Lifecycle Cost Analysis of Internally Cured Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement
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Abstract
Internal curing is a technique that has been developed to prolong cement hydration by providing internal water reservoirs in a concrete mixture that do not adversely affect the concrete mixture’s fresh or hardened physical properties. Internal curing grew out of the need for more durable structural concretes that were resistant to shrinkage cracking. This report covers an investigation into the relative costs and benefits of internal curing using a lifecycle cost analysis (LCCA) that compares internally cured (IC) jointed plain concrete pavement to conventionally cured (CC) pavement. This analysis was based on a pavement designed for use in Dubuque, Iowa. According to the analysis, IC concrete makes it possible to design pavement with decreased thickness or increased joint spacing or to reduce the required maintenance over the analysis period, which results in savings in initial construction cost. Even if the thickness does not change, IC pavement requires less maintenance than a comparable CC pavement to provide satisfactory performance over its service life. However, the initial construction cost of IC pavement is about 3.2% higher than that of CC pavement with the same thickness. Considering all of the evidence, the net present value of IC pavement is less than that of CC pavement.
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