Application of Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECCs) for Jointless Ultrathin Whitetopping Overlay

Project Details
STATE

FHWA

SOURCE

RIP

START DATE

03/15/18

END DATE

11/01/23

RESEARCHERS

Marwa Hassan, Susan Bogus, Gabriel Arce, Tyson Rupnow

SPONSORS

FHWA; Mountain-Plains Consortium, North Dakota State University

KEYWORDS

Cement, Durability, Engineered materials, Fatigue tests, Fiber composites, Finite element method, Overlays (Pavements), Pavement joints, Whitetopping

LINKS

Link

Project description

Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC), which are a special type of high-performance fiber reinforced cementitious composite (HPFRCC), are proposed as a novel alternative for overlay applications since its outstanding mechanical properties (extreme ductility and superior flexural strength) have the potential to allow for jointless (or significantly large joint spacing) overlay systems at reduced thicknesses. The objective of this project is to evaluate ECCs for Jointless Ultrathin Whitetopping (UTW) overlay applications. To achieve this objective, ECC materials will be specifically designed for UTW application based on locally available materials. Fatigue evaluation of the UTW-ECC material will be performed to produce a σ-N relation (flexural stress vs. cycles to failure). Moreover, finite element analysis (FEA) and fatigue performance data of the UTW-ECC material (σ-N relation) will be integrated to produce a UTW-ECC overlay performance prediction model (overlay thickness vs. cycles to failure, H-N relation). To validate the developed model, a full-scale experiment of a UTW-ECC overlay system will be performed at the Louisiana Transportation Research Center (LTRC) Pavement Research Facility. Finally, a cost-analysis of the construction of jointless UTW-ECC compared to traditional jointed UTW overlays will be conducted.
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