Dowels and Load Transfer Across Transverse Joints of Concrete Surface in Rigid Pavement

In practice, transverse joints of concrete surface are weak parts in rigid pavement, especially on roads with heavy truck and bus traffic. Because of that, load transfer across joints is important, which influence smoothness, structural capacity, pavement performance, ride quality, and what is more, the service life of concrete surface. To study the load transfer across joints, two different finite element models of concrete surface with transverse joint are established by the using of numerical analysis method. One is concrete surface with doweled joints, and the other is concrete surface without doweled joints. So far as stress and deflection difference are concerned, the calculating results show that the former are smaller than the latter. Meanwhile, it indicates that dowels play a very important part in load transfer across joints. Especially, principal stress, shearing stress, and deflection difference from calculating points decrease when diameter of dowel increases. However, when dowel diameter is more than 35 millimeter, the further increase in dowel's diameter does not contribute to the loss of stress of calculation points in concrete surface. However, load transfer efficiency should be calculated on the basis of modulus of the supporting foundation, stress, and deflection.