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CE 461
Roadway and Pavement Design

Joints and steel are used to relieve or take care of

curling stresses
Curling stresses not considered in the design

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Control temperature cracking

Does not increase capacity
Increase joint spacing
Maintain load transfer
Aggregate interlock
All tensile stresses are taken by the steel

As =

! c hLfa
2 fs

As Required area of steel per unit width

c Unit weight of concrete (pci)
h Slab thickness (inches)
L Slab length (inches)
fa Coecient of resistance (assume 1.5)
fs Allowable stress in steel (psi)

Bars or wire mat

Placed at slab mid-depth
Discontinued at joint

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Note dierence in
dowels and tie bars
Dowels transfer load
at joints
Transverse
Tie bars hold slabs
together
Longitudinal

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Hold slabs together

Never greased
Commonly hooked, deformed rebar
Commonly use standard design

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Decrease in stress and deection when load is

carried by two slabs vs. one slab
Faulting and pumping are reduced
Commonly greased

Steel rods
Typically 18 inches long
Typically 1 or 1.25 inches in diameter
Spacing can be designed

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100% Load Transfer

P1 = P2
50% Load Transfer
P1 = 2P2

Dowel directly under load provides a relative

contribution of 1
Dowels at a distance of 1.8l from load provide a
zero contribution
Geometry is used to identify the relative
contribution of each dowel
Number of active dowels in group equal to sum
of relative contributions of all dowels in group

Load carried by each dowel

Pd =

Load
( RC )
ND

ND Number of eective dowels in group

RC Relative contribution of each dowel

For multiple loads, treat each separately and add

the eects

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Ec = 4,000,000 psi = 0.15

h = 9.5 in.
12 ft wide slab
k = 50 pci
12 Dowels @ 12 in. centers
Load transfer eciency of 100%

#
&4
Eh 3
(
l=%
2
%$12(1 " ) k ('
l = 49.2 inches

1.8l = 88 inches

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PCC much weaker than steel

Must protect against bearing stress failure

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fb =

4!d '
fc
3

fb Allowable bearing stress (psi)

d Dowel diameter (inches)
fc Ultimate compressive strength (psi)

!B =

KPd
(2 + ! z)
4 ! 3 Ed I d

Pd Dowel load (lbs)

K Modulus of dowel support (pci)
Ed Dowel modulus of elasticity (psi)
Id Dowel moment of inertia (in4)
z Joint width (inches)

!=4

Id =

Kd
4Ed I d

1
"d 4
64

d = dowel diameter (inches)

!
9

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Check that b < fb

Apply a factor of safety
Changes to make
Larger dowel bars
Smaller dowel spacing

Control cracking and allow for expansion and

contraction without blowups if properly designed
and maintained

Relieve tensile stresses

Commonly cut with saw

Dummy groove contraction

Dummy groove, doweled

contraction

10

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Beginning and
end of pour
Typically
contraction joint

Butt construction, assumes

1-directional movement

11

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Relieve curling stresses

Tie joint together

Tied longitudinal
warping

Keyed longitudinal
Tied construction

12

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Relieve compressive stresses

Not used due to maintenance

Expansion, assumes
2-directional movement

Thickened edge
Expansion

13