Study of a Method for Analyzing the Mechanical Behavior of Composite Pavement

Presented is a structural model for predicting the mechanical behavior of composite pavements based on Ioannides and Khazanovich’s idea. In this model, a composite pavement is modeled by overlaid plate finite element method elements connected with a link element resting on a Winkler foundation. This concept is extended to the bonded interface condition between two layers by modifying the stiffness matrix of the plate element. The model was verified by comparisons of computed results with the measured results. The comparison revealed that the developed model can predict the bending strains in thin concrete overlay on asphalt pavement. Furthermore, curling deformations with the layer separation were examined to investigate the applicability of the model. It was found that the separation between the layers occurs if the bond strength at the interface is very low.