Volume 04,Issue 02
Dynamic Analysis of Composite Pavement using Finite Element Method and Prediction of Fatigue Life
Authors
Benyamin Zarei, Gholam Ali Shafabakhsh
Abstract
The combination of flexible and rigid pavements can be achieved by a new structure called composite pavement. This type of pavements benefit from both high-quality asphalt and concrete materials. These pavements are capable of carrying heavy traffic and, if properly designed, meet a higher fatigue life than traditional pavements. This will increase the service life and reduce the maintenance cost of the pavement. In this paper, firstly, the dynamic analysis of composite pavement and its comparison with flexible pavement is conducted. Then, the effect of various parameters on the fatigue life of the pavement is studied. A three-dimensional finite element model of composite pavement under moving load is used and the fatigue life of the pavement is predicted as well. The results indicate that, due to the high stiffness of the concrete layer, it has a structural role in the pavement, and as a result, the thickness of this layer has a greater effect on the fatigue life of the pavement comparing with other parameters. Therefore, the performance of the pavement under traffic loads can be improved by choosing the correct thickness of the concrete layer.
Keyword: Composite pavement, Fatigue life, Finite element method, Dynamic analysis, Mechanistic-empirical method.
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