Summary Report of HVS Testing of the Palmdale Test Site, North Tangent Sections: Evaluation of Long Life Pavement Rehabilitation Strategies-Rigid

As part of the Caltrans Long Life Pavement Rehabilitation Strategies (LLPRS), a concrete pavement constructed with fast setting strength hydraulic cement concrete (FSHCC) and Portland cement concrete (PCC) blend was constructed on State Route 14 about 5 miles south of Palmdale, California. The test pavement was evaluated under Heavy Vehicle Simulator (HVS) testing beginning June 1999 and finishing December 2001. This report summarizes part of the testing program which was undertaken on three 70-m long test sections with a 200-mm thick FSHCC and the following design features: Section 7 was constructed with plain joints (no dowels), relying on aggregate interlock for joint load transfer, with an asphalt concrete shoulder and a normal lane width of 3.66 m.; Section 9 was constructed with dowels and a concrete shoulder with tie bars and a normal lane width of 3.66 m.; Section 11 was constructed using a widened truck lane (4.26 m wide) and doweled joints with an asphalt concrete shoulder. The advantages of dowels, tie bars, and a widened (4.26-m) lane are clearly illustrated in the study. Even after the application of aggressive 150-kN loading onto the test sections, no obvious LTE deterioration could be detected from the sections constructed with dowels, tie bars, and widened lanes. Although significant cracks developed during the testing period, no significant drop in LTE values could be detected after the formation of the cracks, which is an indication of the effectiveness of the dowels to transfer load across joints, even after extensive joint deterioration. The dowels had a significant influence in controlling slab edge movements. In contrast to this, the plain aggregate interlock sections (no dowels or tie bars) experienced significant reductions in LTE after the appearance of corner cracks. The damaging effect of repetitive loading caused a significant reduction in the life of the pavement in comparisons with the reinforced jointed sections.