Punchout study for continuously reinforced concrete pavement containing reclaimed asphalt pavement using pavement ME models

The restricted use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) in hot mix asphalt (HMA) motivates the use of RAP in portland cement concrete (PCC) as an aggregate replacement. The addition of RAP causes significant changes in PCC's properties, but little research has been done to investigate the impact of these changes on pavement performances. In this study, punchout performances of continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) made with PCC containing RAP (RAP-PCC) slabs were extensively assessed using existing models in the Pavement ME. Based on the results, the major drawback for using RAP in CRCP is the RAP-PCC's reduced modulus of rupture (MOR); the reduced MOR causes higher stress to strength ratio in the slab, which can lead to higher chances of fatigue. However, the RAP-PCC slab is anticipated to have tighter transverse cracks due to the reduction in modulus of elasticity. A decrease in crack width could potentially yield a higher transverse crack load transfer efficiency (LTE). The Pavement ME simulations indicate that the CRCP made with RAP-PCC, which has tighter cracks, can maintain a higher LTE for a much longer time and ultimately leads to a longer pavement service life compared to the plain CRCP.