Investigation of The Effect of Asphalt Layer and Sub-Base Layer Thicknesses on Pavement Surface Deformation by The Finite Element Method

Abstract

The layer thickness of flexible pavements is one of the important parameters affecting permanent deformations. In this study, the effect of sub-base thickness and asphalt concrete thickness on the deformations under axial loads was investigated using the Plaxis 2D finite element software. In the study, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, and 600 kPa pressure were applied to the asphalt pavement surface. In the first case, the base layer of 30 cm thickness was kept constant, and the asphalt layer was changed from 9 to 14 cm. In the second case, the asphalt thickness at 9 cm and the base layer thickness of 30 cm were kept constant, and the sub-base layer thickness was selected at 30, 40, and 50 cm. As a result of the completed analysis, it was observed that the deformations on the pavement surface decreased with increasing thickness of the layers; furthermore, the use of a sub-base layer in the pavement considerably increases the deformation resistance.