STRUCTURAL DESIGN OF WHITETOPPING FOR AIRPORT PAVEMENTS

Whitetopping is a thin concrete overlay on asphalt pavements. In case of road pavement, design thickness of whitetopping would be decided based on critical stress that develops at longitudinal free slab edge. However, in case of airport pavements, design thickness would be decided based on stress at joints of whitetopping. In this study, we constructed the field trial of whitetopping, conducted loading tests and measured strains in the concrete and asphalt layers. By comparing measured and analyzed strains using three dimensional FEM, we obtained bonding parameters and spring moduli of joints. Furthermore, we measured temperature gradient of concrete for a year and calculated temperature stress of concrete. Results showed that structural design of whitetopping could be applied for airport pavements.