Rigid Pavement Design

Deficiencies
Major shortcomings of JPCP designs based on
1972-1986 versions of the AASHTO Guide :
inadequate joint load transfer,
long joint spacing,
erosion of base/subbase,
poor subdrainage
etc.
Deterioration occurs early
Rehabilitation needed

Development of Supplemental
AASHTO Design Procedure for
JPCP

Serious deficiencies noted in 1986

AASHTO procedure
Studies showed major flaws in
base/subgrade support procedures
No easy fixes
Improved structural (3D finite
element) model for JPCP was
developed to correct deficiencies

Development, Validation,
Adoption:
1998 Supplemental Rigid
Developed under NCHRP Project 1-30
Pavement
Design Procedure
(University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Validated under FHWA/LTPP research study
(ERES Consultants/ARA)
Adopted by AASHTO as Supplementary Rigid Pavement Design
Procedure (1998)
FHWA/LTPP - Supplementary Rigid Pavement Design Spreadsheet
(ERES Consultants/ARA)

Only JPCP For Now

Jointed plain
concrete pavement
(JPCP)
Most constructed rigid
pavement
Basic design procedure
developed
Procedure field verified

Jointed reinforced
concrete pavement
(JRCP)
Continuously reinforced
concrete pavement
(CRCP)
Limited field verification

1998 AASHTO JPCP Design

Is Better
Improved structural modeling
Improved subgrade characterization
Base course as structural layer
Transverse joint spacing
Climate at site is considered directly
Shoulder type and slab width
Joint faulting and cracking checks

Use of LTPP Data to Verify

1998 AASHTO Design
Design procedure verified using field
data from LTPP
Inputs to 1998 AASHTO design model
obtained
Actual traffic log ESALs compared to
predicted log W (ESALs)
No significant bias found in predicting
serviceability of pavements in four
climatic zones

PRESENTATION
OBJECTIVES
What is the Rigid Pavement Design (RPD)
Software?
Development of RPD Software
RPD Software Features and Capabilities
How To Use The RPD Software
Who Should Use the RPD Software and Why
How to Get the RPD Software

Rigid Pavement Design

Spreadsheet: Features
I.

Information sheet
containing spreadsheet
User Guide
Input Sheet - General Information
The general information section requests information about the agency. This
information is not required for the analysis, but the information entered here
may be displayed on the "Results" sheet.

II.

Input Sheet - Design Information

All design inputs are required except sensitivity analysis.
No default values are used.
Information can be retrieved from the "Saved Data" sheet using the "Retrieve Data"
button. The existing data can be replaced or saved as a new set using the
"Save Data" button.
Clicking on the "Retrieve Data" button opens the "Saved Data" sheet. Select the
appropriate row to be retrieved and click on the "Export" button.
If the retrieval is successful, the data are retreived. Changes can be made and saved
as a new data set using a different value for the search ID. The data can also

Rigid Pavement Design

Spreadsheet: Features
Command buttons for
easy navigation between
sheets

Rigid Pavement Design

Spreadsheet: Features
Command button
links to reference
tables

Rigid Pavement Design

Spreadsheet: Features

Joint spacing and

edge support
conditions are
direct inputs

Rigid Pavement Design

Spreadsheet: Features
Climatic properties are direct inputs
in the supplemental rigid pavement
design

True subgrade k-value is

used (not adjusted for topof-base)

Rigid Pavement Design

Spreadsheet: Features
Easy links to
sensitivity analysis
for various design
inputs

Rigid Pavement Design

Spreadsheet: Features
Project data can be saved in
rows and exported to the
main sheets

Rigid Pavement Design

Spreadsheet: Features
Sensitivity
Analysis
plot
displays
inputs held
constant

Rigid Pavement Design

Spreadsheet: Features
Results sheet can be viewed on screen or can be
printed
Results
Project # 1-20-98LCB
Description: Lean Concrete Base, 5-in.
Location: Champaign, IL

Slab Thickness Design

Pavement Type
18-kip ESALs Over Initial Performance Period (million)
Initial Serviceability
Terminal Serviceability
28-day Mean PCC Modulus of Rupture
Elastic Modulus of Slab
Elastic Modulus of Base
Base Thickness

JPCP
21.88
4.5
2.5
700
4,500,000
25,000
6.0

million

psi
psi
psi
in.

Rigid Pavement Design

Spreadsheet: Features
D

Design Traffic

(in)

MESALs

in

7.0

1.32

180

1.00

29.88

1.10

7.5

1.92

180

1.00

31.47

1.10

8.0

2.76

180

1.00

33.03

1.09

8.5

3.92

180

1.00

34.57

1.08

9.0

5.51

180

1.00

36.08

1.08

9.5

7.65

180

1.00

37.58

1.07

10.0

10.50

180

1.00

39.05

1.07

10.5

14.25

180

1.00

40.50

1.06

11.0

19.11

180

1.00

41.94

1.05

11.5

25.35

180

1.00

43.36

1.05

12.0

33.29

180

1.00

44.77

1.04

12.5

43.30

180

1.00

46.16

1.03

13.0

55.83

180

1.00

47.54

1.03

13.5

71.37

180

1.00

48.91

1.02

14.0

90.51

180

1.00

50.26

1.02

14.5
15.0

113.94
142.42

180
180

1.00
1.00

51.60
52.93

1.01
1.00

11.00

19.11

180

1.00

41.94

1.05

11.24

21.91

180

1.00

42.63

1.05

in

Calculation sheet
shows all
calculations and
displays design
traffic for different
slab thicknesses

