A composite pavement is a pavement structure with at least two dissimilar layers. These pavements are typically constructed using hot-mix asphalt (HMA), Portland cement concrete, or both. Typically, composite pavements are created when a new pavement layer is placed atop an older pavement layer. This research however focuses on the relatively less common composite pavements built as new construction and includes new concrete pavements with an HMA overlay and composite concrete pavements placed “wet on wet.”
While these types of composite pavements have been constructed in Europe for years, the American experience has been limited. Significant barriers to the common adoption of new construction composite pavement exist. These barriers include the lack of a formal design procedure, construction experience, and performance and cost data supporting the benefits of composite pavements constructed in this manner.
As a means to overcome these limitations, the Second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2) undertook project R21 entitled “Composite Pavement Systems” to investigate the implementation of composite pavements as new construction in the United States. Part of R21 involved the construction of three heavily instrumented composite pavements sections at the MnROAD National Research and Technology Center (MnROAD).
Two major assessments were performed in this thesis as part of meeting some of the goals of the R21 project. One assessment consisted of evaluating the environmental data obtained from the instrumented composite pavement slabs at MnROAD. The second assessment consisted of a stress sensitivity analysis performed using the pavement finite element software ISLAB. Together the results of these analyses were used to comment on the factors influencing the environmental conditions and stresses that develop in composite pavements. Suggestions were then made for the design and construction of long lived composite pavements
