Design and Construction Guidelines for Thermally Insulated Concrete Pavements (TPF-5/149)
This research is an FHWA pooled-fund project led by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. For more information on this project and how your organization can participate, visit the FHWA Transportation Pooled Fund Research site.
Thermally insulated concrete pavements (TICPs) consist of a concrete pavement structure (jointed or continuously reinforced) covered by an asphalt layer during construction or soon after construction to address ride quality or surface characteristic issues. Thin asphalt overlays encompass many of the same ideas as TICPs, and they will also be considered in this study. TICPs combine the structural longevity of PCC pavements with the serviceability of HMA pavements. One of the perceived benefits of TICPs is the simplification of the PCC design and construction through a thinner PCC layer, simplified finishing, and simplified joint formation techniques.
There is a need for effective design and construction guidelines for TICPs. These guidelines should be based on a better understanding of the effects of design, materials, and construction parameters on the performance of the TICPs. The research in this pooled fund study aims to develop such guidelines for mechanistic design and construction. The study will require extensive field performance data as validation of the design process.
Several TICP sections will be constructed at MnROAD and their performance will be compared with the performance of adjacent concrete and asphalt pavements. The following issues will be addressed:
- Degree of composite action (bond) of PCC and HMA layers
- Thermal blanket effect of the HMA layer on the PCC layer
- Development of cracking in the PCC layer
- Development of reflective cracking and rutting in the HMA layer
- Degree of reduction in roughness
- Criteria for applicability of TICP for existing rigid pavements
This research will help broaden the application of mechanistic-empirical pavement design methods to the use of TICPs. Several previous studies have focused on noise and ride characteristics of TICPs and thin HMA overlays. This research is aimed primarily at analyzing the structural design of such pavements.
The main objective of the research is to develop design and construction guidelines for thermally insulated concrete pavements, i.e. composite thin HMA overlays of new or structurally sound existing PCC pavements. A secondary objective is to develop recommendations for feasibility analysis of newly constructed TICP or thin overlays of the existing concrete pavements. These objectives will be accomplished by collecting field performance data and evaluating the influence of design, material properties, and construction on the performance of TICP test sections.