Nine-slab model for jointed concrete pavements

In the design and analysis of jointed concrete pavements, direct applications of single-slab models are inappropriate because the effects of joint load transfer cannot be considered. To incorporate the effects of joint load transfer into the analysis of a jointed concrete pavement system, a nine-slab thick-plate model for structural analysis of a jointed concrete pavements subjected to vertical loads is developed in this paper. The jointed concrete pavement system is idealized as a nine-slab system that consists of a central slab and eight surrounding slabs resting on a Winkler foundation. Fundamental equations of the proposed model are developed based on a thick-plate theory that considers the transverse deformation of the slab. Solutions of the fundamental equations are obtained by the introduction of special elemental slabs and by superposition of the solutions of appropriate elemental slabs. A verification analysis of the proposed solutions was performed against Westergaard's solutions and finite element solutions.