Issue 78

S. Majer et alii, Fracture and Structural Integrity, 78 (2026) 504-518; DOI: 10.3221/IGF-ESIS.78.29

Figure 10: Local pavement deterioration observed after approximately 15 years of operation at the Finnish Quay container terminal in Szczecin. Based on operational observations and maintenance experience at the Ports of Szczecin and Ś winouj ś cie, reinforced concrete slab pavements have proven to be one of the most optimal solutions for heavily loaded port terminals. In practice, concrete slabs with a minimum thickness of 20 cm, featuring double-layer reinforcement (deployed in both the upper and lower zones), are commonly adopted. The primary advantage of this solution is the ability to replace individual damaged slabs, correct local settlements, and rapidly restore the pavement profile without the need for extensive reconstruction works. Furthermore, precast concrete slab pavements exhibit a relatively high tolerance to differential settlement compared to cast-in-place (in-situ) concrete pavement systems. A representative example of adaptation to the typical soil and water conditions at the Port of Szczecin (Fig. 11) is the intermodal railway terminal pavement designed by the authors. In this project, a reinforced concrete slab system was implemented to effectively accommodate heavy operational loads while maintaining the necessary flexibility for future maintenance activities (Fig. 12)

Figure 11: Typical soil and water conditions in the area of the Port of Szczecin (geotechnical subsoil profile).

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