Lect. No. 9 Rigid Pavement Design

Lecture: 9
Pavement Structure and Design

CE-526
Presented by:
Dr. Bakht Zamin

Associate Professor
CED, CECOS University, Peshawar
Correspondence:
Page 1 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23
Rigid Pavements
 Rigid pavements are constructed of Portland cement concrete with
or without base course above subgrade.
 Rigid pavements have flexural strength to sustain a beam like
action across minor irregularities in the underlying material.
 Properly designed and constructed rigid pavements have long
service life and are usually less expensive to maintain.
 Thickness of concrete pavements normally ranges from 6-13
inches.
 These pavement are constructed to carry heavy traffic loads,
although they have been used for residential and local roads.

Rigid Pavements
Materials
The Portland cement concrete commonly used for rigid pavements
consists of:
1.Portland cement,
2.coarse aggregate,
3.fine aggregate, and
4. water.
Steel reinforcing rods may or may not be used, depending on the

type of pavement being constructed.

Rigid Pavements
Portland Cement
The AASHTO specifications list five main types of Portland cement.
Type I is suitable for general concrete construction, where no special

properties are required.
Type II is suitable for use in general concrete construction, where the
concrete is exposed to moderate action of sulphate or where moderate
heat of hydration is required.
Type III is suitable for concrete construction that requires a high
concrete strength in a short time.
Types IA, IIA, and IIIA are similar to Types I, II, and III, respectively,
but contain a small amount (4 to 8 percent of total mix) of entrapped air.

Rigid Pavements
Portland Cement
In addition to the Types IA, IIA, and IIIA are more resistant to
calcium chloride and de-icing salts.
Type IV is suitable for projects where low heat of hydration is

necessary, while
Type V is used in concrete construction projects where the concrete

will be exposed to high sulphate action.

Rigid Pavements
Coarse Aggregates
The coarse aggregates are inert materials and do not react with cement.
Usually comprised of crushed gravel, stone, or blast furnace slag.
One of the major requirements for coarse aggregates is the gradation of

the material.
Material retained in a No. 4 sieve is considered coarse aggregate.
Table shows gradation requirements for different sizes as stipulated by

ASTM.

Rigid Pavements
Coarse Aggregates
Gradation Requirements for Aggregates in Portland Cement Concrete

Rigid Pavements
Fine Aggregates
Sand is mainly used as the fine aggregate in Portland cement concrete.
Specifications for this material include grading requirements, soundness,
and cleanliness.
Standard specifications for the fine aggregates for Portland cement
concrete (AASHTO-M6) give grading requirements normally adopted by
state highway agencies.
The soundness usually given in terms of the maximum permitted loss in
the material after five alternate cycles of wetting and drying in the
soundness test.
A maximum of 10 percent weight loss is usually specified in soundness
test.
Rigid Pavements
Fine Aggregates
2-5 % (#200 sieve) of total fines materials are usually specified.
AASHTO-Recommended Particle Size Distribution for Fine Aggregates

Rigid Pavements
Water
The water required of rigid pavement should be suitable for drinking.
This requires that the quantity of organic matter, oil, acids, and alkalis
should not be greater than the allowable amount in drinking water.

Rigid Pavements
 Reinforcing Steel
 Steel reinforcing is used in concrete pavements to reduce the amount
of cracking that occurs, as a load transfer mechanism at joints. Steel
reinforcement maybe:
a. Temperature bar b. Dowel bar c. Tie bar.

Rigid Pavements
Temperature Steel
•Temperature steel is provided in the form of wire mesh in both
consisting longitudinal and transverse direction.
•The mesh usually is placed about 3 in. below the slab surface.
•The cross-sectional area of the steel depends on the size and spacing of
the steel wires.
•The amount of steel required depends on the length of the pavement
between expansion joints, the maximum stress desired in the concrete
pavement, the thickness of the pavement, and the moduli of elasticity of
the concrete and steel.
•The following guidelines should be the min. requirements.

Rigid Pavements
Temperature Steel
1.Cross-sectional area of longitudinal steel should be at least equal to
0.1 percent of the cross-sectional area of the slab.
2.Longitudinal wires should not be less than No. 2 gauge, spaced at a

maximum distance of 6 in.
3.Transverse wires should not be less than No. 4 gauge, spaced at a

maximum distance of 12 in.
•Temperature steel does not prevent cracking of the slab, but it does
control the crack widths because the steel acts as a tie holding the
edges of the cracks together.

Rigid Pavements
Dowel Bars
1.Dowel bars are used mainly as load-transfer mechanisms across
joints.
2.They provide flexural, shearing, and bearing resistance.
3.The dowel bars must be of a much larger diameter than the wires
used in temperature steel.
4.Size selection is based mainly on experience. Diameters of 1 to 1-1⁄2
in. and lengths of 2 to 3 ft have been used.
5.Usually spaced at 1 ft centers across the width of the slab.
6.At least one end of the bar should be smooth and lubricated to
facilitate free expansion.
Rigid Pavements
Tie Bars
•Tie bars are used to tie two sections of the pavement together, and
therefore they should be either deformed bars.
•Tie bars should contain hooks to facilitate the bonding of the two
sections of the concrete pavement with the bar.
•These bars are usually much smaller in diameter than the dowel bars
and are spaced at larger centers.
•Typical diameter and spacing for these bars are 3⁄4 in. and 3 ft,
respectively.

