Elasto-viscoplastic Finite Element Analysis of the Long-term Behavior of Flexible Pavements

ABSTRACT This paper includes analysis of the flexible pavements rutting using an elastoviscoplastic constitutive relation for the asphalt concrete, which takes into account the influence of the temperature. The latter is considered using the time-temperature superposition principle. The loading is modeled as a uniform pressure applied during the vehicle pass. The superposition principle is used for modeling the traffic with a high number of vehicle passes. The numerical model is first calibrated on full scale tests conducted at different values of the temperature. Then, it is used for the analysis of the influence of the temperature and traffic condition on the pavement rutting. Analyses show that the increase in the temperature leads to an import augmentation in pavement rutting. They also show that the tire type and the traffic speed influence significantly the pavement rutting.