Design of concrete pavements

Together with the increasing demand for concrete pavements in the Netherlands, the need for a technically and economically justified method of pavement design arose. On the basis of the present knowledge on the stress and deformation behaviour of concrete under static and repeated loading, a method of concrete pavemen~ design has been developed by the authors through ~ich in practice concrete pavements for roads and sites, whether with or without a sub-base, can be designed simply and quickly. This method has in the first Lnstance been prepared for unreinforced concrete pavements, as this way of paving roads and sites is the most common one. However, che method is also applicable for steel fibre reinforced or continuously reinforced concrete pavements as well as overlays. In case of a continuously reinforced concrete pavement, the reinforcement should be defined separately. The design procedure LS such thac the pavement is to be regarded on strength of the slag as well as on stiffness at the joints In order to be finally regarded on its economic aspects. The purpose of this contribution LS to explain the basis and the procedure of the method. The Vereniging Nederlandse Cementindustrie has published a Manual for Concrete Roads (Handleiding Betonwegen) in which the above-mentioned method is used. For the most usual concrete qualities and previously established quantities of heavy traffic and the corresponding wbeel load distribution, tables are given in this Manual in which the pavement thickness can be read. The tables given are descined for roads, bus tracks, bus stations and industrial pavements. The bearing capacity of the subgrade soil and the sub-base can be entered by way of auxiliary tables. A computer programme is available for special circumstances which the Manual does not cover.