National Concrete Pavement Technology Center

Project description

The objective of this project was to determine the optimum joint spacing for thin concrete overlays based on different concrete overlay thicknesses, support systems, and concrete overlay types with and without structural macro-fibers. In thin concrete overlays, field observations have sometimes shown that not all contraction joints activate initially and, in some cases, do not activate until many years after construction. Contraction joints that do not activate may be considered an inefficient design that may lead to unnecessary maintenance efforts and costs. The optimum joint spacing design may need to be determined based on factors other than those that are currently considered.