This study focuses on a critical issue in Heterotrophic Prestressed Concrete Pavement (HPCP), the closure pour, which is prone to weak interfacial bonding, stress concentration, and cracking under repeated aircraft loads. To overcome these shortcomings, a novel prefabricated integrated anchorage (PIA) device is designed, integrating the functions of both a tensioning end and an anchoring end. Based on the PIA, a continuous tensioning construction process is introduced, which eliminates the traditional closure pour by utilizing the casting space of the subsequent slab to tension the preceding one. Finite element analysis demonstrates that the PIA device exhibits complex stress alternation under prestressing, with the most critical cross sections located at depths of 100 to 150 mm. A parametric study further reveals a linear relationship between the tension angle and the maximum principal stress in the PIA. In the HPCP system, prestressing establishes a predominant compressive stress field in the slab, effectively enhancing crack resistance. However, localized stress concentration and tension–compression alternation occur not only around the PIAs but also notably at the slab corners. These results confirm that the PIA device and its associated continuous construction method not only overcome the drawbacks of closure pours but also provide an innovative, efficient, and sustainable technical pathway for improving the quality and performance of airfield pavement engineering.
Chen et al. (2026) studied this question.