Abstract
This paper describes numerical analyses on low volume roads (LVRs) using a nonlinear three-dimensional (3D) finite element model (FEM). Various pavement scenarios are analyzed to investigate the effects of pavement layer thicknesses, traffic loads, and material properties on pavement responses, such as surface deflection and subgrade strain. Each scenario incorporates a different combination of wheel/axle configurations and pavement geomaterial properties to analyze the nonlinear behavior of thinly surfaced asphalt pavement. In this numerical study, nonlinear stress-dependent models are employed in the base and subgrade layers to properly characterize pavement geomaterial behavior. Finite element analysis results are then described in terms of the effects of the asphalt pavement thickness, wheel/axle configurations, and geomaterial properties on critical pavement responses. Conclusions are drawn by the comparison of the nonlinear pavement responses in the base and subgrade in association with the effects of multiple wheel/axle load interactions. Santrauka Straipsnyje aprašoma skaitinė mažo intensyvumo kelių analizė, taikant netiesinį—erdvinį baigtinių elementų modelį. Skirtingi dangų paviršiaus variantai analizuojami siekiant ištirti, kokiąįtaką kelio dangos elgsenai, t. y. poslinkiams ir kelio pagrindo deformacijoms, turi dangų sluoksnių storiai, eismo apkrovos ir medžiagų savybės. Kiekvienas kelio dangos variantas turi skirtingas ratų arba ašies ir geometrinių savybių formas, kad būtų galima išanalizuoti netiesinę plonos asfalto dangos paviršiaus elgseną. Šioje skaitinėje analizėje nagrinėjami netiesiniai įtempių modeliai, kurie buvo taikomi pagrindo sluoksniams, siekiant tinkamai apibūdinti geometrinę kelio dangos elgseną. Baigtinių elementų analizės rezultatai toliau nagrinėjami atsižvelgiant į asfalto dangos storį ar ašies formą ir geometrines savybes, priklausomai nuo kritinės kelio dangos būklės. Išvados buvo gautos lyginant netiesines kelių dangos priklausomybes pagrindo sluoksnyje, atsižvelgiant į jų sąveiką su daugkartine ratų apkrova.
Highlights
Consisting of thin surface layers over base materials, low volume roads (LVRs) are generally designed to bear less than 500 vehicles per day
The traffic loads refer to the effects of multiple wheel/axle loading configurations, and the material properties denote the qualities of the base and subgrade materials
This paper described mechanistic analyses on low volume roads (LVRs) using a nonlinear three-dimensional (3D) finite element model (FEM)
Summary
Consisting of thin surface layers over base materials, low volume roads (LVRs) are generally designed to bear less than 500 vehicles per day. Previous study shows that a nonlinear material modeling in the base and subgrade layers shows much different pavement responses due to repeated loads compared to those with constant single modulus (Kim and Tutumluer 2006). In order to investigate the mechanisms and factors affecting the LVR pavement responses in this study, 3D FEM analyses are conducted by applying a nonlinear stress-dependent model of resilient geomaterial modulus in the base and subgrade layers. Witczak and Uzan’s Universal model (1988) is used for the base material; and Thompson and Robnett’s Bilinear model (1979) is applied to the subgrade in this study These models are used to compute pavement responses under multiple wheel/axle loads in order to investigate the behaviors of pavement and geomaterials on the LVRs. The following details the considerations incorporated into the nonlinear 3D FEM analyses. Fine-grained subgrade soils are classified into four types: very weak subgrade (VWS), weak subgrade (WS), medium subgrade (MS), and strong subgrade (SS)
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