COMPARATIVE STUDY THROUGH TESTS OF THE DIFFERENT CONCRETE PAVEMENT SYSTEMS

Abstract

When the design of a concrete pavement is addressed, one of the most important points is to determine which type is the most appropriate to satisfy the requirements. Based on the classification of concrete pavements indicated in ACI 360[1] (Plain concrete, continuously reinforced (bars or welded wire reinforcement), fiber reinforced concrete, shrinkage- compensating and post-tensioned), a series of tests have been developed that allow us to establish a comparison at the level of load capacity. To evaluate the capacity to bending and shear a battery of tests were performed including a beam test and square slab testing. Different systems were designed: Continuously reinforced, steel and macro-synthetic fibers, combined solutions, post-tensioned and shrinkage-compensating concrete pavement. The results show that with an equal amount of steel the load capacity of the continuously reinforced is more than 50\% higher than the fiber, and this difference increases when increasing thickness. With equal volume of fiber, the capacity with steel fiber is 25\% higher than the synthetic. In Shrinkage-compensating, an expansion of 300 microns/meter was generated, increasing the flexural strength at 0.3 Mpa, improving load capacity and energy absorption. In the post-tensioning system, an effective post-tensioning tension of 2 Mpa was introduced and, consequently, this increase was observed in the appearance of the first crack. In the square slab test the formation and development of the yield lines was observed. Based on the results of the tests and having analyzed the ACI 360 and TR34 to determine the moment capacity of fiber-reinforced concrete and continuously reinforced, it is considered that in the case of continuously reinforced the guides should incorporate a nonlinear method with plasticity considering the ultimate tensile strength of steel. In this way, the comparison between both systems would be closer to reality. Considering only moment capacity and punching shear capacity, it is concluded that solutions with continuous reinforcement (bars or welded wire reinforcement) are more effective for high loads than fibers.