Dynamic Response of Concrete Pavements Under Vehicular Loads

Considerable knowledge of pavement behaviour under static loads is available world-wide. The behaviour of concrete pavements under dynamic loads, however, has not received much attention and hence is not well understood at present. To address this need, a 3D finite element analysis using diverse axle groups with different speeds from 2 km/h to 110 km/h has been performed. Two pavement types namely, jointed plain concrete pavement (JPCP) and jointed reinforced concrete pavement (JRCP) are investigated. Maximum dynamic tensile stresses and deflections influence lines are presented to demonstrate the pavement response, and calibrated against existing results. Critical speed and dynamic amplification are also determined as well as critical location of fatigue cracking. Results indicate that dynamic analysis is essential for pavement design, particularly for JPCP