Experimental continuously reinforced concrete pavement parameterization using nondestructive methods

Four continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) sections were built at the University of São Paulo campus in order to analyze the pavement performance in a tropical environment. The sections short length coupled with particular project aspects made the experimental CRCP cracking be different from the traditional CRCP one. After three years of construction, a series of nondestructive testing were performed - Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) loadings - to verify and to parameterize the pavement structural condition based on two main properties: the elasticity modulus of concrete (E) and the modulus of subgrade reaction (k). These properties estimation was obtained through the matching process between real and EverFE simulated basins with the load at the slab center, between two consecutive cracks. The backcalculation results show that the lack of anchorage at the sections end decreases the E and k values and that the longitudinal reinforcement percentage provides additional stiffness to the pavement. Additionally, FWD loadings tangential to the cracks allowed the load transfer efficiency (LTE) estimation determination across cracks. The LTE resulted in values above 90 % for all cracks.