Abstract
This paper presents a numerical analysis of the fracture behavior of pavement slabs, using special purpose cohesive finite elements. Hilleborg’s fictitious crack model is employed in sensitivity studies exploring the effect of a number of modeling parameters on edge loading responses. Moreover, the case of interior loading is investigated, anticipating a future thermal stress analysis. Results are compared with previous experimental as well as numerical investigations conducted by other independent researchers. It is shown that cohesive elements are suitable for modeling crack propagation as required in pavement engineering. It is envisaged that the approach presented in this study can be extended to more realistic in situ pavement systems, thereby addressing the limitations of current mechanistic-empirical pavement design procedures.
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