Critical Stress Analysis in Airfield Jointed Plain Concrete Pavements with Voids underneath Slabs

This study investigated the critical stress in airfield jointed plain concrete pavements (JPCPs) with a void at the corner of a slab. A three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) model was developed. The slab property, foundation condition, and the size and level of voids were considered. Three typical airplanes were selected to load at the middle of the joint and the corner of the slab. Results indicate the critical loading position transfers from the middle of the joint to the corner of the slab when the void size exceeds the critical void size, and the critical void size decreases dramatically with the increasing of the void level. It was also found that the critical stress slightly changes when the void size is smaller than the critical void size while it increases when the void size exceeds the critical void size. Finally, the critical stress function was proposed for three selected airplanes.