Publications

Construction warping is a permanent curvature of concrete slabs produced during curing, generated by differences in humidity and temperature between the upper and lower surfaces. The study analyzes two projects in Chile where this phenomenon was critical: in the first, a high gradient caused premature failures hours after opening to traffic, resolved with slab sizes of 2.15 m × 1.75 m; in the second, it was demonstrated that paving at night significantly reduces warping compared to daytime work in summer.

Concrete curing is critical to ensure cement hydration and prevent premature surface drying, which causes cracking and loss of surface strength. The study compares different products and application times available in the market, directly measuring surface behavior—cracking and wear—in search of the optimal methodology for durable concrete pavements.

Comparative analysis of elastic foundation models for mechanistic pavement design: the Winkler model and the Elastic Solid model. Explains the difference between static k, dynamic k, and effective dynamic k used in AASHTO Pavement ME, and how the TCP model determines effective k through back-analysis with falling weight deflectometer (FWD) and the JULEA program.

Rigid pavements have historically been designed using empirical or mechanistic-empirical methods (AASHTO 93, AASHTO 2008, PCA/StreetPave), calibrated with standard slab geometry (4.5 m × 3.5 m) under specific conditions. The article contrasts these methods with modern approaches and demonstrates when historical designs can result in non-conservative or incorrect solutions when applied outside their calibration ranges, especially with different slab geometries, loads, or climatic conditions.