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Development and Evaluation of a Portable Device for Measuring Curling and Warping in Concrete Pavements
InTrans Project Reports
  • Halil Ceylan, Iowa State University
  • Robert F. Steffes, Iowa State University
  • Kasthurirangan Gopalakrishnan, Iowa State University
  • Sunghwan Kim, Iowa State University
  • Shuo Yang, Iowa State University
  • Kailin Zhuang
Document Type
Report
Publication Date
1-1-2016
Disciplines
Abstract

Portland cement concrete (PCC) pavement undergoes repeated environmental load-related deflection resulting from temperature and moisture variations across pavement depth. This has been recognized as resulting in PCC pavement curling and warping since the mid-1920s. Slab curvature can be further magnified under repeated traffic loads and may ultimately lead to fatigue failures, including top-down and bottom-up transverse, longitudinal, and corner cracking. It is therefore significant to measure the “true” degree of curling and warping in PCC pavements, not only for quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) purposes, but also for better understanding of its relationship to long-term pavement performance. Although several approaches and devices—including linear variable differential transducers (LVDTs), digital indicators, and some profilers—have been proposed for measuring curling and warping, their application in the field is subject to cost, inconvenience, and complexity of operation. This research therefore explores developing an economical and simple device for measuring curling and warping in concrete pavements with accuracy comparable to or better than existing methodologies. Technical requirements were identified to establish assessment criteria for development, and field tests were conducted to modify the device to further enhancement. The finalized device is about 12 inches in height and 18 pounds in weight, and its manufacturing cost is just $320. Detailed development procedures and evaluation results for the new curling and warping measuring device are presented and discussed, with a focus on achieving reliable curling and warping measurements in a cost-effective manner.

Comments

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Report Number
Part of InTrans Project 13-486
Granting Agencies

Institute for Transportation, Iowa State University; Iowa Department of Transportation; Midwest Transportation Center; Federal Highway Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

Language
English
File Format
PDF
File Size
4.81 mb
Citation Information
Halil Ceylan, Robert F. Steffes, Kasthurirangan Gopalakrishnan, Sunghwan Kim, et al.. "Development and Evaluation of a Portable Device for Measuring Curling and Warping in Concrete Pavements" (2016)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/kasthurirangan-gopalakrishnan/8/