CONTROLLING INCIDENCE OF CRACKING IN CEMENT CONCRETE PAVMENTS IN MUMBAI - PUNE EXPRESSWAY- A CASE STUDY By : Shrikant D.

Limaye INTRODUCTION The construction of Mumbai Pune Expressway (MPX) is complete and is opened to traffic.This first international standard expressway in India is 95 km long and out of which 70 km long length was completed is short span of 27 months. The need for this access control corridor was established by a study conducted by Ministry of Surface Transport [MOST] in 1990. MPX is an entirely new alignment consisting of 6- lane (2x3) Rigid Pavement. This prestigious project involved large scale mechanized construction. Initially the construction was divided into four sections. Each section was entrusted to Project Management Consultant. In the past, owing to inadequate supply of cement in quality and quantity, concrete pavements were not very popular in India. In Chile Concrete Pavements have been firmly established, mainly because of initiative of Cement manufactures and, in Philippines an ambitious Rigid Pavement Programme was ruined because of inexperienced staff for its Design and Construction- not because of concept being wrong. India is now producing Cement of adequate quality and quantity and has good technical manpower. Thus we can have Concrete Road building firmly established in our country within a decade, lack of funds not withstanding. This paper mainly deals with design and construction practices adopted in 16km stretch, i.e. from OZARDE to KIWALE. Three lane dual carriageways is entirely a Concrete Pavement construction. It required considerable care in design and construction as needed in any good engineering work. The author would like to share his experiences on this prestigious work, with a view to improving and popularizing Concrete Pavements in India.

DESIGN Adequately designed and constructed concrete pavements with stress to strength ratio of half can withstand very very high load repetitions. If proper attention is given to ingredients of concrete and joint details (contraction and longitudinal), such pavements can effectively serve for more than 30 to 40 years. Various AASHTO tests were conducted. Their analysis indicates that 20% overload may reduce life of concrete pavements by 50%. Even through legal limit for axle load is 110 KN, very common practice of overloading commercial vehicles is prevalent. Traffic studies in this country reveal that 98 percentile values for wheel load is 90 KN, and hence adopting a load safety factor of 1.2, (ref.1). This Expressway is designed for axle load of 220 KN. Its felt that such pragmatic view will lead to durable pavements. Other relevant design data are as follows: Design life : 30 Years Axle load : 220 KN

Cumulative std. Axles : - 320 Million Tyre pressure : 0.7Mpa Slab thickness for Pavement Quality Concrete (PQC) was 350mm. Concrete was required to have minimum flexural tensile strength of 4.5Mpa. MOVEMENTS JOINTS Construction joints provide stress release by allowing the adjacent slabs to contract and thereby reducing tensile stresses in concrete. The joint must therefore be capable of opening to allow this movement and subsequent reclosing to allow thermal expansion. Contraction joints are formed by reducing the thickness of slab (by a saw-cut) so at 4.5 mt c/c. the dowel bars placed across these joints, will provided necessary vertical shear strength and partial de-bonding of dowel bars (by using plastics sheath) allow longitudinal movement. After the sawing for construction joints {at 4.5mt. c/c (fig. 7a, 7b)} it was noticed that even after more than 7 days, alternate joints remained uncracked. It is felt that by this time cement concrete must have developed sufficient strength to withstand tensile strain included by shrinkage. EXPANSION JOINTS: - Contract stipulated expansion joints at very 600m or at end of days work, which ever is less. Joints provided for contraction also provide space for any subsequent expansion of concrete, if any. And as such no provision for expansion joint was necessary. The only exception was the joint between rigid pavement and a fixed structure like a bridge. RIGID PAVEMENT IN ROCKEY STRETCHES: - No design procedure and specifications were formally

available for construction of, either rigid or flexible pavements built in rocky stretches. In Maharastra it is noticed that stretches of flexible pavements built in rocky stretches are more prone to deterioration than in non-rocky or fill portion stretches. The reason could be sandwiching of pavement, which is a weak layer in between load and underlying rock. As per MOST extra cutting in rock sections is to be made good with lean concrete. In some European countries (e.g. Sweden for rocky stretches the excavation is taken further by about 500mm and then the stretch is treated as an embankment section. However in MPX it was decided to have pavement thickness of 275 mm of M 40 grade concrete. In fact thickness of pavement over rock sub grade should be substantially greater than that over soil sub grade, as stress do not get dispersed and hence diminishes in rocky stretches, (Ref-2)

