DYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT UNDER ACCELERATED VECHILE

LOADING

INTRODUCTION:

Flexible pavement is the most common type of pavement use in Nepal. Generally, in Nepal, the
empirical design methodology such as AASTHO, Road Note, are prefer for the design of the pavement.
However, the design pavement isn’t lasting its intended period for which there several reason such as,
faculty constructional materials, improper supervision etc. Among many other causes, the poor design
methodology is also one of major cause for the problem. But the research for the new design
methodology haven’t been conducted adequately in the Nepal.

Since early for the design of the flexible pavement many analytical and experimental research have been
conducted. The finding in this field have been stressing the modeling of the dynamic nature which
correspond more realistic. In beginning flexible pavement were designed as elastic layered system and
subjected to the stationary load. Then load was design as quasi-static. Recently the researcher is
considering load to be as time dependent and moving to get closer to the experimental result.

Consider of linear elastic properties of pavement result significant easier to analysis the response as
conducted by Julea, Bisar and Elsym (Ullidtz [6]). However, the actual response of pavement is nonlinear
so the using of elastic properties result approximating and responses not closer to the actual response by a
lot. So, researcher is focusing in using the nonlinear properties in the modeling. Recent finding in this
field by various researcher such as Beskou et al. [1,2] , Hadi and Bodhinayake [3], Zaghloul and
White[4], suggested that using 3-D FEM modeling of the flexible pavement using the nonlinear properties
along with dynamic loading would result the response of model closer to the actual response and provided
higher insight in design parameter than the empirical method. The FEM model can provide insight for the
improvement of road pavement and materials design and dealt with ways to reduce deflections by varying
the design configuration. Thus, the research in this field is needed to carried out in Nepal conditions.

In this paper a FEM modeling is created for analyzing acceleration loading as the effect of that haven’t
been considered. The effect of acceleration loading could be significant for the section of flexible
pavement as of bridge entrant, zebra crossing, converging road section, start and end of speed limit
pavement section, etc. The result of flexible pavement from modeling could be use for designing purpose
based on iterative modeling of section for economical and safe design. The modeling will be validated by
comparing with experimental data available and to that analytical result considering of linear elastic
material under the static loading. Then modeling will be conducted with various iterative properties to get
the insight for the design methodology and investigates common pavement design parameters, including
surface mixture type, base layer thickness, base layer type, subbase layer thickness.

LITERATURE VIEW:

Researches have obtained various model for flexible pavement with various assumption according to their
purpose. accuracy and efficiency required at that time. These models and methods range from very low to
very high levels of complexity. In early 19’s flexible pavement responses and design are usually
determined by using layers elastic theory such as proposed by Burmister et al. [5] considering two-layer
elastic half space. For the ease of the design process number of computer program have been developed
using elastic theories. One can maintain the work of are Julea, Bisar and Elsym (Ullidtz [6]). The elastic
model usually underestimates the response of pavement by a lot comparing to that of actual response.
Thus, the need of nonlinear material properties modeling has arisen.

A more rational way to describe non-linear material properties is by using theories of plasticity and visco-
plasticity. Analytical models of pavement structure of complex boundary with nonlinear properties are
generally complex in nature and closed form solution may can’t obtained. Recently focus is being
concentered on nonlinear and dynamic analysis FEM modeling as with the development of high-speed
computer, it become able to handle complex boundary conditions along with nonlinear properties. 3-D
FEM elements modeling are being created with purpose to obtain more accurate response of model to
reality. Zaghloul and White [4] in their paper of 1993, were among some of first, to develop 3-D model
which is capable to capture the response of moving load. Later the several 3-D finite element models have
purposed by various researches such as Hadi and Bodhinayake [3], Beskou et al. [1,2], for simulating the
dynamic behavior of pavements using nonlinear properties. They have determined that dynamic loading
result higher response compare to static using nonlinear properties result closer response to nature. For
more insight on the history for the case of nonlinearity and dynamic loading has been reported by Beskou
and Theodorakopoulos [7] in which they appleade for more research is needed towards the development
and analysis of more realistic system models, capable of exhibiting non-linear behavior including fatigue
and permanent deformation features, and calibrated on the basis of field tests.
METHODOLOGY:

This research is highly motivated by the work done by the Beskou et al. [1,2,7]. Appropriated dimension
will be selected considering various trial and error which result response more accurately with less
computational cost. Only the half pavement will be modeled due to symmetric about the longitudinal
direction. As roller boundaries seem as effective as that of viscous boundaries (Beskou) thus, the roller
boundaries will be used on all vertical and bottom horizontal faces. The model will be discretized using
C3D8R (8node reduced integrated) brick element. The meshing will be done considering the accuracy
and computational time required. In reality the vehicle loading will act on the surfaces as the disturbed
load. However, load will be simulated as equivalent system of concentrated loads placed symmetrically
which result slightly higher response compare to that of disturbed and series of concentrated of same
resultant value as shown by Beskou et al. Viscoelastic material properties will be used as the as simplest,
lowest computational cost and almost as accurate as that of model using various complicated model such
elastoplastic, Drucker-Prager elastoplastic etc. (Beskou et al). The analysis will be conducted in time
domain using step by step time integration time algorithm of Newmark with zero initial conditions. The
time step will be selected as desired accuracy and stability. The validation of modeling will be done by
considering result of elastic and static loading model to that analytical solution. Also, the nonlinear model
response will be compared with the available experimental data.
Flowchart for the procedure that will be conducted in this research

Finite Element modeling of

Pavement Structure

Modeling of accelerating
Vehicle Load

Modeling material behavior of

pavement layers

Analysis of model using Time

domain formulation

Validation

Comparison of result for

various design parameters

Fig: Flowchart for the methodology

REFRENCES:

[1] Niki D. Beskou, Stephanos V. Tsinopoulos, and Dimitrios D. Theodorakopoulos. Dynamic elastic
analysis of 3-d flexible pavements under moving vehicles: A unified {FEM} treatment. Soil Dynamics
and Earthquake Engineering, 82:63 – 72, 2016.

[2] Niki D.Beskou, George D. Hatzigeorgiou and Dimitrios D.Theodorakopoulos. Dynamic

inelasticanalysisof3-D flexible pavements under moving vehicles: A unified FEM treatment. Soil
Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 90:420–431,2016.

[3] Muhammad N.S. Hadi and B.C. Bodhinayake. Non-linear finite element analysis of flexible
pavements. Advances in Engineering Software, 34: 657–662, 2003.

[4] Sameh Zaghloul and Thomas White. Use of a three-dimensional, dynamic finite element program for
analysis of flexible pavement. Transportation Research Record, (1388):60–69, 1993.

[5] D. M. Burmister, L. A. Palmer, E. S. Barber, and T. A. Middlebrooks. THE THEORY

OF STRESS AND DISPLACEMENTS IN LAYERED SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONSTO THE
DESIGN OF AIRPORT RUNWAYS. Highway Research Board Proceedings, 23, 1944.
Per Ullidtz. Modelling Flexible Pavement Response and Performance. Polyteknisk
Forlag, 1998.

[6] P. Ullidtz. Modelling Flexible Pavement Response and Performance. Polyteknisk Forlag,1998.

[7] Niki D. Beskou and Dimitrios D. Theodorakopoulos. Dynamic effects of moving loads on road
pavements: A review. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, Soil Dynamics and Earthquake
Engineering 31 (2011) 547–567, 2011.