Abstract
This paper presents findings of a study on geogrid reinforced flexible pavement in a low volume road through a three-dimensional finite element analysis. A mechanistic model was developed for geogrid reinforced flexible pavement. To analyze the behavior of pavement foundation, stress-dependent resilient modulus models were employed in both base and subgrade layers. The model also incorporated previous research findings to enhance the reliability of the analysis. During the analysis, comparisons were made to contrast the responses of low volume flexible pavement with and without geogrid. The results show geogrid reinforcement reduces critical pavement responses under traffic loading, such as vertical surface deflection, tensile strain in asphalt concrete, and compressive strain in subgrade. The study found up to 18% reduction of vertical strain at the top of subgrade and 68% reduction of tensile strain at the bottom of asphalt concrete. Also, geogrid provides confining stresses in the adjacent aggregate layer, which leads to surrounding layers becoming stiffer. Based on the results of this study, the placement of geogrid reinforcement on top of weak subgrade was found particularly effective compared to that on strong subgrade.
Highlights
Geogrid is known as a reinforcement material that has been used to increase stability and improve performance of soft and weak subgrade in roadways
This paper describes an finite element (FE) model used for an analysis of pavement responses in geogrid reinforced flexible pavement
This paper presents the findings of a study through a 3D FE analysis of geogrid reinforced flexible pavement in low volume roads
Summary
Geogrid is known as a reinforcement material that has been used to increase stability and improve performance of soft and weak subgrade in roadways. The lateral restraint coupled with membrane tension effects improves the load carrying capacity of the geogrid reinforced pavement structure. This improvement helps to reduce the thickness of the base layer as the subgrade restraint increases the bearing capacity of pavement. In parallel with recent AASHTO’s move toward employing the mechanistic concept in design, the finite element (FE) method became an effective analysis method (National Cooperative Highway Research Program 2004) Pavement responses, such as stress, strain, and deflection, can be computed as a result of mechanistic analysis. To improve the accuracy in the analysis of geogrid reinforced pavement responses, it is significant to properly model the pavement material characteristics and the interaction between geogrid and flexible pavement layers. Discussions in this paper include comparisons of low volume flexible pavement with geogrid reinforced pavement based on the results of the 3D nonlinear FE analysis
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