Asphalt pavement dynamic response under different vehicular speeds and pavement roughness

The research attempted to analyse the pavement response under different vehicular speeds and pavement roughness classes. The viscoelastic analysis was conducted using the three-dimensional asphalt pavement structures. Pavement roughness was considered in the moving multiple-axles vehicular load. And the surface strain and deflection responses were investigated based on the dynamic response of vehicular and pavement finite element (FE) model. Results showed that the strain and deflection responses of the FE model captured the main shape of the measured strain and deflection. The prediction errors of surface strains and deflections were both less than 10%. The time history curve shapes of surface longitudinal strains and deflections were similar and the time history curve shapes of surface transverse strains were different at different positions of the asphalt concrete layer. Both longitudinal strain peaks at the surface of the asphalt concrete layer (LSS) and longitudinal strain peaks at the bottom of the asphalt concrete layer (LSB) had the same absolute values and different directions at the same position of the asphalt concrete layer. Both transverse strain peaks at the surface of the asphalt concrete layer (TSS) and transverse strain peaks at the bottom of the asphalt concrete layer (TSB) also had the same absolute values and different directions at the same position of the asphalt concrete layer. The longitudinal strain, transverse strain and surface deflection all decreased with the growth of the vehicular speed and pavement roughness classes (from D to A). The developed simulation models can benefit the use of pavement non-destructive testing for in-situ pavement condition evaluation.