Numerical modelling of flexible pavement incorporating cross-anisotropic material properties. Part II: Surface rectangular loading

Abstract

In order to better understand the impact of increased loading on roads, studies on tyre-road interaction have gained prominence in recent years. Tyres form an essential interface between vehicles and road pavement surfaces. These are the only parts of the vehicle that are in contact with the road and transmit the vehicle loading to the road surface. The use of the Cartesian coordinate system is convenient in dealing with a uniform/non-uniform tyre load acting over a rectangular area, but few research reports are available that provide any form of theoretical solutions for pavement responses. This paper presents analytical solutions of responses due to rectangular loading acting on the surface of a multi-layered pavement system. The solutions developed incorporate both isotropic and cross-anisotropic material properties. The method followed is based on classical trigonometric integral and Fourier transformation of Navier's equations. Accuracy and validity of the solutions are verified through comparisons with a proprietary finite element method (FEM) package. For this purpose, a pavement structure composed of five main layers constituted by isotropic and cross-anisotropic (also known as transversely isotropic) material properties is analysed. In order to vary some of the layer properties with depth, the main layers were sub-layered, resulting in a 17-layer pavement system.