DEVELOPMENT OF A RATIONAL THICKNESS DESIGN METHOD FOR RIGID PAVEMENTS

A computer program, MEDCONP (Mechanistic Design of Concrete Pavement) was developed to design and evaluate jointed concrete pavements. This procedure uses a mechanistic approach and considers important factors (such as the thermal gradient in the concrete slab and the daily and hourly traffic load distribution) that have not been considered in the past. Other design factors considered include the slab length, elastic modulus, flexural strength of concrete, subgrade modulus, traffic growth rate, proportioning of traffic in multiple lanes, and design life. Fatigue theory and Miner's rule are used to determine required slab thickness for designing a new pavement and evaluating the structural adequacy of an existing pavement. A design example is also given in this paper to evaluate the suitability of the design procedure used in the MEDCONP program.

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1989/1227/1227-020.pdf
• Record URL:
  • https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=DEVELOPMENT+OF+A+RATIONAL+THICKNESS+DESIGN+METHOD+FOR+RIGID+PAVEMENTS&author=C.+Wu&author=M.+Tia&publication_year=1989
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309048222
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1227, Rigid and Flexible Pavement Design and Analysis: Unbound Granular Materials, Tire Pressures, Backcalculation, and Design Methods. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
• Authors:
  • Wu, Chung-Lung
  • Tia, Mang
• Publication Date: 1989

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 205-218
• Monograph Title: Rigid and flexible pavement design and analysis: unbound granular materials, tire pressures, backcalculation, and design methods
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1227
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Computer programs; Design; Design methods; Mechanical analysis; Mechanistic design; Pavement design; Rigid pavements; Thickness
• Old TRIS Terms: Thickness design
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Pavements; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00495080
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309048222
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Jun 30 1990 12:00AM