Temperature and Curling Stress in Concrete Pavements: Analytical Solutions

Temperature is an important factor influencing the functioning of concrete pavements. In the past, analysis of temperature distribution in pavement has been done using numerical techniques such as finite difference or finite element method; both require significant computational efforts. In this paper, a closed-form analytical solution is presented for a three-layer pavement system, subjected to a periodic variation of either ambient air temperature or pavement surface temperature. The thermal analysis is coupled with a plate theory with Winkler foundation to allow for calculation of curling stresses and bending moments. The methods for characterizing periodic temperature variations are also described. The main findings from the numerical studies show that the temperature distribution with depth can be highly nonlinear, particularly when daily temperature variation is considered. Thus, the frequency of temperature variation, rather than the amplitude, has the most significant effect on the calculated temperature distribution with depth in the concrete pavement layer. A frequency of 2π rad/d or higher can be expected to cause nonlinear temperature distribution and require that calculation of curling stresses be based on a nonlinear distribution model.