Preliminary Investigation of Precast Prestressed Concrete Pavement

A study was initiated at South Dakota State College by Professor Emil R Hargett to determine the feasibility of the use of precast and pre-stressed concrete panels for highway and airport pavements. Professor Hargett proposed that the production of precast and pre-stressed panel sections in a centrally located casting yard for post=tensioning at the job site. It was further proposed that the panel sections to be post-tensioned in “pull up” spans of about 100 feet; but extending as a continuous post-tensioned pavement. The panel sections are then to be covered with a thin course of asphaltic concrete so as to smooth out the joints, provide the necessary crown, and protect the panel sections against weathering and impact loads. The individual panels are to have a device such as tongue and grove joints to provide the necessary vertical alignment and vertical shear resistance. It was the primary purpose of this study to determine the structural behavior of the assembled panels. To achieve this, strains and deflections of the slab under various loads were recorded and analyzed in the laboratory investigation