Stress Response Model for Engineered Cementitious Composites Ultrathin Whitetopping (ECC-UTW)

Ultrathin whitetoppings correspond to a rehabilitation technique that consists of placing a layer of concrete on top of distressed asphalt pavements. Due to its satisfactory results, different performance prediction models were developed for this type of infrastructure. Even though concrete has displayed satisfactory results for UTWs applications in the past, several distresses have been associated with them due to the brittle nature of concrete. To overcome this issue, a high ductility material known as engineered cementitious composites (ECC) was proposed for UTWs. The present study developed an initial performance prediction model by implementing finite element analysis that considers the plastic properties of ECC along with two bonding conditions with the asphalt layer (i.e., fully bonded and unbonded). Different ECC layer thicknesses were modeled, ranging from 50.8 to 101.6 mm, and the critical stresses for each thickness were determined. Finally, critical stress vs. thickness curves were plotted for each bonding condition. From these curves, the critical strength and thickness responsible for triggering the plastic regime for ECC-UTWs were determined (i.e., 3.35 MPa and 69.8 mm, respectively).