Recent Developments in the Design and Construction of CRCP Towards a More Durable Concept

The technique of continuously reinforced concrete for pavement construction is being applied in Belgium since the 1960s. The original design underwent several changes over time, sometimes for economic reasons but mostly in order to improve the long term behaviour of the pavements. Today there are still possibilities for further optimisation, mainly aiming at an improved cracking pattern. Studies on the influence of different parameters on the crack pattern and field measurements will be presented together with the results of an ME-PDG analysis. Discussion will concern the choice of steel reinforcement rate and lay-out and other possible measures for the optimisation of the crack pattern and CRCP performance, in particular the technique of active crack initiation. Other fields of progress are the surface and texture characteristics of exposed aggregate concrete, both in single layer and double layer constructions. Modifications in the concept of double layered CRCP will be presented. These theoretical studies, trial sections and the monitoring of real worksites remain important in order to evaluate the performances of the different concepts and to come to the right choice.