Breaking Load for Rigid Pavement

A method of analysis has been suggested for the calculation of a breaking load for a rigid pavement taking the effect of centrally placed load and temperature independently and assuming a transverse yield line under the load to denote failure. The breaking load results predicted by the proposed method have been compared with those obtained from other existing methods of analysis and experimental values reported by some agencies. The comparison shows that the proposed method predicts breaking loads that, though still lower than the experimental values, are closest to them for most cases of highway and airfield slabs. It is further indicated that elastic analyses such as that by Westergaard are not suitable for the design of rigid pavement from breaking load consideration. A set of design charts for both highway and airfield loadings has been presented on the basis of the proposed method of analysis for ready calculation.