Until the early 1990s, curling and warping of Portland cement concrete pavement did not concern pavement engineers in many transportation agencies. Since beginning construction of the interstate system in the United States in the late 1950s through the late 1980s, the performance of Portland cement concrete pavement has been associated with properties of concrete as a pavement material. In those years developed standards and design guidelines emphasized better concrete materials and construction control. At the time, combining curling and loading stresses was quite controversial due to the nature of the load-carrying capacity of concrete pavement and the occurrence of types of loads. Arguments developed that the types of loads (traffic and curling) rarely occurred at the same time of day. The concrete pavement design principle did not include the effects of curling and warping of concrete pavement as determining design factors in pavement performance. This research project was initiated as a response from the INDOT Pavement Steering Committee related to the joint spacing of Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement in Indiana. There was an initiative in the Committee to reduce the joint spacing from 18 feet to 15 feet as a way to reduce premature concrete pavement deterioration. There was an indication that some newly paved JPCP had transverse cracks even before the pavement section was opened to traffic. In this experimental study, several important conclusions were drawn from temperature analysis, stress-strain analysis, and other data analysis. The analysis from this experimental study supports the decision by INDOT to shorten the concrete pavement joint spacing to increase the performance of Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement in Indiana.

Rigid pavements make up a significant percentage of highway systems in the United States and abroad. Concrete pavements provide an economical and durable solution for highway systems, because the pavements last longer and require less maintenance. Recently, there has been great interest in the construction of a higher quality concrete pavement, referred to as High Performance Concrete Pavements (HPCP), which could be in service longer and have lower maintenance and life cycle costs. General criteria were established by federal and state highway agencies to help in the design of these more durable and economical concrete pavements. This higher quality concrete pavement should incorporate recycled waste products, and utilize innovative construction equipment and procedures. These pavements should also have a shorter construction time and an ultra-smooth ride quality surface. With these criteria in mind, investigations have been launched to discover methods for improving the quality of concrete pavements. One area of interest involves the use of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) as cementitious material in concrete pavement.

This study evaluated the properties of three high performance concrete mixtures placed in a jointed plain concrete paving project on I-64 in Newport News, Virginia, to reduce the shrinkage and improve the flexural strength of the concrete. Two mixtures contained ground-granulated blast furnace slag with 2-inch and 1-inch nominal maximum size (NMS) aggregate, and the third mixture contained Class F fly ash with 1-inch NMS aggregate. Air-entrained paving concretes with satisfactory strength, low permeability, and dimensional stability were prepared using concretes with Class F fly ash or slag and 1-inch or 2-inch NMS aggregates. Slipform pavers satisfactorily placed these concretes. The test sections were in excellent condition after six winters based on a visual survey. Falling weight deflectometer data indicated a better load transfer with the larger aggregate size with everything else being equal. The study also evaluated the maturity method in the continuation of the project on I-64 in Hampton, Virginia. After the evaluation, the pavement was changed to continuously reinforced concrete and the concrete properties were tested in accordance with the recently introduced Guide for Mechanistic-Empirical Design of New and Rehabilitated Pavement Structures (known as the proposed AASHTO M-E Design Guide). In the Hampton portion, a Class F fly ash mixture with the 1-inch NMS aggregate was used. The use of large aggregate, provided the particle shape is acceptable, and uniform combined grading should be specified for concretes with reduced water and cement contents. The maturity method can be used to determine the pavement's readiness for opening to traffic and should be included in the specifications.

Addressing the interactions between the different design and construction variables and techniques this book illustrates best practices for constructing economical, long life concrete pavements. The book proceeds in much the same way as a pavement construction project. First, different alternatives for concrete pavement solutions are outlined. The desired performance and behaviour parameters are identified. Next, appropriate materials are outlined and the most suitable concrete proportions determined. The design can be completed, and then the necessary construction steps for translating the design into a durable facility are carried out. Although the focus reflects highways as the most common application, special features of airport, industrial, and light duty pavements are also addressed. Use is made of modeling and performance tools such as HIPERPAV and LTPP to illustrate behavior and performance, along with some case studies. As concrete pavements are more complex than they seem, and the costs of mistakes or of over-design can be high, this is a valuable book for engineers in both the public and private sectors.