Rigid Pavements
Joints in Concrete Pavements
Different types of joints are placed in concrete pavements to limit the
stresses induced by temperature changes.
Joints facilitate proper bonding of two adjacent sections. when there is a
time lapse between their construction, (for example, between the end of
one day’s work and the beginning of the next).
These joints can be divided into four basic categories:
Expansion joints
Contraction joints
Hinge joints
Construction joints

Rigid Pavements
Expansion joints
•When concrete pavement is subjected to an increase in temperature, it
will expand, resulting in an increase in length of the slab.
•When the temperature is sufficiently high, the slab may buckle or “blow
up” if it is sufficiently long and if no provision is made to accommodate
the increased length.
•Therefore, expansion joints are usually placed transversely, at regular
intervals, to provide adequate space for the slab to expand.
•These joints are placed across the full width of the slab and are 3⁄4 to 1
in. wide in the longitudinal direction.
•They must create a distinct break throughout the depth of the slab.

Rigid Pavements
Expansion joints
•The joint space is filled with a compressible filler material that permits
the slab to expand.
•Filler materials can be cork, rubber, bituminous materials, or
bituminous fabrics.
•There are no aggregates that will develop an interlocking mechanism, so
load-transfer mechanism is usually provided (smooth dowel bar).
•An expansion cap is also installed, as shown, to provide a space for the
dowel to occupy during expansion.

Rigid Pavements
Contraction joints
•When concrete pavement is subjected to a decrease in temperature, the slab will
contract.
•This contraction movement will induce tensile stresses in the concrete
pavement.
•Contraction joints therefore are placed transversely at regular intervals across
the width of the pavement to release some of the tensile stress.
•Install a load-transfer mechanism in the form of a dowel bar when there is
doubt about the ability of the interlocking gains to transfer the load.
Page 19 02/28/23
Rigid Pavements
Hinge joints
•Hinge joints are used mainly to reduce cracking along the center line of
highway pavements.
•Figure shows a typical hinge joint (keyed joint) suitable for single-lane
at- a-time of construction.

Rigid Pavements
Construction joints
•Construction joints are placed transversely across the pavement width to
provide suitable transition between concrete laid at different times.
•A typical butt construction joint is shown in Figure.
•A keyed construction joint may also be used in the longitudinal direction

when only a single lane is constructed at a time.
•In this case, alternate lanes of the pavement are cast, and the key is
formed by using metal formwork.
•An expansion joint can be used in lieu of a transverse construction joint
in cases where the construction joint falls at or near the same position as
the expansion joint.

Rigid Pavements
Construction joints

STRESSES in RIGID PAVEMENTS
• Stresses are induced in rigid pavements due to wheel loads, the

expansion and contraction of the concrete due to temperature
changes, yielding of subbase or subgrade supporting the concrete
pavement, and volumetric changes.
• The wheel loads will induce flexural stresses and depends on the
location of the pavements.
• Expansion and contraction of pavements may induce tensile and

compressive stresses and based on the temperature variation.

1. Concrete pavement slabs are considered as unreinforced

concrete beams. Any contribution made to the flexural strength
by the inclusion of reinforcing steel is neglected.
2. The combination of flexural and direct tensile stresses will result

in transverse and longitudinal cracks. The provision of suitable
joints, controls the occurrence of these cracks.
3. The supporting subbase or subgrade layer acts as an elastic

material and it deflects at the application of the traffic load and
recovers at the removal of the load.

• The theory of a beam supported on an elastic foundation can be used to
analyze the stresses in the pavement when it is externally loaded.
• The deformation sustained by a beam on an elastic foundation is shown.
• The stresses developed in the beam is analyzed by assuming a reactive
pressure (p), which is proportional to the deflection, is developed as a result
of the applied load as given below
• P=ky
• Where, p reactive pressure at any point beneath the beam (lb/in²)
• y deflection at the point (in.)
• k modulus of subgrade reaction (lb/in³)

• A general relationship between the moment and the radius of curvature
of a beam is given as.
• Westergaard developed expression for stresses in concrete pavements

which depends on the stiffness of the slab and the modulus of subgrade
reaction.

Thank You
Department of Civil Engineering

CECOS University of IT and Emerging Sciences,
Peshawar, Pakistan
February 28, 2023 27

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Lecture: 9

Pavement Structure and Design

Dr. Bakht Zamin

Page 2 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23

3.fine aggregate, and

Steel reinforcing rods may or may not be used, depending on the

Page 3 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23

Type I is suitable for general concrete construction, where no special

Page 4 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23

Type IV is suitable for projects where low heat of hydration is

Type V is used in concrete construction projects where the concrete

Page 5 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23

Usually comprised of crushed gravel, stone, or blast furnace slag.

One of the major requirements for coarse aggregates is the gradation of

Table shows gradation requirements for different sizes as stipulated by

Page 6 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23

Page 7 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23

AASHTO-Recommended Particle Size Distribution for Fine Aggregates

Page 9 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23

Page 10 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23

Page 11 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23

Page 12 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23

2.Longitudinal wires should not be less than No. 2 gauge, spaced at a

3.Transverse wires should not be less than No. 4 gauge, spaced at a

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•A keyed construction joint may also be used in the longitudinal direction

Page 21 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23

Page 22 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23

• Stresses are induced in rigid pavements due to wheel loads, the

• Expansion and contraction of pavements may induce tensile and

Page 23 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23

1. Concrete pavement slabs are considered as unreinforced

2. The combination of flexural and direct tensile stresses will result

3. The supporting subbase or subgrade layer acts as an elastic

Page 24 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23

Page 25 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23

• Westergaard developed expression for stresses in concrete pavements

Page 26 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23

Department of Civil Engineering

February 28, 2023 27

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