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https://www.nationalacademies.org/trb/events

Optimization of Dowel Bars in Concrete Pavements

Jointed plain concrete pavements (JPCP) play a crucial role in transportation infrastructure by providing a durable and reliable surface for vehicles. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) has used a standard typical section of these pavements with doweled transverse joints for several years. Doweled transverse joints are a critical component in JPCP, serving to control cracking, improve load transfer, and enhance overall pavement performance. The current standard is that the first dowel is 12 inches from the pavement edge, then spaced at 12 inches at mid-depth in the slab across the pavement joints. However, studies and design procedures across the nation indicate that many dowels across a lane do not contribute to the transferring of loads, as many of the bars are located far from where the loads are applied on the pavement. Also, the pavement performance of doweled transverse joints could have been better, and the only major change to standards has been the spacing of the joints. In addition, the cost of steel has increased over the last five years, leading to less sustainable concrete pavement. To address these issues, the research team will aim to improve pavements’ performance and sustainability while considering alternative layouts (i.e., number and spacing of dowels) for doweled transverse joints. In particular, the research team will explore if alternative dowel bar layouts can provide the same level of ride performance and distress over time while improving overall joint performance. The researchers will consider possible alternative bar layouts that may include a reduced number of dowels, different spacing between dowels, various dowel sizes consistent across the joint (based on the thickness of concrete pavements in Wisconsin), and other modifications. The type of dowel bars researched in this study shall be per WisDOT Standard Specifications (SS) 415.2.2 and WisDOT Standard Detail Drawings (SDD) 13c11 and SDD 13c13. Ultimately, the project will aim to optimize the dowel bar layout and provide a more sustainable concrete pavement in Wisconsin.