Analysis of Concave Curling in Concrete Slabs

A concrete pavement curls to a concave configuration when it is subjected to a negative temperature gradient, which results when the temperature at its bottom surface is higher than at its top surface. A gap may occur between the bottom of the slab and the subgrade if the temperature gradient is large. The present paper offers an analytical approach to the determination of displacement and stress distributions for a semiinfinite slab and for an infinitely long slab of a finite width, which takes into account a gap that may occur under the slab resulting from curling. Based on the analysis, an approximate formula for the maximum stress in a finite slab is suggested. The solution presented herein is obtained by applying the plate theory to an elastic plate resting on a Winkler foundation. Therefore, it is a general elastic solution and applies to not only concrete but also other materials.