CAL/APT GOAL LLPRS -- RIGID PHASE III: CONCRETE TEST SECTION 516CT REPORT

In order to evaluate the future performance of rehabilitated concrete pavements, a Heavy Vehicle Simulator (HVS) was used to test a Portland Cement Concrete pavement section constructed at the University of California at Berkeley. The main goals of this accelerated pavement testing were to familiarize the staff with concrete pavement construction, install instrumentation in the slabs, develop a rigid pavement testing procedure using the HVS, and monitor the in-situ instrumentation with loading. All the information and experience gained from this testing was used later for instrumentation and HVS testing of six fast setting hydraulic cement concrete (FSHCC) test sections located in Palmdale, California. A test plan was designed to provide concrete pavement testing and analysis research regarding the LLPRS-Rigid design options being considered by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The objectives of this test plan were 1) to evaluate the adequacy of structural design options (tied concrete shoulders, doweled joints, and widened truck lanes) being considered by Caltrans, primarily with respect to joint distress, fatigue cracking, and corner cracking; 2) to assess the durability of concrete slabs made with cements meeting the requirements for early ability to place traffic upon them and to develop methods to screen new materials for durability; and 3) to measure the effects of construction and mix design variables on the durability and structural performance of concrete pavements.