Formulation of stress intensity factor under pure bending condition in multilayer pavements using numerical study and model tree approach

Abstract The tensile deformation of top‐down cracks significantly influences pavement delamination. Accurately formulating the stress intensity factor (SIF) is crucial for assessing the stress/strain near crack tips. In the present study, a robust data mining method called M5´ is employed to formulate the SIF induced by pure bending in a multilayer pavement. A comprehensive database is generated through two‐dimensional finite element analysis to train the M5’ model. Several key parameters pertaining to asphalt and base layers are incorporated into the formulation. A comparative analysis is conducted to evaluate the performance of the developed model against traditional regression methods. A comparison of the developed model with other existing methods confirms its superior performance. Additionally, a parametric study validates the robustness of the developed model in capturing fundamental concepts of fracture mechanics. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is performed to determine the most critical parameters in the development of a predictive model for SIF.