REPORT ON EXPERIMENTAL PROJECT IN KENTUCKY

THE KENTUCKY TEST ROAD WAS CONSTRUCTED IN 1940 TO BE USED IN A TEN-YEAR STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF EXPANSION JOINT SPACING IN CONCRETE PAVEMENT. CLIMATOLOGICAL AND TRAFFIC DATA WERE RECORDED AS WELL AS MEASUREMENTS OF DAILY, SEASONAL, AND PERMANENT CHANGES IN WIDTH AND ELEVATION. CONDITION SURVEYS FOR FAULTING, CRACKING, AND PUMPING WERE REPORTED BIANNUALLY. EXPANSION JOINTS AND CONTRACTION JOINTS WERE TREATED SEPARATELY. TEST RESULTS LED TO THE FOLLOWING CONCLUSIONS: EXPANSION JOINTS ARE OF LITTLE BENEFIT AND ARE PROBABLY DETRIMENTAL UNLESS INSTALLED IN AT LEAST 400-FOOT INTERVALS; CLOSE INTERVALS (AT THE MOST 30 FEET) FOR CONTRACTION JOINTS ARE PREFERABLE; DOWEL BARS FOR LOAD TRANSFERENCE AT CONTRACTION JOINTS ARE OF QUESTIONABLE VALUE EXCEPT IN THE CASE OF JOINTS THAT OPEN CONSIDERABLY AND REMAIN OPEN, THUS BEING DEPRIVED OF ANY ADVANTAGE THAT MIGHT BE GAINED THROUGH INTERFACIAL PRESSURE AND AGGREGATE INTERLOCK; THE THICKENED EDGE PAVEMENT SECTION IS SUPERIOR TO THAT OF UNIFORM 7-INCH THICKNESS; AND MESH REINFORCEMENT ALONE WILL NOT PREVENT CRACKING, PARTICULARLY IN SLABS GREATER THAN 30 FEET IN LENGTH.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbresearchrpts/1956/17b-003.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • 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.
• Corporate Authors:

  Highway Research Board (HRB)

  Washington, DC   
• Authors:
  • Sawyer, D H
• Publication Date: 1956

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 14p
• Monograph Title: Joint spacing in concrete pavements: 10 year reports on six experimental projects
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Research Reports
  • Issue Number: 17B
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aggregates; Altitude; Climate; Concrete pavements; Contraction joints; Cracking; Expansion joints; Faulting; Pumps; Seasons; Spacing; Temperature
• Uncontrolled Terms: Elevation; Seasonal variations
• Old TRIS Terms: Interlocking
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00207416
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: May 22 1972 12:00AM