PRELIMINARY REPORT ON CONTINUOUSLY REINFORCED CONCRETE PAVEMENT RESEARCH IN PENNSYLVANIA

IN THE FALL OF 1956, THE PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAYS CONSTRUCTED THE FIRST OF TWO EXPERIMENTAL CONTINUOUSLY-REINFORCED CONCRETE PAVEMENTS. THE FIRST OF THESE PROJECTS IS ON ROUTE 111, NEAR YORK. IN THIS PROJECT, MEASUREMENTS ARE BEING MADE OF THE STRAIN IN THE BAR-MAT REINFORCING STEEL IN A UNIFORM 9-IN. PAVEMENT. STUDIES ARE ALSO BEING CONDUCTED ON THE CRACK FREQUENCY, THE CRACK WIDTH, AND THE SLAB TEMPERATURE. A THEORY GOVERNING THE BEHAVIOR, THE DETAILS OF CONSTRUCTION AND INSTRUMENTATION, AND THE RESULTS OBTAINED DURING THE FIRST TWO MONTHS OF THE PAVEMENT'S LIFE ARE DESCRIBED. THE SECOND PROJECT WILL BE ON US 22, NEAR HAMBURG. THE PAVEMENT THICKNESS WILL BE VARIED TO INCLUDE SECTIONS OF 7-, AND 9-IN. THICKNESS. THE REINFORCING WILL BE BAR-MAT, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF 1,000 FT OF WELDED WIRE FABRIC. IN ADDITION TO STRAIN MEASUREMENTS, STUDIES OF TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION, PAVEMENT WARPING, LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT, CRACK WIDTH, AND CRACK FREQUENCY WILL BE MADE. /AUTHOR/