CAUSES OF CRACKING IN CONCRETE Research has established that micro cracks in concrete, lying hidden from view, hold the key to the cracking behavior of concrete as well as its strength & deforming characteristics. Micro cracks are in discontinuities or minute flaws that are inherent to heterogeneous nature of concrete. Restraint to free deformation while concrete hardens is mainly responsible for micro and something even macro cracking. Hydration of cement is an exothermic chemical reaction. Cement is plastic during this heat generation and cools as it hardens. This temperature differential can be aggravated by very high or low ambient temperatures, blowing winds, etc. obvious remedy against this is to use least possible cement. Reduction of heat of hydration can also be obtained by replacement of cement by fly ash. Up to 30% replacement, which scarifies no long term strength, can reduce heat generation by 15%. Drying shrinkage also generates tensile stress under restraint to deformation. Choosing lowest possible water cement ratio (along with plasticizers) can reduce cracking of concrete. A 15% increase in water content increases drying shrinkage by 30% (ref...3).

DETERIORATION OF JOINTED CONCRETE PAVEMENTS Pavement failure can be structural as well as functional. Cracking, Distortion, and disintegration of concrete pavements, excessive loads, etc. Concrete Pavements exhibit various types of cracks caused by shrinkage, temperature gradients, excessive loads, etc. The cracks can be transverse, longitudinal and random. Widths of cracks, as measured at the surface of the pavements, are divided into three categories. Narrow if width is less than 0.5 mm. Medium if width is between 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm. Wide if width is more than 1.5 mm. Transverse cracks in jointed concrete pavements are due to delayed sawing for contraction joints, dowel bars not moving freely and lack of load transfer at joints. Occurrence of longitudinal cracks could be an indication of poor drainage characteristics of sub grade, uneven longitudinal support, and buildings up of compressive stresses when expansion joints are not provided and joints rugged by grit, etc. Random cracks occur mainly due to plastic shrinkage of concrete, sometimes within an hour or so of concreting. Although occurrence of cracks is a common phenomenon in reinforced concrete pavements, for jointed concrete pavements cracks may permit ingress of moisture leading to further deterioration of pavement. DISTORATION OF RIGID PAVEMENT Faulting or vertical displacement of concrete slabs at joints or crack needs special attention. The distress usually commences where the under laying soil is predominantly, finer grained (water ingressing the sub- grade through cracks or poorly sealed joints). Rapid deflection of slabs as wheel load passes over the joints will first form mud slurry and then force this slurry trough joints and deflect the slabs. Removal of fine particles reduces the slab support and provides larger cavities for water to accumulate. The distress is thus gradually worsened until slabs fail. DISINTEGARATION OF RIGID PAVEMENTS

with the passage of time, scaling of concrete occur. This coupled with abrasive action of traffic leads to deterioration of riding quality and subsequent structural failure of pavement.Distress of concrete pavement can be amply delayed if not completely prevented by using pragmatic design and sound construction techniques. CONSTRUCTION METHODOLOGY In construction of rigid pavements, slip-from paver (figure 3a) was employed. PQC was laid over a Separation Membrane comprising 125 Micron thick plastic sheet. This plastic sheathing separated the slab base from concrete slab (fig. 2b). Separation membrane as a slip-surface, facilities contraction movement. At later stages, this impermeable membrane even checks mud pumping. Level and alignment of Expressway was affected automatically by a system of guidance probes mounted on the paver followed by tensioned wires already a system of guidance probes level. During concreting of infill, slip-from paver needs to move on completed inner and outer lanes. As paving train is mounted on crawlers, it was covered with polyurethane pads to avoid damage to paved lines. Concrete was transported in 10 MT covered tippers {with roll-on-roll-of tarpaulin covers (fig.1, 2a, 2b)} which was unloaded in front of paving train by means of pneumatic wheeled back-hoe excavator from adjacent lane. This concrete was spread to the required thickness [350mm plus surcharge of 300mm] by plow attachment provided in front of paver (fig.3b). Concrete was compacted by battery of poker vibrators working at a frequency of 10,000Hz. Excess concrete was struck off by steel plate. As per design, 32mm dia dowels were inserted by special attachment called DBI inserter. (Fig 4) Compacted concrete was given smooth finish by combination of vibratory oscillating beam and super-smoother. In the event of excessive bleeding of concrete, the bled water was removed by using sponge pads and the surface of concrete was given texture as per specification (fig. 5s to 5f). Curing compound was spayed on surface and sides of concrete before initial setting and the entire concrete was covered with movable tents as a measure against adverse weather conditions, mainly winds (fig. 6a to 6c). As per MOST specification [cl.602.7.2] temperature of concrete at pouring place was always ensured to be less than 300C. Most of the time concreting commenced at around 6:00 p.m. and continued till late night. Adequate lighting was provided for concreting and subsequent protective measures. This ensured a more or less uniform temperature during the entire pour of about 500m length. During summer time, the coarse aggregate was damped as it descended in storage bins. SLIP FORMING: WRITGEN 500 Paver was used for PQC. Casting sequence for each 3- lane carriage way was as follows: First Second Third Inner lane [Towards median] Outer lane [Towards shoulders] Infill or Central lane

