Considerations for nonlinear analyses of pavement foundation geomaterials in the finite element modeling of flexible pavements

Erol Tutumluer, Minkwan Kim

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Flexible pavements are commonly used for low to high volume roads subjected to many wheel load applications and also for airfields subjected to rather heavy aircraft gear/wheel loads. As the demand for applied wheel loads and number of load applications increase, it becomes very important to properly characterize the behavior of unbound aggregate layers and subgrade soils as the pavement foundation geomaterials. Laboratory studies have shown that resilient responses for these geomaterials follow nonlinear, stress-dependent behavior under repeated loading. Therefore, a finite element (FE) type layered elastic analysis is needed to employ nonlinear resilient material models to predict accurate pavement responses for mechanistic based pavement design. In this study, modulus models well proven over the years to adequately describe the nonlinear pavement geomaterial behavior were programmed in a user material subroutine (UMAT) to perform axisymmetric and three-dimensional (3D) analyses using the general-purpose ABAQUS FE program. The results indicated that modulus characterizations of the nonlinear, stress-dependent base and subgrade layers were essentially needed to reliably predict accurate pavement responses both in axisymmetric and 3D analyses. Copyright ASCE 2007.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationAnalysis of Asphalt Pavement Materials and Systems
Subtitle of host publicationEmerging Methods
Pages133-144
Number of pages12
Edition176
DOIs
StatePublished - 2007
EventSymposium on Mechanics of Flexible Pavements at the 15th U.S. National Congress of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics - Boulder, CO, United States
Duration: Jun 25 2006Jun 30 2006

Publication series

NameGeotechnical Special Publication
Number176
ISSN (Print)0895-0563

Other

OtherSymposium on Mechanics of Flexible Pavements at the 15th U.S. National Congress of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityBoulder, CO
Period6/25/066/30/06

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Civil and Structural Engineering
  • Architecture
  • Building and Construction
  • Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology

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