ABSTRACT
A new multilevel design method for rigid pavements has been developed in order to better consider the material characteristics of the used concrete, the actual traffic load, climate conditions and other boundary conditions. Within this paper, focus is laid on proper characterization of climatic boundary conditions and their impact on the temperature development through the rigid pavement. Finite difference method is applied to simulate the actual temperature distribution within a concrete slab, which allows a realistic determination of the temperature gradients and resulting thermal stresses. The simulation results were validated using measured temperature distributions.
