Buettner, Nathanial
(2022)
Investigation of the Fatigue Damage Imposed by Superloads on Damaged Jointed Plain Concrete Pavements.
Master's Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Superloads, defined as vehicles that carry loads of over 200,000 pounds, are increasingly used to transport heavy freight and construction equipment. These vehicles have axle loads and configurations that are believed to “overload” pavements and cause significantly more fatigue damage than typical truck traffic. The damaging effects of overloads on the fatigue performance of jointed plain concrete pavements (JPCPs) are currently unestablished. The objective of this research is to inform guidelines for the fatigue damage analysis of superloads on JPCPs.
To accomplish this, a coupled computational and laboratory research strategy was utilized. First, a series of finite element models was developed to characterize the critical stresses caused by superloads on JPCPs. These results were then incorporated into a laboratory study composed of two fatigue test programs. Constant amplitude fatigue testing was performed to evaluate the nonlinear accumulation of fatigue damage in the concrete resulting from superload stresses of several magnitudes. Then, concrete beams were overloaded at several damage states to identify the fatigue damage caused by an overload as a function of the existing fatigue damage in the concrete. The coupled computational and laboratory investigation showed that the fatigue damage from superload stresses accumulates nonlinearly with very rapid accumulation occurring when the overload is encountered in the final 20% of the fatigue life of the concrete. Additionally, the results of the study indicate how fatigue damage imposed by an overload increases as the percent life consumed increases.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
16 January 2022 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
5 August 2021 |
| Approval Date: |
16 January 2022 |
| Submission Date: |
16 October 2021 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
235 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Swanson School of Engineering > Civil and Environmental Engineering |
| Degree: |
MS - Master of Science |
| Thesis Type: |
Master's Thesis |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Engineering mechanics, pavement design, fatigue and fracture |
| Date Deposited: |
16 Jan 2022 15:43 |
| Last Modified: |
16 Jan 2022 15:43 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/41859 |
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