• Ajay Kumar Jain
• Ashok Kumar Sagar
• Prakash Chandra Meshram
• Rajeev Singh Parihar

The existing mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide does not explicitly address the occurrence of longitudinal cracking in the design of concrete pavements. Nevertheless, longitudinal cracking is frequently observed in joint plain concrete pavements, sometimes surpassing the significance of transverse cracking. Such longitudinal cracking negatively impacts the performance and longevity of concrete pavements. This study aimed to identify the potential causes of longitudinal cracking in joint plain concrete pavements to facilitate effective measures in future design and construction. A comprehensive investigation, including a field project survey of severe longitudinal cracking and numerical simulations, was conducted. The findings confirmed that construction issues, specifically inadequate longitudinal joint forming and insufficient base support, contributed to premature and localized longitudinal cracks. Additionally, field surveys revealed that the extent of longitudinal cracking increased with wider slabs and tied concrete shoulders. Numerical simulations further emphasized that the geometry of a slab plays a significant role in influencing the likelihood of longitudinal cracking, particularly with increased tandem and tridem axles in traffic. The field data informed the development of an empirical model for predicting longitudinal cracking. Since aspects of geometry such as slab length, width, and thickness are fundamental design considerations, this study underscores the necessity and feasibility of creating a mechanistic-empirical model specifically tailored for addressing longitudinal cracking in future mechanistic-empirical pavement designs

Longitudinal cracking; Mechanistic-empirical pavement design; Joint plain concrete pavement; Widened slab

"Evolution of A Extensive Rupture Fatigue Destruction Model for Concrete Pavements ", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.11, Issue 1, page no.d439-d445, January-2024, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2401355.pdf

"Evolution of A Extensive Rupture Fatigue Destruction Model for Concrete Pavements ", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.11, Issue 1, page no. ppd439-d445, January-2024, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2401355.pdf