Effect of Temperature Differential in HVSF Concrete Pavements.

Abstract

Cement concrete pavement slabs undergo expansion and contraction due to the variation in atmospheric temperatures. The amount of expansion or contraction mainly depends upon the difference in temperatures between top and bottom surfaces (t) of the slab during day and night, thickness of the slab (h), Coefficient of thermal expansion of concrete (e), Modulus of sub grade reaction (K), Poisson’s ratio (μ), and Modulus of elasticity of concrete (E). The temperature gradient between the top and the bottom surfaces induce warping stresses in the pavement slab. The warping stresses along with the wheel load stresses become the worst combination from the pavement performance point of view. An attempt has been made in this direction to make a comparative study on the behavior of cement concrete pavement slabs with High Volume Silica Fume Concrete (HVSFC). A concrete mix for M40 is designed as per IS: 10262:2009. The trial tests resulted in mix proportioning of 60% cement, 40% Silica Fume, water/cement ratio of 0.4. Concrete pavement slabs were cast of thicknesses 100 mm, 150 mm and 200 mm. The sizes of the slabs were 750 X 750 mm. Companion specimens using conventional concrete of M40 grade were cast. The temperature variations over the depth of the slab were studied and results are presented. The study indicates that HVSFC specimens exhibit good resistance to thermal gradients.