A Study on the Working Performance of Dowel Bars with Horizontal Installation Errors

Using the pullout test on dowel bars with different surface treatment modes and position deviations, the present paper draws the conclusion that plastic-spraying treatment on different surface treatment modes can meet the maximum setting requirements for dowel bars and that the angular deviation of the dowel bar is the main reason for the cracking within 50 cm on both sides of the cement concrete pavement joint. Using the bending fatigue test, the present paper evaluated the attenuation law of the joint load transfer capacity under different horizontal installation error conditions (0°, 5°, 10°, and 15°) and found that the initial joint load transfer capacity showed fast downward trend with increase in dowel bar deviation angle and that the performance during the entire working period became increasingly worse. When the angular deviation of dowel bar along the horizontal plane was not more than 5°, juncture load transfer capacity can still remain on the medium level, which will not have too much influence on the working performance of the dowel bar. Finally, the paper presents the looseness of the dowel bar after 800,000 times of bending fatigue and proposes control measures to avoid position deviation of the dowel bar.