Investigating the Influence of Joint Reinforcements of Portland Cement Concrete Slabs Under Asphalt Concrete Overlays on Vertical Deflections Using Accelerated Pavement Testing

Joint gaps between slabs in underlying Portland cement concrete (PCC) pavements are critical factors in the life span of asphalt concrete (AC) overlays. Therefore, being informed about the vertical deflections that may occur around the joints is important. In this study the joints were reinforced with three different materials: ethylene propylene diene monomer (i.e., rubber joint filler [RJF] reinforcement), bitumen-based sealant (i.e., rubber plate [RP] reinforcement), and steel plate (SP) (i.e., SP reinforcement), to limit the vertical movement of the underlying PCC. Tests were conducted at the accelerated pavement testing facility for two different AC overlay thicknesses, 50 mm and 100 mm, during 100,000 passages to investigate the influence of AC overlay thickness variations on slab vertical deflections and to also evaluate types of joint reinforcement on slab vertical deflections. For 50-mm thick AC overlay, the most effective joint reinforcements to prevent deformations caused by loading were RP, RJF, and SP; for a 100-mm thickness, this was determined to be RJF, SP, and RP, respectively.