Lect No. 10

Lecture: 10
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
Stresses Due to Traffic Wheel Loads
•Rigid pavement are subjected to flexure stresses due to wheel

load.
•The basic equations for determining flexural stresses was first

developed by Westergaard.
•The Westergaard equations are considered a fundamental tool for

evaluating stresses in concrete pavements.
•Westergaard considered three critical locations of the wheel load

on the concrete pavement as shown.

Rigid Pavements
•Case A. Load is applied at the corner of a rectangular slab. This

provides for the cases when the wheel load is applied at the intersection
of the pavement edge and a transverse joint.
•This condition is not common because pavements are generally much
wider. Thus, no equation is presented for this case.
•Case B. Load is applied at the interior of the slab at a considerable
distance from its edges.
•Case C. Load is applied at the edge of the slab at a considerable
distance away from any corner.

Rigid Pavements

Rigid Pavements
•The locations shown as Cases I, II, and III are the critical locations
presently used for the relatively wide pavements being constructed.
•The stress equations are based on the day and night temperature
conditions.
•At day time During the temperature is higher at the surface of the slab
than at the bottom.
•This temperature gradient through the depth of the slab will tend the
slab edges to curl downward.

Rigid Pavements
•During the night time, the temperature at the bottom of the slab is higher than
at the surface.
•the reversal in the temperature gradient, results the slab edges to curl upward.

Rigid Pavements
•The original equations developed by Westergaard were modified using

the results of full-scale tests conducted by the Bureau of Public Roads.
•These modified equations for the different loading conditions are as
follows.
1. Edge loading when the edges of the slab are warped upward at night.

Rigid Pavements
2. Edge loading when the edge of the slab is curled downward during the day.
3. For Interior loading.

Rigid Pavements
a = radius of contact area of load (in)
•Contact area is usually assumed as a circle for interior and corner loadings and
semicircle for edge loading.

Rigid Pavements
•Loannides et al. Revised the edge loadings have been developed by Ioannides,
et al., and are given:
1. For a circular loaded area.
2. For a semicircular loaded area.
•The above equations assume a value of 0.15 for the Poisson ratio.
•The results obtained from Ioannides’ formulas differ significantly from
those obtained from Westergaard formulas.

Rigid Pavements

Rigid Pavements
Solution:
(a) Use the Westergaard equation.

Rigid Pavements
Solution:
(b) Use the Ioannides equation.

Rigid Pavements
Work Example:
Class Task

Rigid Pavements
Temperature Stresses:
•The tendency of the slab edges to curl downward during the day and
upward during the night due to temperature gradients is resisted by the
weight of the slab.
•This resistance tends to keep the slab in its original position, resulting in
stresses being induced in the pavement.
•Compressive and tensile stresses are induced at the top and bottom of the
slab, respectively, during the day.
•While Tensile stresses are induced at the top and compressive stresses at
the bottom during the night.

Rigid Pavements
Curling stresses may have values high enough to cause cracking.

They also may reduce the subgrade support beneath some sections of the
pavement.
Curling stresses can be higher than 200 lb/in2 for 10 ft slabs and much
higher for wider slabs.
One of the main purposes of longitudinal joints is to limit the slab width
by dividing the concrete pavement into single slabs 11 or 12 ft wide.

Rigid Pavements
The differences between the top and bottom of the slab depend on the
thickness of the slab, and about 2.5° to 3°F/inch thickness for 6 to 9 in.
thick slabs.
It also, depends on the season, with maximum differentials occurring
during the day in the spring and summer months.
Another factor that affects the temperature differential is the latitude of the
location of the slab.
The surface temperature of the pavement tends to be high if the angle of
incidence of the sun’s rays is high, as in areas near the equator.
Joints and steel reinforcement are used to reduce the effect of such
stresses.

Rigid Pavements
These curling stresses can be determined from Equations.

Rigid Pavements
Values of Cx and Cy for Use in Formulas for Curling Stresses

Thank You
Department of Civil Engineering

CECOS University of IT and Emerging Sciences,
Peshawar, Pakistan
February 28, 2023 20

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Lecture: 10

Pavement Structure and Design

Dr. Bakht Zamin

•Rigid pavement are subjected to flexure stresses due to wheel

•The basic equations for determining flexural stresses was first

•The Westergaard equations are considered a fundamental tool for

•Westergaard considered three critical locations of the wheel load

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

Stresses Due to Traffic Wheel Loads

•Case A. Load is applied at the corner of a rectangular slab. This

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

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

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

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

•The original equations developed by Westergaard were modified using

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

3. For Interior loading.

Page 8 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23

a = radius of contact area of load (in)

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

2. For a semicircular loaded area.

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

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

(a) Use the Westergaard equation.

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

(b) Use the Ioannides equation.

Page 13 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23

Page 14 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23

Page 15 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23

Curling stresses may have values high enough to cause cracking.

Page 16 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23

Page 17 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23

These curling stresses can be determined from Equations.

Page 18 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23

Values of Cx and Cy for Use in Formulas for Curling Stresses

Page 19 bakht@Cecos.edu.pk 02/28/23

Department of Civil Engineering

February 28, 2023 20

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