Development of combined transitional pavement structure for urban tram track-road grade crossings

doi:10.1007/s11709-023-0949-y

Front. Struct. Civ. Eng.

2023, Vol. 17

Issue (8) : 1199-1210 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-023-0949-y

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Development of combined transitional pavement structure for urban tram track-road grade crossings

Boshun GAO¹, Xin XIAO¹(

), Jiayu WANG¹, Ligao JIANG², Qing YAO²

¹. Key Laboratory of Road and Traffic Engineering of Ministry of Education, Tongji University, Shanghai 201804, China
². Shanghai Urban Construction Municipal Engineering (Group) Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200065, China

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Abstract

The grade crossings and adjacent pavements of urban trams are generally subjected to complex load conditions and are susceptible to damage. Therefore, in this study, a novel pavement structure between tram tracks and roads constructed using polyurethane (PU) elastic concrete and ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), referred to as a track-road transitional pavement (TRTP), is proposed. Subsequently, its performance and feasibility are evaluated using experimental and numerical methods. First, the mechanical properties of the PU elastic concrete are evaluated. The performance of the proposed structure is investigated using a three-dimensional finite element model, where vehicle-induced dynamic and static loads are considered. The results show that PU elastic concrete and the proposed combined TRTP are applicable and functioned as intended. Additionally, the PU elastic concrete achieved sufficient performance. The recommended width of the TRTP is approximately 50 mm. Meanwhile, the application of UHPC under a PU elastic concrete layer significantly reduces vertical deformation. Results of numerical calculations confirmed the high structural performance and feasibility of the proposed TRTP. Finally, material performance standards are recommended to provide guidance for pavement design and the construction of tram-grade crossings in the future.

Keywords urban tram track grade crossing combined track-road transitional pavement polyurethane elastic concrete finite element method

Corresponding Author(s): Xin XIAO

About author:

Peng Lei and Charity Ngina Mwangi contributed equally to this work.

Just Accepted Date: 28 April 2023 Online First Date: 15 September 2023 Issue Date: 16 November 2023

Cite this article:

Boshun GAO,Xin XIAO,Jiayu WANG, et al. Development of combined transitional pavement structure for urban tram track-road grade crossings[J]. Front. Struct. Civ. Eng., 2023, 17(8): 1199-1210.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fsce/EN/10.1007/s11709-023-0949-y
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fsce/EN/Y2023/V17/I8/1199

Fig.1 Typical distresses at urban tram track-road grade crossings.

Tab.1 Basic properties of PU binder used

Fig.2 Preparation procedure of PU elastic concrete and test methods: (a) preparation procedure; (b) compressive strength test; (c) impact resistance test; (d) tensile strength test; (e) interfacial adhesive and shearing strength test.

Fig.3 Proposed novel transitional pavement structure for TRTP at grade crossings.

Fig.4 Procedures for constructing proposed novel structure in the rehabilitation project: (a) grooving asphalt pavement; (b) paving UHPC; (c) mixing PU binder; (d) paving elastic concrete; (e) transitional pavement.

Tab.2 Material parameters of each structural component

Fig.5 Established FEM model and load conditions: (a) established three-dimensional model; (b) static load conditions; (c) application of moving loads.

Fig.6 Experimental test results: (a) compressive strength; (b) impact resistance; (c) tensile strength and elastic recovery rate; (d) interfacial adhesive and shearing strength.

Fig.7 Three different widths of the combined transitional pavement and their effects: (a) three different widths; (b) effect of width in terms of stress.

Fig.8 Comparison of maximum deformation yielded by TRTP with and without UHPC.

Fig.9 Stress on transitional pavement under various static loads: (a) vertical stress; (b) distribution of maximum vertical stress across proposed structure (load condition 2); (c) transverse stress; (d) distribution of maximum transversal stress across proposed structure (load condition 4).

Fig.10 Simulation results under dynamic load: (a) compressive stress; (b) tensile stress; (c) shearing stress; (d) effect of velocity on tensile stress.

Tab.3 Parameters and calculation times for FEM analysis

Tab.4 Maximum stresses under two load forms

Tab.5 Recommended performance parameters of road-rail transitional pavement

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