Disclaimer
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Allowed range: 0.37 - 0.45
Choose the cement hydration model you would like to use for your pavement design. Design inputs needed may vary between models.
Charts update automatically whenever a model is run from the Materials tab. The degree-of-hydration plot overlays all models that have been calculated.
No data yet — run a model from the Materials tab to populate these plots.
Lookup runs only when you click the button.
Pick a city in Project Info to enable the lookup.
Complete these steps before running the analysis:
Default: 375,000 J/kg (Type I/II)
Default: 350 kg/m³
Hydration shape parameters (αu, τ, β) using literature defaults for Type I/II cement. Run the Schindler-Folliard model in the Materials tab to use project-specific values.
6 of 72 hours selected
Beam-on-Winkler-foundation thermal-stress model with a rate-type creep relaxation (Riesz transformation). Elastic modulus develops as E(t) = Emature · α(t)/αu from the maturity model; uniform and gradient temperature changes come from the illitherm thermal model (measured relative to the set-time, stress-free state). Tensile demand is compared against the maturity-based strength gain.
Complete these steps before running the analysis:
Values in US engineering units. Slab thickness (0 in) and joint spacing (0 ft) are taken from the Slab Layout tab. Set the placement time (Project Info) and saw-cut time (Slab Layout) to model the continuous-until-cut behaviour; otherwise the joint is treated as active throughout.
αu = 0.870 (literature/asymptote fallback)
Location not specified
July 16, 2026
Armen, you gotta say something official here so they know that if something goes wrong it's not our fault.
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Content for Weather Station Data will appear here.
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The Pavement Cracking Analysis and Stress Tool (PCAST) is a web-based application for evaluating early-age thermal and shrinkage cracking in concrete pavements. The software models hydration-driven temperature development, environmental boundary conditions, and the resulting stress state within a pavement slab to estimate cracking potential during the curing period.
The source code to this webapp can be found here: GitHub Repository
The 30-year climate normal dataset from NOAA, transformed to work with this webapp, can be found here: 10.57967/hf/8418
The source code used to perform the climate normal transformation can be found here: GitHub Repository
PCAST is based on a spreadsheet-based methodology developed under Cooperative Agreement 693JJ31950004, Advancing Concrete Pavement Technology Solutions, managed by the Concrete Pavement Technology Center (CP Tech Center) at Iowa State University and sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
Original contributors include:
The original spreadsheet methodology was converted into this SvelteKit-based web application by Maddie Lassiter and Armen Amirkhanian. The development of the web application served as the culminating project for Maddie Lassiter's Master's degree. Large language models from both OpenAI and Anthropic were used for various parts of this project.
Development of the original methodology was supported through funding provided by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) under the Advancing Concrete Pavement Technology Solutions program administered by the Concrete Pavement Technology Center at Iowa State University.
PCAST is provided for research, educational, and engineering evaluation purposes only. The results generated by this software are estimates based on the input data, assumptions, and analytical models used by the application. Users are responsible for verifying all inputs and interpreting results using appropriate engineering judgment.
Neither the authors, developers, sponsoring organizations, nor their affiliated institutions make any warranty, expressed or implied, regarding the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or suitability of the software or its results for any particular purpose. The authors and affiliated organizations shall not be liable for any damages arising from the use of this application.
The contents of this website reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and accuracy of the information presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) or the U.S. Department of Transportation. Mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Government.