A calibrated mechanics-based model for top-down cracking of asphalt pavements

Abstract A calibrated mechanistic-empirical model was developed to analyze top-down cracking (TDC) performance with actual traffic load and thermal stress. The traffic-induced and thermal-induced J-integral were employed in the Paris’ law with fracture parameters A ′ and n ′ estimated using asphalt mixture properties. Number of days for initiated TDC to reach the medium severity level was then calculated mechanistically, which was related to field performance for calibration purposes. It was observed that when TDC reached a critical length, the TDC length diminished and area of fatigue cracking increased. An associated computer program was also developed, which normally completed a 30-year performance analysis within 1 min.

[1]  Robert L. Lytton,et al.  DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF PERFORMANCE PREDICTION MODELS AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR ASPHALT BINDERS AND PAVING MIXES , 1993 .

[2]  Imad L. Al-Qadi,et al.  Near-Surface Pavement Failure under Multiaxial Stress State in Thick Asphalt Pavement , 2010 .

[3]  Robert L. Lytton,et al.  Enhanced model for thermally induced transverse cracking of asphalt pavements , 2019, Construction and Building Materials.

[4]  Robert L. Lytton,et al.  Models for Predicting Reflection Cracking of Hot-Mix Asphalt Overlays , 2010 .

[5]  R. Roque,et al.  A mechanics-based prediction model for thermal cracking of asphaltic concrete pavements , 1994 .

[6]  R. Lytton,et al.  Numerical Modeling and Artificial Neural Network for Predicting J-Integral of Top-Down Cracking in Asphalt Pavement , 2017 .

[7]  Robert L. Lytton,et al.  An inverse approach to determine complex modulus gradient of field-aged asphalt mixtures , 2017 .

[8]  R. Lytton,et al.  Implementation of pseudo J-integral based Paris’ law for fatigue cracking in asphalt mixtures and pavements , 2016 .

[9]  Gilbert Y. Baladi,et al.  Mechanistic Analysis of Top-Down Cracks in Asphalt Pavements , 2002 .

[10]  Robert L. Lytton,et al.  Time-temperature-aging-depth shift functions for dynamic modulus master curves of asphalt mixtures , 2017 .

[11]  Emmanuel G Fernando,et al.  Evaluation of Effects of Tire Size and Inflation Pressure on Tire Contact Stresses and Pavement Response , 2006 .

[12]  Robert L. Lytton,et al.  Kinetics-based aging prediction of asphalt mixtures using field deflection data , 2019 .

[13]  B. Birgisson,et al.  Modelling cracking damage of asphalt mixtures under compressive monotonic and repeated loads using pseudo J-integral Paris’ law , 2017 .

[14]  Fan Gu,et al.  Mechanistic-empirical models for top-down cracking initiation of asphalt pavements , 2018, International Journal of Pavement Engineering.

[15]  M De Beer,et al.  DETERMINATION OF PNEUMATIC TYRE/PAVEMENT INTERFACE CONTACT STRESSES UNDER MOVING LOADS AND SOME EFFECTS ON PAVEMENTS WITH THIN ASPHALT SURFACING LAYERS , 1997 .

[16]  M W Kumara,et al.  Methodology for random surface-initiated crack growth prediction in asphalt pavements , 2004 .

[17]  M. Guddati,et al.  Top-Down Cracking of Hot-Mix Asphalt Layers: Models for Initiation and Propagation , 2010 .

[18]  Reynaldo Roque,et al.  Top-Down Cracking: Enhanced Performance Model and Improved Understanding of Mechanisms , 2011 .

[19]  Matthew W Witczak,et al.  Development of a New Revised Version of the Witczak E* Predictive Model for Hot Mix Asphalt Mixtures (With Discussion) , 2006 .

[20]  André Molenaar,et al.  Application of fracture mechanics principles to analyse cracking in asphalt concrete , 1996 .

[21]  Fujie Zhou,et al.  Development, Calibration, and Verification of a New Mechanistic-Empirical Reflective Cracking Model for HMA Overlay Thickness Design and Analysis , 2010 .