Towards fast modelling of the tire-pavement contact

Abstract

Actual technologies of materials and heavier vehicles generated new conditions of bituminous pavement degradation. The surface layers, now thinner and subjected to intense traffic are more often damaged by rutting and cracks (so called ‘Top Down Cracking’). Both degradation types are closely linked to the pressure generated by tire-pavement contact. In this article, the tire-pavement contact problem is placed in the term of contact and not of adhesion gum areas—aggregate. A model is developed to simulate the surface pavement stresses and compared with experimental tests at different inflation pressures and different loads. The model requires exact geometry of tire and equivalent Young’s modulus. For this, an optical method based on photogrammetry method provides relief displacement field. Estimation of Equivalent Young’s Modulus is also proposed as a function of the inflation pressure from press load tests. Comparison is finally performed between the measured footprint of the tire and the result of the semi-analytical computation and the structural effect of the tire on the stresses distribution are demonstrated.