Innovative test setup for transforming singular joint deformations into plural cracks in concrete pavements

Deformations within jointed plain concrete pavements (JPCP) are concentrated in the joints, which are also weak-points of such pavements. To prevent pollutions in the joints and in the construction at all, they have to be sealed. However, the current sealings are not very durable and must be renewed already after a few years. For this pupose, an alternative method is currently under development. The basic idea is, to overlap the existing joints with a thin concrete with an adequate carbon reinforcement (CRC). This CRC-layer enables the formation of plural fine cracks in a small range, where the bond between CRC and the lower concrete is interrupted. Besides an adequate limitation of the crack witdths, also – in case of expansions – a delamination must be prevented. In order to investigate this system in large-scale tests, an innovative test setup was developed to simulate positive and negative joint deformations on specimens under practical conditions in the lab. This device allows to test the specimens under static as well as under cyclic loadings. The test setup and also first test results will be presented.