Knowledge of material properties is of great importance when developing new types of concrete and construction methods for road building, and for quality control and quality assurance. Physical material characteristics are likewise the basis for dimensioning and assessing the residual substance of concrete pavements. One relevant characteristic when examining thermally induced stress and deformation is the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of concrete. This indicator, for example, significantly influences the longitudinal expansion of the pavement system as well as the degree of curling of slabs and joint movements. Extensive tests were conducted during the technical engineering assessment of the structural substance of concrete pavements in the German motorway network, including tests to determine the CTE of existing types of concrete. Because no standardised procedure currently exists in Germany for using tests to determine the CTE of concrete, the initial task was to develop a suitable test procedure from a road-building perspective, taking consideration of the national prevailing structural conditions. This article presents the results of selected status analyses, in which the CTE was determined for a total of 656 individual samples. The values calculated for the top and bottom drilled core layer are in the range 8.9 – 13.2 x 10-6/K, whereby the average CTE assumes a value of 10.7 x 10-6/K. The deviations of the CTEs from the bottom and top drilled core layer are in principle significantly below the limitation to a maximum of 2.50 x 10-6/K recommended in literature.
As investigations by BASt have shown, a bond between concrete surfaces and bases may be a disadvantage when water penetrates via joints and from the sides if the bond becomes partially detached at an early stage. Free water may penetrate into the area between the concrete surface and the base and build up in areas where the bond is still intact. The high pressure caused by lorry wheels rolling over the pavement causes hydrodynamic pumping. This creates very high flow speeds with considerable corrosion power. This results in the base course surface being eroded in the areas where heavy vehicles drive over the road and may even lead to water and fine particles from the base courses being expelled through the longitudinal joints between the pavement slab and the lower hard shoulder or first overtaking lane. The erosion of the base leads unavoidably to the bearing conditions deteriorating and increased loading of the concrete surface. Cracks may occur and, later stepping-off and tilting of the plates components. This significantly deteriorates the evenness and consequently the service value of the road. This finally leads to a reduction in the service life of the concrete surface. To avoid such damage water which has penetrated must be able to lose pressure and to then seep away. A possible solution is: A nonwoven fabric substance between concrete suface and bound base course. This construction method has proved himselve on numerous test road sections and were rightly included in the new Codes of Practice for the Standardisation of the Upper Structure of Traffic-Bearing Surfaces (Richtlinien für die Standardisierung des Oberbaues von Verkehrsflächen- RStO).
The current maintenance management for bridges is mainly based on visual inspection and aims at the repair of identified damages. In the project cluster "Smart Bridge" an adaptive system for holistic evaluation in real time is developed. The following pilot studies show significant aspects of the Smart Bridge. Within the research project "Digital Test Area Autobahn" a new constructed prestressed concrete bridge is implemented with instrumented expansion joints and bearings, a "RTMS©" and a sensor network. By using analytical bridge models and evaluation methods the condition and reliability of the bridge as well as the remaining service life is determined. In the pilot study "duraBASt" sensors for the detection of durability and structural safety as well as data analyzing and evaluation procedures are investigated. The aim of this study is the partial implementation of the aspects: data collection, data processing and model development for condition assessment of the bridge.