Recapitulation

• Dowel bars are placed at the transverse joints of concrete pavement and they take part in load transfer from one slab to the adjacent slab. The dowel bars also allow axial thermal expansion and contraction of the concrete slab along the axis of the dowel.
• Only a part of the wheel load is transmitted through the 'participating' dowel bars. The dowel bar which is just vertically below the wheel carries the maximum load. Loads carried by the other participating dowel bars decrease proportionately as these move away from the point of load application.
• The dowel bar system is designed from the bearing stress and deflection criteria.