DESIGN OF CONCRETE MIXTURES FOR FAST-TRACK PAVING SPANISH EXPERIENCES

With concrete pavements of highways subjected to heavy traffic, it is essential to minimize the time they are closed to traffic when replacing deteriorated slabs. This paper describes some experiences carried out in this regard in a expressway section placed in central Spain. The section was constructed in 1986 as a plain concrete pavement with undowelled joints at varied spacing. Temperature changes are important, not only between summer and winter, but also between day and night at some times of the year. The latter exceed sometimes 25 deg C. These thermal gradients, combined with traffic loads, had resulted in the cracking of the longest slabs, requiring on occasion their removal/replacement. To speed the process, the concrete was designed to meet the following requirements: 1) compressive strength at 12 hours should be over 20 MPa; 2) constituents (cement and aggregates) should be easily available; 3) concrete should have a good workability, allowing manual placement; and 4) concrete should be produced in a ready mix plant. All these specifications were fulfilled using a relatively high content of high early strength cement (~420 kg/m-sup-3 ), a low water/cement ratio (0.4) and the combined use of a plasticizer (water-reducing admixture) and a superplasticizer (high-range water-reducing admixture). It should be noted that compressive strengths at 18 hours exceeded 30 MPa.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Full conference proceedings available on CD-ROM.
• Corporate Authors:

  National Center for Asphalt Technology

  Auburn University, 277 Technology Parkway
  Auburn, AL  United States  36830
• Authors:
  • Jofre, C
  • Vaquero, J
  • Picazo, I
  • Canada, M
• Conference:
  • Second International Symposium on Maintenance and Rehabilitation of Pavements and Technological Control. Segundo Simposio Sobre Manutencao e Rehabilitacao de Pavimentos e Controle Technologico
  • Location: Auburn, Alabama
  • Date: 2001-7-29 to 2001-8-1
• Publication Date: 2001

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: 10p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Concrete pavements; Expressways; Pavement cracking; Pavement design; Pavement distress; Pavement joints; Pavement maintenance; Slabs; Superplasticizers; Traffic loads; Urban highways
• Geographic Terms: Spain
• Subject Areas: Design; Freight Transportation; Highways; Pavements; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00973921
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 01-129
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 12 2004 12:00AM