THE NON-LINEAR ELASTIC MODEL OF BOYCE: AN EVALUATION OF THE MODEL IN THE FEM-PROGRAM DIANA

The finite element program DIANA makes use of the three parameter model of Boyce to describe the resilient behaviour of granular materials in road structures. The same model is used by the programs NOEL 8 from France and FENLAP from Great Britain. Asphalt strains calculated with this program agree quite well with strains measured in a full-scale test pavement, as long as the asphalt layer is thick enough and the stiffness of the granular base-course isn't too high. Problems occurring during calculation are mainly convergence problems. Solutions are given for the used material model and also for the calculation procedure. For making a good description of the behaviour of granular materials with high resilient moduli a better material model is required. (A) For the covering abstract see IRRD 883133.