Dynamical Response of Vibratory Rollers during the Compaction of Asphalt Pavements

Abstract

Intelligent compaction (IC) of asphalt pavements is an emerging area of research that attempts to extend mechanistic-empirical design principles to the construction of asphalt pavements. These techniques monitor the vibrations of the compactor and vary the roller parameters in real time to ensure adequate and uniform compaction. Although these techniques are in various stages of field demonstration, their performance is still being verified. The lack of established theoretical foundations has limited the widespread acceptance of these techniques. In this paper, a viscoelastic-plastic (VEP) model is used to simulate the behavior of vibratory rollers during the compaction of asphalt pavements. The VEP model is shown to be relatively accurate, computationally tractable, and in a form that is conducive to numerical simulation. Comparison of the simulation results with data gathered during construction of asphalt pavements indicate that this model can serve as the basic theoretical foundation for the realization of intelligent compaction of asphalt pavements.