joints. However, these slabs are much longer (as long as 15 m (50 ft.)) than JPCP
slabs, so JRCP uses reinforcing steel within each slab to control within-slab
cracking. This pavement type is no longer constructed in the U.S. due to some long-
term performance problems.
JRCP
 (C) Continuously Reinforced Concrete
Pavement (CRCP) Longitudinal Joint

Steel mesh (0.5-0.7%)

7-9 slab
Granular / stabilized base
Problem
-Punchout Steel Mesh

Base / Subbase
Subgrade
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CRCP

Continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP, see Figure 2.41) does not require any contraction
joints. Transverse cracks are allowed to form but are held tightly together with continuous reinforcing
steel. Research has shown that the maximum allowable design crack width is about 0.5 mm (0.02
inches) to protect against spalling and water penetration (CRSI, 1996). Cracks typically form at intervals
of 1.1 - 2.4 m (3.5 - 8 ft.). Reinforcing steel usually constitutes about 0.6 - 0.7 percent of the cross-
sectional pavement area and is located near mid-depth in the slab. Typically, No. 5 and No. 6 deformed
reinforcing bars are used.
During the 1970's and early 1980's, CRCP design thickness was typically about 80 percent of the
thickness of JPCP. However, a substantial number of these thinner pavements developed distress
sooner than anticipated and as a consequence, the current trend is to make CRCP the same thickness
as JPCP (FHWA, June 1990). The reinforcing steel is assumed to only handle nonload-related stresses
and any structural contribution to resisting loads is ignored.
 CRCP Features
No transverse joints (except construction and some expansion
joints)
Relatively high amounts of temperature steel (holds the cracks
tightly closed)
Cracks develop due to shrinkage, contraction, warping, and
load
CRCP
 Pavement Characteristics
Pavement
Type Advantages Disadvantages
Reliable design Increased joint cost
JPCP Applicable at all Increased joint
locations maintenance

Fewer joints Joint deterioration

JRCP Less concern about Crack deterioration
random cracking

No transverse joints High initial cost

Smooth riding Rehabilitation is
CRCP
Long service life difficult
Low maintenance
 Why Does Concrete Crack after
Placement?
Concrete drying shrinkage
Changes in temperature and moisture
Ambient (contraction)

Gradient (curling)

Subbase restraint (friction or bond)

First applied loads
 Topic 4.1.1
Concrete Pavement
Construction

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Concrete Pavement Construction

1. Preparing the grade

2. Ensuring consistent, quality concrete
3. Placing & finishing
4. Texturing
5. Curing & temperature management
6. Jointing
7. Opening to traffic
placing and finishing the concrete slab Dowel bar insertion equipment

Dowel Bars in Place at Placement Over Dowel Bars

Construction Joint in an Intersection
 Topic 4.2
PCC pavement
distress types

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 PCC Pavement Distress Types
Structural Distresses
Cracking
Joint / Crack deterioration
Durability distress
Punchouts (CRCP)

Functional Distresses
Faulting
Pumping
Surface polishing & surface defects
 Transverse Cracking
Tranverse cracking is the cracks that are predominantly
perpendicular to the pavement centre line.
This cracking is expected in a properly functioning CRCP
 Longitudinal
Cracking

Longitudinal cracking is
the cracks that are
predominantly parallel to
the pavement centreline.
 Joint/Crack deterioration
Joint or crack deterioration is the series of closely spaced
transverse cracks or a large number of interconnecting
cracks occurring near the construction joint.
Might be occurs cause of the dowel corrosion or dowel
misalignment.
 Durability Distress
Durability cracking is the series of closely spaced, crescent-
shaped cracks near a joint, corner or crack.
It is caused by freeze-thaw expansion of the large aggregate
within the PCC slab
 Punch out (CRCP)
Punch out is the area enclosed by two closely spaced
(usually<0.6 m) transverse cracks, a short longitudinal crack,
and the edge of the pavement or a longitudinal joint.
 Pumping
Pumping occur when seeping or ejection of water from beneath the
pavement through cracks or joints.
 Joint Faulting
A different in elevation across a joint or crack usually associated
with undoweled JPCP.
Usually the approach slab is higher than the leave slab due to
pumping.
 Surface Plishing and Surface Defects
(Polished Aggregate)
Description:
Areas of HMA pavement where the portion of aggregate extending
above the asphalt binder is either very small or there are no rough
or angular aggregate particles.

