Load Transfer Characteristics and Durability Study of GFRP Dowels in Jointed Concrete Pavement
The corrosion of steel dowels in concrete pavement can compromise the load transfer capability of joints and lead to premature damage. To solve this problem, the non-corrosive glass fibre reinforced polymers (GFRP) bar has been used as dowels in concrete pavement instead of the steel dowels.This thesis demonstrates the Load Transfer Characteristics of a GFRP dowels with the help of a 3D finite-element model, and various evaluation method and index are studied as well, including: (1)efficiency of load transfer , (2)coefficient of shear transfer , (3) distribution ratio of shear transfer. An accelerated test is applied to examine the long-term performance of the GFRP dowel bars by using self-designed equipment.This study shows that GFRP dowels is a feasible alternative to steel dowels which can entirely meet the needs of road performance, and the research results will be useful in the design and application of GFRP dowels in jointed concrete pavements.