Investigation of Settlement of a Jointed Concrete Pavement
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 23, Issue 6
Abstract
A section of jointed concrete pavement on U.S. 75, which was built from 1982 to 1985, in the Paris District of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) experienced severe pumping and settlement, even though two types of treatment (full depth repair and polyurethane foam injection) were performed. An extensive field investigation was conducted using ground penetrating radar, falling weight deflectometer, dynamic cone penetrometer, and coring to identify the causes of the continued pumping and settlement problems, and develop an optimal repair strategy. The pavement evaluation included tie bar condition, load transfer efficiency (LTE) at transverse and longitudinal construction joints, and base support conditions. Some of the tie bars failed in shear due to corrosion, which resulted in substantially low LTEs at longitudinal construction joints. Pumping and settlement problems were more pronounced where the tie bars failed; the resulting large deflections exacerbated the pumping and settlement problems. The results demonstrate the importance of adequate LTEs provided by tie bars, base and subgrade support, in providing satisfactory JCP performance. Inadequate design or construction of any of these critical elements could lead to performance problems, potentially including severe settlement, which is quite difficult to repair. To repair this pavement section, the Paris District of TxDOT is planning to retrofit tie bars by the “slot stitching” method, along with filling the voids under the slab using grout, followed by thin overlay using latex modified concrete to correct the differential elevation problems at longitudinal construction joints. It is expected that this repair strategy will address the distress problems and extend the pavement life.
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Acknowledgments
The support and assistance from John Bilyeu, Ali Esmaili-Doki, Mykol Woodruff, Kevin Harris of Texas Department of Transportation, YingBiao Wu of Texas Transportation Institute, and David Whitney of the University of Texas at Austin are much appreciated.
References
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© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Oct 7, 2008
Accepted: Apr 13, 2009
Published online: Apr 24, 2009
Published in print: Dec 2009
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