As a result of the steadily increasing traffic, both the development of more durable pavement constructions and the reduction of traffic- induced noise emissions are core themes of research and development in the field of concrete pavements. The potential of further reduc- tion of vehicle noise emission on ordinary concrete pavements is low. A new approach in order to reduce noise emissions is to provide the surface of the pavement with a specific filigree texture achieving up to ‐5 dB(A) of noise reduction. If the pavements are cast on site with conventional slipform pavers, a very durable and texturizable high-strength mortar can be applied “fresh‐on‐fresh” onto the wearing layer. In a research project funded by the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt), Germany, thin precast concrete slabs consisting of reinforced Ultra‐High Performance Concrete (UHPC; compressive strength 160‐180 MPa) were developed at the University of Kassel for the rapid repair and rehabilitation of fatigued asphalt and concrete pavements. Due to the high strength of the material and the impermeable microstructure of the concrete, a slab thickness of merely 120150 mm is sufficient to take over the heavy traffic loads according to the German Construction Class BK100 (for heavy traffic) of the German standardization of the superstructure of traffic areas (RStO 12). The noise-reducing texture was obtained by using milled steel formworks filled with the UHPC fine mortar. In September 2014, a test section was built on one of the park- ing facilities of the A45 motorway service area (Germany). This paper will present the development of the texturizable UHPC, the manufac- ture of the concrete parts in the precast plant of Otto Quast, the performance of the UHPC under static and dynamic loads estimated by struc- tural testing device as well as the design of the precast slabs and their installation on the construction site.
Subscribe to magazine