Enhancing anti-rutting performance of asphalt pavement by dispersing shear stresses within asphalt layers

Rutting of asphalt pavement still has not been solved. The main objective of this paper was to propose nail-reinforced asphalt pavement capable of dispersing shear stresses within asphalt layers and enhancing anti-rutting performance and to recommend reasonable nail configurations for future practice. Reinforced slabs with different nail configurations were fabricated. Their anti-rutting performance was demonstrated by Hamburg wheel-tracking test and capacities of shear stress dispersion were verified by finite element method. Anti-rutting performance of nail-reinforced asphalt pavements with different nail configurations was simulated and reasonable nail configurations were recommended. The results showed that rut depth developed on the slabs reinforced with square-pattern nails after 20,000 load cycles was only 64.3% of that on the control slab, and it originated from that installed nails reduced shear stresses within asphalt layers efficiently. To enhance anti-rutting performance of asphalt pavement, nail configurations (nail length >4 cm, nail spacing <10 cm, square pattern) were preferred. The proposed nail-reinforced asphalt pavement was expected to be applied in heavy-duty freeways and urban intersections.