Performance Testing of Experimental Dowel Bar Retrofit Designs Part 2 - Repeatability and Modified Designs

Effective load transfer across Portland cement concrete pavement joints significantly decreases pavement deterioration. Dowel bars placed transversely across a joint or crack provide a mechanism for effective load transfer to take place. Dowel bars are used in new construction as well as retrofitted into existing pavements for restoration of load transfer. Areas of concern with using dowel bars include high costs, due to the labor-intensive procedure of retrofitting, and corrosion associated with standard mild steel epoxy-coated dowels. This research addresses these problems by evaluating four dowel bar details tested in an accelerated manner. Retrofit testing was performed using mild-steel epoxy coated dowels and fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) dowels. The details tested provide comparisons among dowel bar materials, depth of placement, number of dowels used, and dowel diameter. Verification testing of previously tested details is also presented. Relates to 2004-17A.