A Summary of Discrete-Element Methods of Analysis for Pavement Slaps.

摘要

The report summarizes the portions of the work in Research Project 3-5-63-56which are directly related to the analysis and design of pavement slabs. The details of the discrete-element methods outlined herein may be found in the individual reports which are referenced. A wide variety of variations of the basic slab methods have been developed including (1) variable increment length capability, (2) multiple loading analyses, (3) dynamic loading considerations,and (4) handling of skewed slabs. The methods have been verified by comparison with closed-formed solutions and with various small dimension tests. The results have been applied in numerous forms by the Texas Highway Department including the development of design charts,analysis of special problems and the analysis of field data. (Modified author abstract)