Numerical Evaluation of Moisture Warping and Stress in Concrete Pavement Slabs with Different Water-to-Cement Ratio and Thickness
Publication: Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 143, Issue 2
Abstract
For better performance evaluation, it is of significance to investigate the factors affecting moisture distribution in concrete pavement slabs. This study provides methodology on both experimental measurement and numerical simulation of moisture distribution in concrete slabs with three water-to-cement (w/c) ratios of 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5. The effects of w/c ratio, slab thickness, and the environmental conditions on moisture distribution are evaluated in terms of the equivalent temperature difference, slab corner uplift, and the maximum tensile stress generated in concrete pavement slabs. A model is proposed for predicting the relative humidity profile along the slab depth. An equivalent temperature difference is used to quantify the moisture gradient effect. Greater is obtained in thin concrete slabs with high w/c ratio and when exposed to lower environmental relative humidity conditions. This renders concrete slab to excessive warping and tensile stress at the slab top surface when combined with traffic loadings. A thick slab with low w/c ratio possibly might reduce the warping deformation and the maximum tensile stress.
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Acknowledgments
This material is on the basis of work supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 51578316.
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Published In
Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 143 • Issue 2 • February 2017
Copyright
©2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 25, 2013
Accepted: Aug 23, 2016
Published online: Oct 28, 2016
Published in print: Feb 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Mar 28, 2017
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