DEVELOPMENT OF EMBEDDED BENDING MEMBER TO MODEL DOWEL ACTION

The development and implementation of a general, three-dimensional (3D ) embedded bending member suitable for modeling dowel action is presen ted. The development is motivated by the desire to efficiently model r igid concrete pavement slabs with doweled joints using solid brick ele ments without requiring the mesh nodes to coincide with the dowel elem ent nodes. All derivations are done with respect to an arbitrarily ori ented coordinate system. The stiffness matrix of the embedded dowel el ement is expressed as a transformation of the unembedded dowel element stiffness matrix, eliminating the need for special integration techni ques. Consideration is given to axial debonding of the dowel, as well as the nonlinear case where a gap exists between the dowel and surroun ding material. Details of the object-oriented implementation of the el ement and its incorporation in a general, nonlinear solution strategy are presented. Convergence and parametric studies were performed using a realistic model of two rigid, concrete pavement slabs subjected to static axle loading near the joint. The results of these studies demon strate the applicability of the element as well as indicating the pote ntial for significant detrimental effects on doweled joint performance when gaps exist between the dowels and the pavements slabs.