Early-Age Response of Concrete Pavements to Temperature and Moisture Variations

In this paper, the early-age response of a Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement (JPCP) to temperature and moisture variations at the time of paving and immediately following construction is discussed. A newly constructed JPCP on US-30 near Marshalltown, Iowa, USA was instrumented and monitored during the critical time immediately following construction to identify its early-age behavior with respect to pavement deformation due to temperature and moisture variations. The instrumentation consisted of Linear Variable Differential Transducers (LVDTs) at the slab corner, center, and edges, and thermocouples and humidity sensors installed within the slab depth. The slab deformation associated with temperature and moisture variations were quantified using field-measured vertical displacements and pavement surface profiles. The positive temperature gradients during setting times and the negative moisture difference after setting times caused permanent upward curling and warping in the instrumented pavement. The relative corner deflection of the slab to center or mid-edge calculated using the slab profile and LVDT measurements show similar trends.