History And Development Of Concrete Pavement Design

Concrete pavement design in the United States started with the first concrete street built in 1892, but really became a science following the Bates Road Test. Since then, Westergaard, Pickett, the Arlington tests, research at the Portland Cement Association Laboratory, field studies of pavement performance and more recently the AASHO Road Test, have all been factors in the development of current (1963) pavement design methods. The determination of pavement thickness, the proper jointing and subbase requirements must all be related to traffic, subgrade climate and local conditions to provide an adequate economical design. Continuous reinforcing and prestressing are newer design concepts being used by several states in experimental or demonstration sections. The importance of subbase design to pavement performance is related to pumping, expansive soils and frost effects. Current design recommendations are summarized.