Stress and Strain of RCC Pavement with Cement Stabilized Base Depending on Load and Season of the Year

Abstract

Slip-form concrete (JPCP) has a number of years of good performance experience. An alternative to slip-form concrete is roller-compacted concrete (RCC). The RCC mixture has a significantly larger number of fine aggregates, which leads the concrete mix to be non-slip and compacted by rollers. RCC has the strength and performance of conventional concrete or even higher. Due to all the advantages, the use of RCC pavement in industrial areas and low-volume rural roads is very beneficial. Experimental test section of RCC pavement structure with cement and special additives stabilized base (CTB) was installed on local road No. 130 in Lithuania, which was reconstructed in 2021. The main objective of this study is to learn about the environmental impact on the pavement structure. To reach our aim at the stage of reconstruction of the local road temperature, humidity sensors and a strain gauge were installed under the RCC layer and CTB. During the lifetime of pavement structure temperature and humidity data were collected daily and bearing capacity was measured during spring thaw. In addition, an artificial wheel load simulation using a falling weight deflectometer was performed at the location of the installed strain gauge to analyse deflections and to calculate stresses under RCC layer. The stresses under the RCC layer calculated from the strain gauge were also compared with the theoretical stress calculated at the design stage of the pavement structure to learn more about performance of the pavement structure. The results showed that slight changes in humidity at the bottom of the CTB had no significant influence on the deformations at the bottom of the RCC layer. Comparison of stresses under RCC layer showed that stresses calculated from strain gauge were 1.80 times lower than those calculated theoretically.