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Steel and Composite Structures
  Volume 53, Number 5, December 10 2024 (Special Issue) pages 613-628
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12989/scs.2024.53.5.613
 


Optimizing roller compacted concrete pavement design for steel container stacking in heavy-duty terminals
Emin Sengun, Sunghwan Kim and Halil Ceylan

 
Abstract
    Roller-Compacted Concrete (RCC) pavement has traditionally been recognized for its success in industrial paving because of its ability to bear heavy loads, reasonable cost, and low maintenance requirements. This study addresses two main objectives: firstly, to bridge a gap in existing literature by identifying critical container stacking configurations and examining the impact of joint load transfer on RCC pavement response; and secondly, to refine RCC pavement design for stacked-container applications through a comprehensive, multi-step approach. Handling the inadequacies of current design manuals in the literature, this research utilizes the ISLAB2005 FEA program, tailored for analyzing rigid pavement systems. After 84,000 simulations, the study recognizes the critical container stacking configuration, spanning single to multi-block arrangements. An additional 24,000 parametric analyses provided insights into diverse subgrade reactions, RCC strengths, and stacking heights, facilitating the development of a preliminary design thickness chart. Transfer functions based on three material permissible strength criteria (flexural, shearing, and bearing strength) were also developed. The findings indicate the significance of avoiding placing heavy loads near contraction joints, specifically construction (cold) joints. The culmination of this comprehensive approach is the development of a preliminary design chart that provides engineers with essential insights needed for making informed decisions regarding the thickness of RCC pavements in scenarios involving stacked containers.
 
Key Words
    concentrated heavy loads; container terminal pavements; finite element analysis; heavy-duty pavements; mechanistic design; roller-compacted concrete
 
Address
Emin Sengun:1)Research Scholar, Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, United States (Research address)
2)Department of Civil Engineering, Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University, Ankara, Türkiye (Permanent address)

Sunghwan Kim:Program for Sustainable Pavement Engineering and Research, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, United States

Halil Ceylan:Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, United States
 

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