Viscoelastoplastic Continuum Damage Model Application to Thermal Cracking of Asphalt Concrete

Abstract

A viscoelastoplastic continuum damage (VEPCD) model has recently been developed and validated under the auspices of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program 9-19 project, entitled “Advanced Mixture Characterization for Superpave Support and Performance Models Management.” The VEPCD model is able to characterize the viscoelastic and viscoplastic responses of asphalt concrete (AC) in addition to microcracking. The primary objective of this paper is to validate the model under thermal loading conditions that are distinctively different from the mechanical loading conditions used in model development and calibration. Viscoplastic (VP) behavior is a typical response in AC at high temperatures; however, based on the