Abstract
In many cases, concrete pavements have been deteriorated by cracks at the slab edges along the transverse joints due to traffic loads. Thus the mechanical behavior of concrete slabs near the joints should be considered in the thickness design of concrete pavements. The mechanical behavior of concrete slabs can be analyzed by the plate FEM, when it incorporates joint models. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop joint models which represent the mechanism of load transfer across joint. In this study, the mechanism of joint is divided into two functions: (1) aggregate interlocking and (2) dowel action and bending action of the dowel bar. The numerical calculations are conducted using those joint models and compared with the experiment data obtained by lwama.
