WHEEL LOADS AT A SLAB EDGE

[havesealwilltravel]

If there is a large wheel load applied at the edge of a reinforced concrete slab and the slab has a gap (say 1/2&quot between it and the adjacent support, at what point do you reinforce the corner.

Sometimes in this situation the corner is reinforced by an embedded angle and sometimes not.

Obviously, if the wheel load is high enough, the corner will crack off.

Does anyone have any guidelines for this situation ?

 

[SlideRuleEra]

In the past highway bridges in South Carolina have not used any armor for the typical half inch joints between interior spans. Just preformed joint filler topped with hot-poured rubber. This has performed well even on interstate highways.

At the ends of a bridge sometimes a 3/8 inch x 6 inch steel vertical steel armor plate has been used. The plate is anchored in the concrete with #4 rebar, 12 inches long, 9 inches on center that are welded to the plate. Top concrete cover for these rebar dowels specified to be the same as for the top rebar mat in the slab.

On industrial projects sometimes horizontal armor angles with embedded dowels are specified to protect raised foundations from impact. They often do not work very well - it is almost impossible to get good concrete to fill the "pocket" under the angle. You have a real mess on your hands when the angle comes loose - bent steel, poor concrete just below it, and the still embedded dowels trying to pull loose. I stopped specifying them - the foundations seem to perform just as well, they are easier to construct, and on a big job you save a good bit of time & money by not having to buy all of that fabricated steel.