Assessment of the effect of concrete slab geometrical parameters on the distribution of stresses in the road pavement structure

Zbiciak, Artur; Graczyk, Mirosław; Józefiak, Kazimierz; Brzeziński, Karol; Michalczyk, Rafał · 2019 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.7409/rabdim.019.011

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Summary

This study investigates the influence of concrete slab geometrical parameters on stress distribution within road pavement structures, specifically focusing on "whitetopping" technology. Whitetopping involves placing a concrete overlay on an existing flexible pavement structure to extend its service life. The research is motivated by the need to optimize rehabilitation costs and structural reliability. While increasing slab length reduces the number of transverse joints, dowels, and labor intensity, it simultaneously increases maximum stresses generated by thermal gradients and vehicle loads. The authors aim to quantify these interdependencies to determine optimal slab dimensions that balance construction efficiency with fatigue life requirements. The methodology employs the Finite Element Method (FEM) to perform mechanistic calculations. The model simulates an existing flexible pavement structure with known stiffness properties, determined via Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) and georadar diagnostics. The existing layers include an asphaltic pack and a macadam roadbase. The concrete slab is modeled with specific material properties, including Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio, which vary depending on whether the load case involves wheel pressure or temperature gradients. The analysis considers two primary loading scenarios: a 115 kN wheel load applied at the middle of the slab’s longest edge and a 10°C temperature gradient. Contact conditions between the slab and sub-base are modeled using a Coulomb friction coefficient of 0.8, allowing for slab separation. Various slab lengths (4.0 m, 5.0 m, 6.0 m) and thicknesses (25 cm, 27 cm, 30 cm) were analyzed. The results demonstrate that increasing slab length leads to higher maximum tensile stresses in both longitudinal and transverse directions, with longitudinal stresses predominating in longer slabs. Conversely, increasing slab thickness effectively reduces these stresses. The study combines thermal and wheel-load stresses into a critical stress value ($s_{max}$) to evaluate structural performance. A key finding is the identification of equivalent solutions for fatigue life; for instance, a 5.0 m long slab with a thickness of 26 cm exhibits the same durability as a 6.0 m long slab with a thickness of approximately 29.5 cm. This relationship allows engineers to trade off slab length against thickness to maintain structural integrity. The significance of this work lies in providing a quantitative basis for optimizing concrete pavement rehabilitation costs. By understanding the trade-off between joint reduction (via longer slabs) and increased material requirements (via thicker slabs), designers can select configurations that minimize total project costs while ensuring adequate fatigue life. The authors conclude that due to the complexity of the problem, an individual approach tailored to specific project conditions is necessary to achieve optimal solutions, rather than relying solely on standard catalogue methods.

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• road surface friction