Dowel bars are placed at the transverse joints of concrete pavement and they take part in partial wheel load transfer from one slab to its adjacent slab. The dowel bars also allow axial thermal expansion and contraction of the concrete slab along the axis of the dowel.
Half of the length of this bar is embedded in one of the concrete slabs and the remaining portion is bonded in the other adjacent slab. One end of the bar is kept free for the movement during expansion and contraction of the slab due to change in temperature.
Placement of Dowel bars
- Must always be parallel to center-line
- New channels must be cut so at least one-half of dowel can be on each side of the joint or crack
Advantages
- Dowels bars significantly improve performance of pavement joints
- Although they increase the initial cost but reduce Life Cycle Cost.
Recommended length of Dowel bar bar their sizes