Rigid Pavement Design

Spreadsheet: Features
Faulting Check sheet used to estimate
faulting over design life for doweled and
nondoweled pavements

PRESENTATION
OBJECTIVES
What is the Rigid Pavement Design (RPD)
Software?
Development of the RPD Software
RPD Software Features and Capabilities
How To Use The RPD Software
Who Should Use the RPD Software and Why
How to Get the RPD Software

Systems Requirements
IBM PC running:
Microsoft Office 95 or 97 or
Microsoft Excel 7.0

Using The RPD Software

Copy the Rigid Pavement Design (RPD)
Software spreadsheet to the hard drive
The RPD software cannot be run from
the floppy drive
Open the RPD spreadsheet using
Microsoft Excel

Using The RPD Software

Click on Enable
Macros to allow
execution of
spreadsheet macros

Using The RPD Software

Click on Input Form
to access the main
sheet

Using The RPD Software

Enter General Information for the project as shown
below:

Using The RPD Software

Scroll down to enter Serviceability and PCC
Properties

Using The RPD Software

Click on Table 14 for
friction factors for
different base types

Enter Base
Properties,
Reliability, and
Standard Deviation

Using The RPD Software

Click on Input Form to navigate back to the main
screen

Using The RPD Software

Enter Joint Spacing

Select Pavement
Type and Edge
Support Condition

Using The RPD Software

Enter Climatic Properties for the design
region. Click on Table 15 for climatic
properties for major metropolitan areas in
each State.
For the first run
enter the
approximate
subgrade kvalue

Using The RPD Software

Click on Calculate Traffic
for traffic calculation
worksheet

Using The RPD Software

After entering
traffic design
inputs click
Calculate

Click Export to
Input Form

Using The RPD Software

Click on Calculate on the main
sheet to calculate thickness for
design inputs

Click on Calculate Seasonal k-Value

for calculating seasonally adjusted k-

Using The RPD Software

Enter number of months and

subgrade k-value for each season.

Using The RPD Software

Use the chart to
estimate
adjusted k-value
for fill layer
above the
subgrade and/or
rigid layer
beneath the
subgrade

Using The RPD Software

Click on Calculate on the main
sheet to recalculate thickness for
design inputs with the adjusted kvalue

Using The RPD Software

Enter thickness for sensitivity
analysis
Click Slab Thickness
Sensitivity for
sensitivity analysis of
design traffic to slab
thickness
Click on radial buttons
for sensitivity analysis
of design traffic to
different design inputs

Using The RPD Software

Using The RPD Software

Using The RPD Software

Click on Faulting Check to perform
checks for doweled and nondoweled
faulting

Using The RPD Software

Enter dowel
diameter and other
design inputs for
doweled pavements

Using The RPD Software

Click on FI Table or
Drainage Coeff. Table
for tables containing
information regarding
these inputs
Click Calculate to
obtain estimated
faulting at end of
design life
Click Results to view
and print results

Using The RPD Software

Enter design inputs for
nondoweled faulting
check and click
Calculate
Click Corner Break
Check to perform topdown cracking analysis

Using The RPD Software

The critical values for joint faulting can be
changed by entering the appropriate values
below

Using The RPD Software

On the Corner Break Check worksheet
enter the built-in temperature gradient
related to construction curling and
moisture gradient

Using The RPD Software

Use one of six charts provided to estimate tensile
stress at top of slab from total effective negative
temperature differential

Using The RPD Software

The tensile stress at the top of the slab is less than the
bottom up tensile stress for which the pavement is
designed

Using The RPD Software

Results sheet can be viewed on screen or can be
printed
Click Save
Data to
save the
design
information
entered

Using The RPD Software

Enter ID for saving data and click
OK

Using The RPD Software

All design information is saved in rows with
the first column corresponding to the data
set ID

Select appropriate row and click Export to export

design information from this sheet to main sheet. This
sheet can be accessed by clicking on Retrieve Data on
the main sheet.

PRESENTATION
OBJECTIVES
What is the Rigid Pavement Design (RPD)
Software?
Development of the RPD Software
RPD Software Features and Capabilities
How To Use The RPD Software
Who Should Use the RPD Software &
Why
How to Get the RPD Software

Users of the RPD Software

State and Provincial Highway
Engineers
Consulting Engineers

Benefits of
Rigid Pavement Design
Provides key answers not previously
Software
addressed:

How do I adequately characterize the

subgrade support?
What is the best base type for the
conditions?
What is the optimum joint spacing?
Will this pavement fault or have corner
breaks?

PRESENTATION
OBJECTIVES
What is the Rigid Pavement Design (RPD)
Software?
Development of the RPD Software
RPD Software Features and Capabilities
How To Use The RPD Software
Who Should Use the RPD Software & Why
How to Get the RPD Software

Get & Use The Software

Order software:
-- Through LTPP homepage

www.tfhrc.gov
-- Through LTPP customer
service
Call 865-481-2967