Portland Cement Concrete Material Characterization for Pavement ME Design Implementation in Idaho

2017Sponsoring Agency Code RP 253PDFTech ReportRP 253WSU-16-01Concrete constructionRigid pavementsPortland cement concreteConcreterigid pavementPavement MEAASHTOWareIdaho Transportation DepartmentIdahoIdaho. Transportation DepartmentRangelov, MilenaNassiri, SomayehIbrahim, AhmedBayomy, FouadMuftah, AhmedSigdel, BikashWashington State UniversityUniversity of IdahoIdaho. Transportation Department. Research ProgramUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationNTL-HIGHWAY/ROAD TRANSPORTATION-MaterialsUS Transportation CollectionThe objective of this research project was to develop a concrete material database as the first step towards the implementation of Pavement ME for rigid pavement design in the state of Idaho. Eight concrete mixtures from five of Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) districts were reproduced at Washington State University\u2019s laboratory using the local aggregates and based on the corresponding field test results obtained from the respective district. Cast portland cement concrete (PCC) specimens were tested for compressive strength (f\u2019c), modulus of elasticity (Ec), Poisson\u2019s ratio (\u3bc), modulus of rupture (MR), splitting tensile strength (f\u2019t), coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and ultimate drying shrinkage (\u3b5 1e). All mechanical tests were repeated on 7-, 14-, 28- and 90-day ages. Based on the laboratory test results, proper values for all PCC Pavement ME material inputs at Levels 1 and 2 were recommended, wherever available. In other cases, Level 3 values were suggested for a few material inputs that were not the characterized in this project. Two case studies were developed for the rigid pavement highway sections in Idaho that are also part of the Long term Pavement Performance (LTPP) database. Pavement structure, general design inputs and traffic inputs were defined based on the LTPP data. In terms of material parameters, experimental data obtained as part of this study was utilized at input Levels 1 and 2 and compared to the default values at input Level 3. The case studies revealed that the usage of experimental data at Levels 1 and 2 results in lower distress predications and more economic design compared to Level 3. Beyond the mixtures tested in this project, tests of f\u2019c at all four required ages, CTE, and \u3b5 1e are recommended at minimum