Structural Analysis and Design of PCC Shoulders

A structural evaluation of PCC highway shoulders has been conducted and a comprehensive design procedure for plain jointed concrete shoulders developed. The procedure can be used to provide PCC shoulders either for rehabilitation of existing pavement, or for new pavement construction. All major factors that are known to affect the behavior of PCC shoulders are considered in the mechanistic design approach including: encroaching moving trucks, parked trucks, foundation support, longitudinal joint load transfer, shoulder slab thickness and tapering, width of shoulder, and traffic lane slab. The finite element structural analysis technique was used along with a concrete fatigue damage model to sum damage for both moving encroaching trucks and for parked trucks. A relationship was established between the accumulated fatigue damage and slab cracking.