Instrumented rigid pavement for multipurpose research

This report summarizes the design, construction, and use of an instrumented portland cement concrete pavement research facility. Instrumentation includes devices to monitor static deflections, temperature gradient of the slab, and moisture contents of the supporting layers. These data can be automatically collected and stored. The slab contains a movable doweled joint with tapered dowels such that load transfer across the joint can be varied by opening and closing the joint. Two voids were constructed under the slab, one at a joint corner and the other at the edge of the pavement for the purpose of evaluating the void detection capabilities of various devices. The facility is equipped with environmental devices to monitor ambient temperature, wind velocity, relative humidity, and solar radiation. Research has been conducted at the facility to evaluate deflection measuring equipment for its ability to estimate insitu properties of the pavement layers, to detect voids underneath the pavement, and to measure load transfer efficiency at joints. Data have been collected to evaluate environmental effects on the slab and how those effects influence deflection measurements. The facility is located at the balcones research center, the university of Texas at austin (a).