Response Prediction of Asphalt Pavement in Cold Region with Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Coupling Simulation

Junling Si, Tatsuya Ishikawa (), Daoju Ren, Kimio Maruyama and Chigusa Ueno
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Junling Si: Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Kita 13, Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8628, Japan
Tatsuya Ishikawa: Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Kita 13, Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8628, Japan
Daoju Ren: Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Kita 13, Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8628, Japan
Kimio Maruyama: Civil Engineering Research Institute for Cold Region, Sapporo 062-8602, Japan
Chigusa Ueno: Civil Engineering Research Institute for Cold Region, Sapporo 062-8602, Japan

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 18, 1-29

Abstract: Although the theoretical pavement structure design method (TPSDM) is widely used for designing asphalt pavements in Japan, it still exhibits certain limitations, such as not considering the variation in moduli of the base and subgrade layers due to water contents, freeze–thaw action, and stress states. This study aims to enhance Japanese TPSDM’s accuracy by considering variations in the resilient modulus of environmental impacts, pavement materials, pavement structure, and traffic load actions to accurately calculate the mechanical responses and predict pavement fatigue life. Firstly, the study develops a 3D Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical (THM) model using the finite element method (FEM) to investigate temperature and moisture distributions of the pavement with time. Then, based on the numerical results of the moisture, temperature, and stress state obtained from the THM analysis, the constant resilient modulus of the base and subgrade layers in the Japanese TPSDM is replaced with a resilient modulus that considers the stress state and the combined effects of water content fluctuations and freeze–thaw action. Finally, the fatigue life of the pavement is calculated based on the obtained mechanical response in THM analysis. The reliability and validity of the proposed fatigue life prediction method are well verified by comparing the calculated with the actual pavement fatigue life. Results indicate that the modifications improve the Japanese TPSDM by considering the environmental impacts, traffic load actions, pavement materials, and pavement structure, thereby improving the accuracy of predicting the fatigue life of asphalt pavements, particularly in cold regions.

Keywords: THM coupled model; resilient modulus; freeze–thaw; fatigue life prediction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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