Design of GFRP reinforced CRCP and its behavior sensitivity to material property variations

• We present design methodologies of GFRP- and steel-CRCPs constructed in WV, USA.
• We employ mechanistic and numerical methods for the CRCP designs.
• We show a very first look of design and performance of the GFRP-CRCP.
• We numerically examine the sensitivity of GFRP-CRCP behaviors to pavement properties.
• Average crack spacing and width are larger in GFRP-CRCP test section.

Non-corrosiveness, light weight, and high strength-to-weight ratio of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) rebars would have favorable impacts on the Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavements (CRCPs), in terms of lowering the maintenance cost and extending the longevity of the pavement. To examine the viability of GFRP rebars as CRCP’s reinforcement, the U.S.’s first GFRP-CRCP test section was constructed on Route 9 in Martinsburg, West Virginia, together with a conventional steel-CRCP test section for comparison purpose. In this paper, we introduce overall design methodology of these CRCP test sections, which involves mechanistic and numerical analyses. The reinforcement design of #7 longitudinal rebars at 6 in. (15.24 cm) spacing (1.0% ratio) is proposed to be mechanically and economically feasible for the GFRP-CRCP, when applied with 6500 psi (44.82 MPa) concrete on the cement-stabilized subbase. For the GFRP-CRCP design, shrinkage and thermal properties of concrete appear to be the most influential design parameters to the performance of the proposed GFRP-CRCP. Even though the actual field performance of the CRCP test sections shows appreciable discrepancy with its prediction, it still remains within the allowable limit for structural integrity. The properties of subbase and concrete deviating from their proposed design is presumably the cause of the discrepancy.