Parameters Influencing the response of Ultra High Strength Concrete Rigid Pavements

The use of normal strength concrete (NSC) in the rigid pavement may results in thicker pavement sections to resists heavy traffic loads, furthermore, frequent repairs are also needed due to cracking produced as a result of shrinkage, thermal stresses and fatigue due to repeated traffic loads. Therefore, the use of Ultra High Strength Concrete (UHSC) having concrete compressive strength of over 120 MPa, may prove to be a viable solution to overcome the deficiencies associated with NSC pavement. Therefore, in order to study the behaviour of the rigid pavement prepared with UHSC, a detailed numerical investigation has been carried out using the non-linear finite element software ABAQUS. For this purpose, a parametric investigation was conducted using AASHTO 6-axle design trucks with a load capacity of 58.5 tonnes, to evaluate the influence of different axle types, axle configuration and thickness of the slab on UHSC pavement performance. Based on the investigation, it was found that UHSC pavement enhanced stiffness and load-bearing capacity with improved energy dissipation and significant crack control when compared with typical NSC pavement.