Title:
Novel Small-Scale Accelerated Load Test for Assessing Dowel Performance
Author(s):
Charles A. Donnelly and Julie M. Vandenbossche
Publication:
Structural Journal
Volume:
123
Issue:
3
Appears on pages(s):
179-194
Keywords:
accelerated testing; dowel bars; faulting; performance prediction
DOI:
10.14359/51749552
Date:
5/1/2026
Abstract:
Repeated vehicle loading causes a decrease in transverse joint stiffness in concrete pavements due to damage accumulation around dowel bars. The relationship between key design parameters and damage accumulation is not well-established due to limited faulting performance data and a lack of experimental data from expensive full-slab testing. A novel laboratory test setup was developed to characterize damage development caused by repeated vehicle loads. This setup was used to characterize damage for a range of key parameters at a lower cost and level of effort compared to full-scale slab testing. The concept of beam deflection energy, DEBeam, is also introduced. Experimental results were used to develop a DEBeam prediction model. The novel test setup developed in this study enables rapid evaluation of a variety of dowel materials and geometries, and experimental results can be used to improve current faulting prediction performance.
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