Effect of vibration frequency and duration on quality in reinforcement concrete pavement

The definition of the correct paving process to be used in different projects and conditions is a complex task that is severely influenced by environmental conditions (e.g., temperature and humidity), the type of concrete mix, the layout of reinforcement and the manipulations performed during construction (i.e., vibration and compaction). Construction operations are generally performed based on established practices that do not take into account the specific conditions of the pavement and the surrounding environment. To this extent, advances in the description of the effects of vibration and compaction procedures could lead to the definition of practical rules to perform optimized paving in different conditions. This study investigates the effect of vibration frequency and duration on the preferential arrangement of aggregates inside the pavement. First, a novel laboratory experimental apparatus is presented, which mimics conditions attained in traditional slipform paving. Cured specimens are cut on horizontal planes and Digital Image Processing (DIP) techniques are employed to reconstruct the 3-dimensional microstructure of the specimens. Results of the research show that the proposed methodology can be employed to obtain realistic representations of the internal structure of the concrete and perform quantitative analysis of the effects of vibration and compaction on the quality of the pavement.