Joint performance and faulting of ultra-thin and thin structural-fiber reinforced concrete pavements

Structural fibers contribute to the overall performance of concrete pavements by mitigating various distresses. To understand the influence of structural fibers on the pavement structural responses and distresses, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) constructed two ultra-thin (3 and 4 in. thick) and three thin (5 and 6 in. thick) fiber reinforced concrete cells along with one plan concrete control test cell at the Minnesota Road Research (MnROAD) facility in 2017. These test cells have 6 ft x 6 ft concrete slabs and were constructed on the granular base layer. While the structural designs of these cells were intended for roads with low to moderate traffic volume, the cells were subjected to accelerated loading to complete the study in a short period of time. This paper summarizes the design and construction of the six test cells and provides a comprehensive discussion on the joint performance behavior and transverse joint faulting trends, emphasizing the influence of the fibers on the abovementioned. It was found that fibers can improve joint performance and decrease faulting in thin concrete pavements. Regarding the ultra-thin pavements, no conclusion was possible to be drawn on the contribution of the fibers.