Prediction of pavement fatigue and rutting life using different tire types

A uniform circular vertical contact stress is commonly assumed in representing wheel loads in pavement analysis procedures. However, experimental measurements have shown that the actual loading conditions are non-uniform and depend on the tire construction, tire load and tire inflation pressure. The objective was to study the effects of different tire types on pavement service life and to suggest how wheel loads may be modeled in currently implemented layered elastic pavement analysis programs to provide a better approximation of pavement response parameters for pavement design and evaluation purposes. To carry out this objective, three types of tires (radial, bias ply, and wide-base) were used to study the effects of tire types on pavement service life. A 3D FE model of asphalt pavements was developed and used to investigate the influence of 3D tire contact stresses on predicted pavement life. The results of the 3D FE model were compared with corresponding results obtained using the layered linear elastic program, BISAR.