Full-scale field test of early-age behaviour of partially continuous reinforced concrete pavement

To address the damage characteristics and deficiencies of the existing continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP), which are the high construction cost and irregular crack distribution patterns, a concrete pavement structure called partially continuous reinforced concrete pavement (PCRCP) is proposed. In this paper, the early-age (28 days, without traffic) behaviour of PCRCP subjected to environmental loading is investigated. To this end, full-scale field tests were carried out in Xiangjiagou Tunnel, Shanxi Province, China. Testing results showed that the PCRCP test section with the partial continuous reinforcement length of 100 cm and active crack spacing of 5 m can provide better early-age performance and lower initial construction cost in this study. The PCRCP test section with the active crack control method has a uniform crack distribution pattern with narrow width compared to the CRCP test section. The results of this study would provide data support and reference for the rational design of PCRCP.