Design of Terminals for Rigid Pavements to Control End Movements: State of the Art

TRB Special Report 173: Design of Terminals for Rigid Pavements to Control End Movements: State of the Art finds no superior method of terminal treatment in terms of performance or total cost. As a consequence, it is recommended that the design agencies continue to use the procedure and technique that have been successful in the past. In addition, it is recommended that a long-term monitoring project be initiated to obtain cost and performance data for the currently used procedures in order to establish an optimum design or designs. This will require consideration of performance criteria; pavement type; environmental conditions; and initial, maintenance, and user costs.

The ends of continuously refinforced and jointed rigid pavements will experience considerable movement; if they are restrained, they will exert considerable force on the restraining mechanism. Structures or pavements that abut these pavements may be damaged unless provisions are made for their protection. There are two approaches to solving the problem. One is to accommodate the movement by providing sufficient space (joints) in which the end of the pavement may move. The other is to partially restrain the ends with some form of anchor system and to provide space to accommodate the reduced movement. Questionnaires revealed that, for CRCP, both procedures are used; anchor lugs may be used and preferred slightly over wide-flange beam joints. For jointed pavement, the predominant procedure used was to accommodate the movement by providing space for the end movement to occur.