Acceptable Concrete Pavement Thickness Tolerance
CENTER FOR TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
Center for Transportation Research
The University of Texas at Austin
Project Summary Report 0-4382-S Project 0-4382: Establish an Acceptable Pavement Thickness Tolerance to Allow for Non-Destructive Continuous Concrete Pavement Thickness Measurements
Authors: Seong-Min Kim and B. Frank McCullough October 2002
ACCEPTABLE CONCRETE PAVEMENT THICKNESS TOLERANCE
This research project was conducted to investigate if the current thickness tolerance for concrete pavements can be loosened and to provide TxDOT with the acceptable thickness tolerance so that non-destructive testing (NDT) methods can be used with confidence for thickness measurements. TxDOT’s current tolerance limit for concrete slab thickness was developed in the 1950s based on engineering judgment and experience; no additional study on tolerance limit has been conducted since. The tolerance limit is currently 5 mm (0.2 in.) for full payment. This tolerance limit is too tight to allow use of existing NDT methods for slab thickness determination because these methods are not as accurate as direct measurement from coring. If the current tolerance can be shown
Number of load application (ESALs)
SUMMARY
to have minimal impact on the pavement performance, then the tolerance limit can be loosened so that NDT methods can be used for thickness determination. NDT methods are less time-consuming and more cost-effective than coring. Moreover, the slab thickness measured continuously by NDT methods will represent the pavement more adequately than spotchecking by coring. In this research, the sensitivity of pavement performance to slab thickness has been investigated based on various models including the AASHTO model, a mechanistic distress prediction model, and fatigue failure models. The controlling performance indicator from the sensitivity study has been compared with the measured variability of pavement thickness in the field, and
Center for Transportation Research
The University of Texas at Austin
Project Summary Report 0-4382-S Project 0-4382: Establish an Acceptable Pavement Thickness Tolerance to Allow for Non-Destructive Continuous Concrete Pavement Thickness Measurements
Authors: Seong-Min Kim and B. Frank McCullough October 2002
ACCEPTABLE CONCRETE PAVEMENT THICKNESS TOLERANCE
This research project was conducted to investigate if the current thickness tolerance for concrete pavements can be loosened and to provide TxDOT with the acceptable thickness tolerance so that non-destructive testing (NDT) methods can be used with confidence for thickness measurements. TxDOT’s current tolerance limit for concrete slab thickness was developed in the 1950s based on engineering judgment and experience; no additional study on tolerance limit has been conducted since. The tolerance limit is currently 5 mm (0.2 in.) for full payment. This tolerance limit is too tight to allow use of existing NDT methods for slab thickness determination because these methods are not as accurate as direct measurement from coring. If the current tolerance can be shown
Number of load application (ESALs)
SUMMARY
to have minimal impact on the pavement performance, then the tolerance limit can be loosened so that NDT methods can be used for thickness determination. NDT methods are less time-consuming and more cost-effective than coring. Moreover, the slab thickness measured continuously by NDT methods will represent the pavement more adequately than spotchecking by coring. In this research, the sensitivity of pavement performance to slab thickness has been investigated based on various models including the AASHTO model, a mechanistic distress prediction model, and fatigue failure models. The controlling performance indicator from the sensitivity study has been compared with the measured variability of pavement thickness in the field, and