Thin Bonded Overlays with Carbon Reinforcement for Concrete Pavements

Here a possible alternative joint design in plain concrete pavements was investigated. The basis for this is to cover the concrete pavement with a thin jointless carbon reinforced concrete layer (CRC layer) of 50 to 70 mm as the top concrete. In the process, the classic joints already present in the lower concrete layer are also covered. The carbon reinforcement with a very high load capacity is intended to generate a finely distributed crack pattern in the upper concrete layer, thus preventing the penetration of moisture and other fluids into the joint area. This method thus represents an alternative to conventional joint sealing. Such a construction method is applicable both in the context of repair and new construction measures. In addition to tests on the cracking behaviour of CRC for concrete pavements, the main focus was on tests on large scale composite beams (classic jointed lower concrete + CRC layer). The focus was on the effects of static and cyclic bending on the material behaviour of the CRC over the moving joints in the lower concrete and the bond behaviour of lower and carbon reinforced concrete. The influence of differently designed bond breakers on the crack formation in the joint area was also considered.