Visco-elastoplastic method for pavement performance evaluation Available to Purchase

This paper describes the principle of visco-elastoplastic analysis and its applications to the performance analyses of pavement structures. In this method, strains are categorised into three groups as elastic, viscoelastic and viscoplastic components, according to whether they are time-dependent and recoverable during the unloading period. The visco-elastoplastic method has been implemented in a finite element program and applied to the study of the mechanical behaviour of a three-layer road structure to simulate the development of pavement rutting. Computational results show that performance of a typical pavement is greatly influenced by pavement temperatures and thickness of the asphalt layer. The elastic modulus of the base is also an important parameter in the evaluation, but response of the asphalt layer to the changes of base thickness and strength is not very significant. It is also found that in a typical pavement structure the viscous response of the subgrade to the structural and temperature changes of the pavement system may not be as strong as that of the asphalt layer.