Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2010, Civil Engineering (Engineering and Technology)
This work studies the response of jointed plain concrete pavement to traffic loading as well as temperature variations, using the three-dimensional FE program EverFE2.24. The traffic loading is modeled using ODOT single axle dump truck rolling on top of the pavement, while the environmental loading is modeled using temperature measurements by thermocouples inserted throughout the depth of the slab. Picking a reference point in the temperature data, the change in stresses with respect to time has been computed and compared with the field data. Performing a fatigue analysis, the temperature is found to be considerably more detrimental to the concrete pavement compared to axle loads. Measurement of the surface temperature, especially in the top, is evaluated to be critical in convergence of EverFE2.24 model. The 3D FE program EverFE2.24 results followed the trend of the measured data from the field.
Committee: Shad Sargand PhD (Committee Chair); Teruhisa Masada PhD (Committee Member); Eric Steinberg PhD (Committee Member); Martin Mohlenkamp PhD (Committee Member)
Subjects: Civil Engineering