Problem:
Decreased skid resistance

Possible Causes:
Repeated traffic applications. Generally, as a pavement ages the
protruding rough, angular particles become polished. This can
occur quicker if the aggregate is susceptible to abrasion
Polish Aggregate
 Topic 4.3
PCC Pavement Materials,
Characterization, Design and
Specifications

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 Materials Requirement
Cement
- Shall be Portland cement or its blends with
supplementary cementitious materials.
Aggregates
- Shall be naturally occurring sand, gravel or stone, crushed
or uncrushed.
Reinforcing Steel
- It is used in concrete pavement to reduce the amount of
cracking that occurs, (temperature steel).
- As a load transfer mechanism at joint (dowel bars)
- To tie two slabs together (tie bars)
Dowel
- To transfer load across transverse joints
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 The main types of Portland Cement
Concrete & their uses
Type uses
I suitable for general concrete construction, where no special
properties are required. A manufacturer will supply this type
of cement when no specific type is requested.
II suitable for use in general concrete construction, where the
concrete will exposed to moderate action of sulphate or
where moderate heat of hydration is required.
III suitable for concrete construction that requires a high
concrete strength in a relatively short time. It is sometimes
refer to as high early strength cement.
IV suitable for projects where low heat of hydration is necessary
V used in concrete construction projects where the concrete
will be exposed to high sulphate action
 Topic 4.3.1
Design and Specifications

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 DESIGN OF RIGID PAVEMENTS

Rigid Pavements have some flexural strength that

permits them to sustained a beamlike action across
minor irregularities in the under laying material.

Properly designed and constructed: have long service

lives and less expensive to maintain than flexible
pavement.
 UNIFORMITY:
The Key To

Good Pavement
Performance
 Thickness design:

Essential for Obtaining Good

Pavement Performance
 Thickness Design of
Rigid Pavements
Objective: is to determine the thickness of the concrete
slab that will be adequate to carry the projected traffic
load for the design period

Design Methods;
AASHTO Design Method

Portland Cement Association (PCA) Method

Road Note 29 Method

 AASHTO Design Procedure
use design chart
Stage 1 input data: (Figure 21.13 pg1046)
Effective modulus of subgrade reaction, k-value
Mean concrete modulus of rupture, S
Load transfer coefficient, J
Drainage coefficient, C
Output : match line value
Stage 2 input data: (Figure21.14 page1047)
Match line value deduced from stage1
Design serviceability loss, PSI
Reliability, R%=95 (Z=1.645)
Overall standard deviation,
Cumulative ESAL
Output: Required thickness of concrete slab
 Example
A continuous reinforced concrete pavement is subjected to 107
ESAL. Design thickness of the concrete pavement. Given;
k =75 pci,
Ec = 4 x 106 psi,
Sc = 650 Psi,
J =2.9,
Cd = 1.05 ,
PSI =2.0,
R =95%,
SO = 0.3, and
Wt =5.1 x 106,
1. starting from Figure 1 with k=75 pci, a series of lines, as
indicated by the arrows, are drawn through Ec = 4 x 106
psi, Sc= 650 Psi, J=2.9 and Cd = 1.05 until a scale of 65
is obtained at the match line.
2. Starting at 65 on the match line in figure 2 , a line is drawn through , PSI =2.0 until it intersects the
vertical axis.
3. From the scale with R =95%, a line is drawn through S0= 0.3 and then through W18 = 5.1 x 106 untill it
intersects the horizontal axis.
4. A horizontal line is drawn from the last point in steps 2 and a vertical line from that in step 3. The
intersection of these two lines gives a D of 9 in.