Transportation Engineering - Vol 2 | 8. Rigid pavement design by Abraham | Learn Smarter
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8. Rigid pavement design

Rigid pavements are highly rigid structures made mainly of cement concrete, built primarily to provide maximum load carrying capacity through slab action. The design principles revolve around factors such as modulus of sub-grade reaction, critical load positions, and types of stresses including temperature and frictional stresses. Comprehensive joint design considerations for expansion and contraction joints, as well as dowel and tie bars, are necessary to ensure durability and functionality.

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Sections

  • 29

    Rigid Pavement Design

    Rigid pavements are concrete slabs with limited flexural capacity under load, utilizing principles of elasticity and sub-grade reactions for design.

    Learning Practice

  • 29.1

    Overview

    This section provides an overview of rigid pavement design, highlighting its key characteristics, stress factors, and foundational concepts introduced by H. M. Westergaard.

    Learning Practice

  • 29.1.1

    Modulus Of Sub-Grade Reaction

    This section details the modulus of sub-grade reaction as defined by Westergaard, explaining its significance in rigid pavement design.

    Learning Practice

  • 29.1.2

    Relative Stiffness Of Slab To Sub-Grade

    This section discusses the concept of the relative stiffness of a rigid pavement slab to its sub-grade, emphasizing the role of sub-grade deformation in assessing slab performance.

    Learning Practice

  • 29.1.3

    Critical Load Positions

    Critical load positions in rigid pavement design refer to the specific areas on the pavement surface where the maximum stress occurs due to traffic loads.

    Learning Practice

  • 29.1.4

    Equivalent Radius Of Resisting Section

    This section discusses the equivalent radius of the resisting section in rigid pavements and its relevance to bending moments under loading.

    Learning Practice

  • 29.2

    Wheel Load Stresses - Westergaard’s Stress Equation

    This section explores Westergaard’s stress equations for analyzing wheel load stresses in rigid pavements, focusing on stress distribution at interior, edge, and corner regions.

    Learning Practice

  • 29.3

    Temperature Stresses

    Temperature stresses in cement concrete pavement are caused by variations in slab temperature, leading to warping and frictional stresses.

    Learning Practice

  • 29.3.1

    Warping Stress

    Warping stress in rigid pavements arises due to temperature variations across the slab, impacting its structural integrity.

    Learning Practice

  • 29.3.2

    Frictional Stresses

    This section defines frictional stresses in rigid pavements and presents its calculation.

    Learning Practice

  • 29.4

    Combination Of Stresses

    This section discusses the critical combinations of stresses in rigid pavements caused by various factors, including temperature and load positions.

    Learning Practice

  • 29.5

    Design Of Joints

    This section discusses the various types of joints used in rigid pavement design, including expansion joints, contraction joints, dowel bars, and tie bars, highlighting their purposes and design considerations.

    Learning Practice

  • 29.5.1

    Expansion Joints

    Expansion joints are designed to accommodate pavement expansion due to temperature increases, ensuring structural integrity.

    Learning Practice

  • 29.5.2

    Contraction Joints

    Contraction joints are essential in rigid pavements to allow for temperature-induced contraction.

    Learning Practice

  • 29.5.3

    Dowel Bars

    Dowel bars facilitate effective load transfer between adjacent concrete slabs, ensuring they remain level and aligned.

    Learning Practice

  • 29.5.4

    Tie Bars

    Tie bars are essential in rigid pavement design, primarily serving to connect two concrete slabs while maintaining their elevation.

    Learning Practice

  • 29.6

    Summary

    This section summarizes the design principles of rigid pavements, focusing on key concepts such as the modulus of subgrade reaction and critical stresses.

    Learning Practice

  • 29.7

    Problems

    This section focuses on the critical aspects of rigid pavement design, emphasizing the analysis of stress, joint design, and load transfer mechanisms.

    Learning Practice

References

29.pdf

Class Notes

Memorization

What we have learnt

  • Rigid pavements are primari...
  • The effective design of rig...
  • Joint designs, like expansi...

Final Test

Revision Tests