For the central lane Concrete Slip Form Paver is not required as sides of (a and b) above will function as form work. One third time of pavers would have been saved if this method is adopted. Slump of concrete was specified to be 30mm with a tolerance of 15mm. vide MOST cl.602.3.4.2. However in the above section, the entire work was carried with almost zero slumps. It was felt that compactibility of concrete is more important than slump. (Ref 4) fortunately IS: 456-2000 takes the same view, vide its cl.7.1.1.

MATERIALS WATER AND ADMIXTURES:- Water for construction was brought to the batching site from Pawana River, (about 4 km lead) through a purpose made pipeline and routed via sedimentation tank. Periodic testing of water at sedimentation tank was carried out to ensure that the water conformed to the specification. For PQC, flexural strength of 4.5 MPa as been stipulated. Owing to use of crushed sand, concrete a mix was rather harsh. Super plasticizer was not cohesive as enough for smooth paving operation. Stabilizer was used to form an outer envelope around the concrete to make it cohesive. Consistent quality of admixtures was ensured by their spectroscopic signatures. AGGREGATES: - For successful implementation of any road project, quality and quantity of good rock is essential. On the project it was decided to use rock from excavation, as concreting aggregate. How ever during laboratory trails for PQC it failed. Further experimentation showed that durability of this rock is poor, as tests were conducted according to IS 1126 Durability of natural building stone. It was decided to use rock from quarry about 20 km away from new alignment. Crushing unit was installed near the batching plant with following features:

Capacity - 400t/hr Primary Crusher - Jaw Crusher Second Crusher - Cone Crusher Tertiary Crusher - Vertical shaft Impactor The Crushing plant was from CEDAR RAPIDS, USA and had tunnel from the stoke piles to the batching plants hoppers. From ecological, availability and logistics considerations it was decided to use crushed sand instead of conventional river sand. Kudos to the extensive experimentation in the site laboratory that this project used crushed sand without blending with natural sand, which is an unique feature of this project. CONCRETE: Following concrete mix was used after laboratory trials and successful trial length of paving. Grade of Concrete Quantities per cubic meter of concrete cement {Ordinary Portland Cement 43 Grade} 20 mm coarse aggregate 10 mm coarse aggregate Crushed sand Water Stabilizer (Melamine polymer) Superplastiser (Sulphonated Naphthalene Formaldehyde) {Melamine Based} : : : : : : : : 40 MPa. 400 kg. 812 kg. 478 kg. 755 kg 152 kg 2.4 kg 3.2 kg

Following results were obtained from this cast-in-situ pavement quality concrete. (20,000 m3) for 28 days testing. Average compressive strength : 71.5 MPa Standard deviation : 5.6 MPA Number of samples : 52 Average Flexural tensile strength : 6.4 MPa Standard Deviation : 0.6 MPa AIR ENTRAINING AGENT: As the resulting concrete strength was high, it was decided to economize by using air entraining agent and reduce cement content in stages. Solid ingredients of concrete have high coefficient of friction. Intentionally entrained air provides lubrication. As opposed to the behavior of rigid and sub-angular grains of cement and fine aggregates, the air bubbles greatly facilitated the internal movement and arrangement of rigid particles and thereby reducing internal friction. This partly relieves, cement and water, the job of lubrication and, permits them to function as essential cement paste required to cement the mixture into strong coherent whole with reduced cement content. (Ref. 5) although exact mechanism is not known. It is established that entrained air reduces the plastics shrinkage cracks. Air bubbles 50 to 100 micron in dia act as workability aid. After extensive trials following concrete mix design was approved and adopted. Grade of Concrete Quantities per cubic meter of concrete cement {Ordinary portable cement 43 grade} 20mm coarse aggregate 10mm coarse aggregate Crushed sand Air entrain agent Superplastiser Water : : : : : : : : 40 MPa 350 kg 718 kg 424 kg 915 kg 0.7 kg 2.5 kg 138 liters (1,

