A comparative study of crack behavior of continuously reinforced concrete pavements (CRCP) on three sections in Germany

Abstract

The traffic volume and the amount of heavy traffic on German motorways increased steadily. To guarantee mobility and reduce the national economic costs, road construction with maximum service life, minimum maintenance and minimum traffic restrictions for maintenance are needed. Continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) are extremely durable in terms of use and maintenance. CRCP offer lower thickness, no transversal joints and the possibility to improve skid resistance and reduction of noise emissions through a thin asphalt surface. The performance of CRCP is influenced by a number of specific characteristics such as the thickness and the quality of the concrete, the longitudinal and transversal reinforcement, the base layer and the environmental conditions. These aspects influence the crack pattern, crack distance and crack widths. In Germany CRCP is in the stage of field testing. From 1997 to today, a total of 8 sections with many variations have been constructed. A detailed comparative study of these sections has been lacking. As part of a research project, the RWTH University and the German Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) are investigating these sections in CRCP with and without an asphalt surface in Germany and compare it to the Belgium standard constructions. Three CRCP sections were selected and evaluated throughout Germany. The aim is to evaluate the different designs in the sections in terms of their behavior, to quantify achievable service life, necessary maintenance and availability. From this, a preferred variant of the construction is designed and implemented on a motorway in Germany as part of a trial site.