NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF NAILED-SLAB PAVEMENT SYSTEM BY CONSIDERING A VOID UNDER THE END OF SLAB

Abstract

Nailed-slab System is not a soil improvement method when it constructed on the soft subgrade,
but rather as an alternative method to improve the performance of rigid pavement on soft soils. The end of
the slab of this system is the critical structural element. The void under the end of the slab is to be potential to
develop caused by vehicle wheel paths. If this void is developed, the performance of the Nailed-slab
Pavement System may be decreased. This research is aimed to learn the effects of the void under the end of
the slab due to the soil stress and the deformation and inner forces of the structural elements. The numerical
analysis conducted to investigate the performance of the system. The soil and structural properties was based
on the previous research on the soft clay. The dimension of the void was varied in the direction of the width
and depth of the void. A standard wheel load 40 kN was set on the end of the slab. Results show that
significant effects occur in the soil stress due to the increase of the void dimension. Void causes tension
stress in the soil. Hence, the void under the slab affects the distributed load stresses to be dominantly resisted
by the slab. The displacements of structural elements tend to increase by increasing the void dimensions. The
Nailed-slab System does not fulfill the allowable slab deflection 5.0 mm for the void dimensions higher than
10 cm x 15 cm.