HEAVY VEHICLE SIMULATOR TESTING ON PRE-CAST CONCRETE PANELS

For heavily trafficked highways, such as those commonly found in California, pre-cast concrete slabs are considered to be a very suitable repair material for extending the service life of intermittently distressed concrete pavements. This is because of the long life expectancy of concrete slabs cast in factory-controlled conditions and because fully cured pre-cast slabs can potentially be put into use almost immediately after installation, making them attractive for use on heavily traveled highways where work windows for full-depth repairs are very short. The foregoing benefits can only be realized if pre-cast slabs are constructed and installed with appropriate materials and adequate supervision, as there are many factors that can affect the structural and functional life of this increasingly popular type of pavement repair method. This paper focuses on results obtained from recent accelerated loading testing in California with a Heavy Vehicle Simulator (HVS) on a particular system of pre-cast slabs, referred to as SuperSlab®.