Establishing Effective Linear Temperature Gradients for Ultrathin Bonded Concrete Overlays on Asphalt Pavements

Abstract

The effective linear temperature gradient is a significant input needed to characterize the effects of environmental loadings when available pavement design procedures are used for bonded concrete overlays on asphalt (BCOA), also known as thin or ultrathin whitetopping. Establishing such an input is challenging and therefore has not been well guided in current BCOA design procedures across the country. Guidance is provided on suitable values for the effective equivalent linear temperature gradient (EELTG) that can be used in the design of ultrathin BCOAs. The EELTG is expressed as a function of the climatic conditions, geographical location, and design features of the BCOA: longitude, latitude, elevation, annual mean percentage of sunshine, overlay panel size, 28-day modulus of rupture for the portland cement concrete, and thickness of the hot-mix asphalt layer. Typical values for the annual mean percentage of sunshine are recommended to facilitate implementation of the proposed guideline in the current design procedures.

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