TM 5-822-5/AFM 88-7, Chap. 1
CHAPTER 13
REINFORCED CONCRETE PAVEMENTS
competitive with plain concrete pavements of equal
13-1. Application
load-carrying capacity, even though a reduction in
Under certain conditions, concrete pavement slabs
pavement thickness is possible. Alternate bids,
may be reinforced with welded wire fabric or
however, should be invited if reasonable doubt
formed bar mats arranged in a square or rectangular
exists on this point.
grid. The advantages of using steel reinforcement
c. Plain concrete pavements. In otherwise plain
include a reduction in the required slab thickness,
concrete pavements, steel reinforcement should be
greater spacing between joints, and reduced
used for the following conditions:
differential settlement due to nonuniform support or
(1) Odd-shaped slabs. Odd-shaped slabs
frost heave.
should be reinforced in two directions normal to
a. Subgrade conditions. Reinforcement may
each other using a minimum of 0.05 percent of steel
reduce the damage resulting from cracked slabs.
in both directions. The entire area of the slab should
Cracking may occur in rigid pavements founded on
be reinforced. An odd-shaped slab is considered to
subgrades where differential vertical movement is a
be one in which the longer dimension exceeds the
definite potential. An example is a foundation with
shorter dimension by more than 25 percent or a slab
definite or borderline frost susceptibility that cannot
which essentially is neither square nor rectangular.
feasibly be made to conform to conventional frost
Figure 13-1 includes examples of reinforcement
design requirements.
required in odd-shaped slabs.
b. Economic considerations. In general, rein-
forced concrete pavements will not be economically
13-1
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