Page 78 - Lecture Notes DCC3113

Joined reinforced Concrete Pavement (JRCP)

• Jointed reinforced concrete pavement (JRCP, see Figure 5-7) uses contraction joints and
reinforcing steel to control cracking.
• Transverse joint spacing is longer than that for JPCP and typically ranges from about 7.6 m
(25 ft.) to 15.2 m (50 ft.).
• Temperature and moisture stresses are expected to cause cracking between joints, hence
reinforcing steel or a steel mesh is used to hold these cracks tightly together.
• Dowel bars are typically used at transverse joints to assist in load transfer while the
reinforcing steel/wire mesh assists in load transfer across cracks.

Figure 5-7: Joined reinforced Concrete Pavement detail

(Source: http://www.pavementinteractive.org/article/jointed-reinforced-concrete-pavement/)

Continuous Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP)

 Continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP, see Figure 5-8) does not require any
contraction joints.
 Transverse cracks are allowed to form but are held tightly together with continuous reinforcing
steel.
 Research has shown that the maximum allowable design crack width is about 0.5 mm (0.02
inches) to protect against spalling and water penetration (CRSI, 1996[1]).
 Cracks typically form at intervals of 1.1 – 2.4 m (3.5 – 8 ft.).
 Reinforcing steel usually constitutes about 0.6 – 0.7 percent of the cross-sectional pavement area
and is located near mid-depth in the slab.

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