Cracking Propagation of Asphalt Pavement of Stabilized Base with Inorganic Binder under Coupling of Overloaded Traffic and Temperature

Abstract

Overloaded traffic is one of the major effects that cause more early damage to asphalt pavement than regular traffic. Moving overloaded traffic not only needs to consider dynamic coefficient and axle load coefficient when carrying out pavement mechanics calculations, but also accelerates pavement failure and boosts the cost of construction and maintenance. Although asphalt pavement of a stabilized base with inorganic binder has a strong bearing capacity, the shortcoming of reflective cracking also seriously restricts its performance. This paper describes the mechanical response and crack propagation of asphalt pavement of stabilized base with inorganic binder which has a crack, under the coupling effect of moving overloaded traffic and temperature. Extended finite-element method (XFEM) was conducted to simulate reflective cracks propagating freely from a stabilized base with inorganic binder to asphalt overlay. Dynamic analysis was also carried out by varying the axle weight and tire pressure, which could help highway builders understand the stress distribution of pavement under design traffic and the crack propagation law of pavement structures. Results indicated that the mechanical response of asphalt pavement was comprehensively related to tire pressure, axial weight, and its active position and that overloaded traffic accelerates crack propagation more than regular traffic. This research achievement contributes to providing roadway engineers with a more profound perception to potentially advance pavement design practitioners for specific traffic characteristics.