Following results for 28 day strengths were obtained during actual Concrete Pours. 00,000 m3)

Average compressive strength : 59 MPa. Standard deviation : 0.48 MPa Number of samples : 162 Average flexural strength : 6.3 MPa. CURING COMPOUND: Concrete must be prevented from rapid drying out after placement, so that cement can hydrate and form dense structure that will be strong and impermeable. In slip-form paving, large concrete surfaces (road top and sides), need to be covered as soon as possible and, that can be achieved by applying curing membrane. Curing compounds are materials sprayed in solution on to the surface of freshly placed concrete, from which the solvent evaporates to leave a membrane, which prevents loss of water. This membrane has to form on a wet and rough surface and therefore curing is sprayed after texturing. (Ref-6). FLY ASH: - Though successful laboratory trials were conducted wherein 15% of cement by weight was replaced by fly- ash, Client (MSRDC), though agreeable to use fly-ash. (Ref -7) was reluctant to change specifications at advanced stage of construction. MOST vide cl. 602.2.2 permits only ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and Prefers 43 grade of the same. IS: 456- 2001 vide cl. 5.1 permits use of blended cement. However, considering low water cement ratios called for in pavement quality concrete, fly ash could easily be used. Technologies for high performance and high durability concrete with fly-ash cement have been developed and demonstrated world over and use of fly ash is particularly significant when ambient temperature is high (in excess of 350C), and water cement ratio is as low (Below 0.40).This would lead to significant economy. At the site laboratory, several trails were conducted and the 11 results for 90 days tensile flexural and axial compressive strength were found to match with reference concrete. Results and axial compressive strength were found to match with reference concrete. Results indicated that 12% less strength at 7 days and 7% less strength at 28 days was the case, and this compared well with reference concrete results based on 350 kg per cubic meter of concrete, if 15% of cement by weight was replaced by fly of Ordinary Portland Cement Ash. The Fly-ash used in these concrete trials was obtained from Bombay suburban Electric Supply (BSES) Thermal Power Station at DAHANU, (using electric static precipitator for fly ash collections). Fineness of flyash used was 636 m2/ kg and when blended with cement the resulting fineness attained was 369m2/kg. As per IS 456: 2000, fly-ash may be used as partial replacement of ordinary Portland cement if uniform blending is ensured. In a batching plant, uniform blending can be ensured by intermittently drawing fly ash and cement from different silos into the cement hopper and then blowing compressed air bottom up in the hopper. Hence use of fly-ash as a partial replacement of cement in OPC is strongly recommended in plain cement concrete roads. In rapid pavement construction, lowering of pH with time will not affect the quality of pavement concrete, and, as an added bonus, the longer working life. Blended cements will even function better in high ambient temperatures and certainly reduce overall cost of rigid pavements.

CONCLUSIONS Spacing of contraction joints should be increased to 9m c/c. However dowel bars could still be placed at 4.5 m c/c and pavements kept under observation. If successful, this increased spacing of contraction joints could not only reduce costs but also enhance better riding quality. Tendencies world wide appear to be favouring contraction joints spacing at about 9 mt. c/c (ref 8 & 9). For Rigid Pavements on Rock sub-grade; Research and analysis needs to be done on this particular aspect and formal design and construction practices be established. Use of fly ash in plain cement concrete roads should be encouraged from Technical, Ecological and Economic considerations. Changes in present MoRT & H Specifications are strongly recommended

REFRENCES:

1) Pavement Design AUSTROADS 1992 recommends load factor of 1.2 for free ways and other multilane Projects. 2) Soil Mechanics for Road Engineers, HMSO (Fig.20) 3) Some important thoughts on Bridge and Structural engineering IABSE Publication - 1985. 4) Cl.1.2.2 of Design of normal concrete mixes Publication by British Standards Institution. 5) Concrete Technology by FULTON. 6) Curing Compounds for Concrete British Standard BS 7542:1992 7) From Concept to Commissioning: by P.L.Bongirwar & S.S.Momin Indian Concrete Journal June 2000, Special issue, Mumbai Pune Expressway. 8) Cl.3.3.2 of AASHTO- Guide for Pavement Structure 1993 9) Table 6 3 of Appendix: 6 Manual for Asphalt Pavement published by Japan Road Association-1989