Impacts of variability in coefficient of thermal expansion on predicted concrete pavement performance

Research published recently has emphasized the importance of the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) for characterizing concrete behavior in the field. This study defined the sensitivity of CTE, based on pavement design analyses using material and data samples from the field projects. The CTE's level of precision was examined along with its impacts on the predicted distresses, service life, and pavement thickness for the desired design life. A precision of ±0.5 με/°C was found to have minimal impact (±1.3 cm) on the optimized pavement thicknesses predicted. Also, observed differences in predicted service life further demonstrate the sensitivity of the CTE.