Finite element modeling of pavement responses based on stress-dependent properties of asphalt layer

In order to investigate the stress-dependent properties of hot-mix asphalt （HMA）,a dynamic modulus test was conducted on a group of AC-20 specimens at various stress states and loading frequencies,respectively.A user-defined material （UMAT ）subroutine incorporating stress-dependent constitutive model was developed and finite element （FE）simulation was utilized to confirm the validity of the UMAT.A three-dimensional （3D ）FE model for typical pavement structure was established,considering the HMA layer as a stress-dependent material and other layers as linear elastic materials.Periodic load was applied to the pavement model and the pavement responses were calculated,including dynamic modulus distributions,surface deflection,shear stress and tensile strain in the HMA layer,etc.Both test results and FE model predictions indicate that the dynamic modulus of asphalt concrete is sensitive to stress state and loading frequency.Using the nonlinear stress-dependent model results in greater predicted pavement responses compared with the linear elastic model.It is also found that the effects of stress-dependency on pavement responses become more significant as loading frequency decreases.

Application of semi-analytical finite element method to analyze asphalt pavement response under heavy traffic loads

Accurate assessment of the impact of heavy traffic loads on asphalt pavements requires a computational model which is able to calculate the response of the pavement fast and precisely. Currently the most finite element analysis programs based on traditional methods have various limitations. A specific program SAFEM was developed based on a semi-analytical finite element method to overcome the problems. It is a three-dimensional FE program that requires only a two-dimensional mesh by incorporating the semi- analytical method using Fourier series in the third dimension. The computational accuracy and efficiency of the program was verified by analytical verification previously. The experimental verification is carried out in this paper and the results show that the SAFEM is able to predict the mechanical responses of the asphalt pavement. Using the program SAFEM, the impact of heavy traffic loads was analyzed in terms of stress and strain dis- tribution, surface deflection and fatigue life. The results indicate that if the asphalt pave- ment is subjected to the heavy traffic load more, the thicknesses and stiffness of the pavement structural layers should be increased adequately in order to support the surface deflection, The compressive stress in asphalt binder course is relatively large and increases more significantly compared with that in the other asphalt layers when the axle load becomes larger. With comparison of the predicted fatigue life, the increase of the axle load will lead to the destruction of the asphalt pavement extremely easily.

Finite Element Modeling and Parametric Analysis of Pavement Dynamic Responses under Moving Vehicle Load

This paper intends to develop finite element models that can simulate vehicle load moving on pavement system and reflect the pavement response of vehicle and pavement interaction.We conduct parametric analysis considering the influences of asphalt concrete layer modulus and thickness,base layer modulus and thickness,and subgrade modulus on pavement surface displacement,frequency,and strain response.The analysis findings are fruitful.Both the displacement basin width and maximum value of dynamic surface displacements are larger than those of static surface displacements.The frequency is positively correlated with the pavement structure moduli,and negatively correlated with the pavement structure thicknesses.The shape of dynamic and static tensile strain is similar along the depth of the pavement structure.The maximum value of dynamic tensile strain is larger than that of static tensile strain.The frequency of entire pavement structure holds more significant influence than the surface displacement and strain do.The subgrade modulus has a significant effect on surface displacement,frequency and strain.

The mechanical response of multi-tower continuous-span suspension bridge deck pavement based on whole bridge analysis

The effect of multiple span suspension structure on the mechanical response of bridge deck pavement was studied, and finite element analysis (FEM) of stress and strain of pavement according to the bridge floor system features of super-long and high flexibility was made. Meanwhile, the FEM results were compared with those of the single span suspension structure. Three-stage analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is developed to analyze the mechanical response including whole bridge analysis, partial beams section analysis and orthotropic plate analysis. The most unfavorable load position was determined by the numerical solutions acquired from each stage to study the main mechanical index of multiple span suspension structure. The FEM results showed that the mechanical response numerical solutions by using the three-stage AHP are greater than those by simplified boundary condition, and the force condition of multiple span suspension structure is worse than that of the single span suspension structure.

Application of semi-analytical finite element method coupled with infinite element for analysis of asphalt pavement structural response

A specific computational program SAFEM was developed based on semi-analytical finite element （FE） method for analysis of asphalt pavement structural responses under static loads. The reliability and efficiency of this FE program was proved by comparison with the general commercial FE software ABAQUS. In order to further reduce the computational time without decrease of the accuracy, the infinite element was added to this program. The results of the finite-infinite element coupling analysis were compared with those of finite element analysis derived from the verified FE program, The study shows that finite-infinite element coupling analysis has higher reliability and efficiency.