• Land and Housing Review
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.95-104
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• 2020

This study aims to explore a purely mechanistic pavement analysis approach where viscoelasticity and fracture of asphalt mixtures are considered to accurately predict deformation and damage behavior of flexible pavements. To do so, the viscoelastic and fracture properties of designated pavement materials are obtained through experiments and a fully mechanistic damage analysis is carried out using a finite element method (FEM). While modeling crack development can be done in various ways, this study uses the cohesive zone approach, which is a well-known fracture mechanics approach to efficiently model crack initiation and propagation. Different pavement configurations and traffic loads are considered based on three main functional classes of roads suggested by FHWA i.e., arterial, collector and local. For each road type, three different material combinations for asphalt concrete (AC) and base layers are considered to study damage behavior of pavement. A concept of the approach is presented and a case study where three different material combinations for AC and base layers are considered is exemplified to investigate progressive damage behavior of pavements when mixture properties and layer configurations were altered. Overall, it can be concluded that mechanistic pavement modeling attempted in this study could differentiate the performance of pavement sections due to varying design inputs. The promising results, although limited yet to be considered a fully practical method, infer that a few mixture tests can be integrated with the finite element modeling of the mixture tests and subsequent structural modeling of pavements to better design mixtures and pavements in a purely mechanistic manner.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.8 no.2 s.28
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• pp.37-47
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• 2006

The structural response and performance of a flexible pavement can be improved through the use of geogrids as base course reinforcement. Current ongoing research at the University of illinois has focused on the development of a geogrid base reinforcement mechanistic model for the analysis of reinforced pavements. This model is based on the finite element methodology and considers not only the nonlinear stress-dependent pavement foundation but also the isotropic and anisotropic behavior of base/subbase aggregates for predicting pavement critical responses. An axisymmetric finite element model was developed to employ a three-noded axisymmetric membrane element for modeling geogrid reinforcement. The soil/aggregate-geogrid interface was modeled by the three-noded membrane element and the neighboring six-noded no thickness interface elements. To validate the developed mechanistic model, the commercial finite element program $ABAQUS^{TM}$ was used to generate pavement responses as analysis results for simple cases with similar linear elastic material input properties. More sophisticated cases were then analyzed using the mechanistic model considering the nonlinear and anisotropic modulus property inputs in the base/subbase granular layers. This paper will describe the details of the developed mechanistic model and the effectiveness of geogrid reinforcement when used in different quality unbound aggregate base/subbase layers.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.19-28
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• 2012

PURPOSES : Recently, the mechanistic-empirical overlay pavement design program that is linked with Korea Pavement Research Program (KPRP) has been developed. This paper focused on establishing the framework and developing the program for the asphalt overlay design over the existing asphalt concrete pavement. METHODS : The overlay pavement design program developed in this study was investigated to assess the sensitivity to various pavement conditions, such as the damage level and thickness of existing layers. In addition, the actual overlay design on currently performing pavement was carried out as a practical example. RESULTS : From the sensitivity analysis, it was found that the thickness and damage level of existing asphalt layer mostly affect the overlay design results. In addition, under the same condition, the overlay pavement would better perform in cold region. From the overlay design with the actual condition, it is noted that the overlay thickness varies depending on the given condition. CONCLUSIONS : Based on various evaluations, it was concluded that the overlay design program developed in this study is a reliable and reasonable tool to be used in the actual pavement design.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.165-175
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• 2009

With the current move towards adopting mechanistic-empirical concepts in the design of pavement structures, state-of-the-art mechanistic analysis methodologies are needed to determine accurate pavement responses, such as stress, strain, and deformation. Previous laboratory studies of pavement foundation geomaterials, i.e., unbound granular materials used in base/subbase layers and fine-grained soils of a prepared subgrade, have shown that the resilient responses followed by nonlinear, stress-dependent behavior under repeated wheel loading. This nonlinear behavior is commonly characterized by stress-dependent resilient modulus material models that need to be incorporated into finite element (FE) based mechanistic pavement analysis methods to predict more realistically predict pavement responses for a mechanistic pavement analysis. Developed user material subroutine using aforementioned resilient model with nonlinear solution technique and convergence scheme with proven performance were successfully employed in general-purpose FE program, ABAQUS. This numerical analysis was investigated in predicted critical responses and domain selection with specific mesh generation was implemented to evaluate better prediction of pavement responses. Results obtained from both axisymmetric and three-dimensional (3D) nonlinear FE analyses were compared and remarkable findings were described for nonlinear FE analysis. The UMAT subroutine performance was also validated with the instrumented full scale pavement test section study results from the Federal Aviation Administration's National Airport Pavement Test Facility (FAA's NAPTF).

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.1-8
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• 2014

PURPOSES : Analysis and design of asphalt concrete (AC) and continuously reinforced concrete (CRC) composite pavements. METHODS : In this study, the service life of the AC/CRC composite pavements was determined based on the probabilistic method in the mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide(MEPDG). Typical pavement design was provided with respect to heavy truck traffic volume of highways. RESULTS : The service life of the composite pavements based on IRI was shorter than that based on rutting at lower traffic volume, but this trend was switched at higher traffic volume. CONCLUSIONS : It is concluded that the main distress affecting the service life of the composite pavements was longitudinal roughness and rutting. Roughness became lower, but rut depth became greater as the stiffness of the CRC increased.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.15-24
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• 2012

The MEPDG(Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide) developed based on the AASHTO Design Guide helps engineers find optimal alternatives by using traffic volume, climate, material property, and pavement structure as its input parameters. However, because technical problems were found in the MEPDG, efforts to improve the program by settling the problems have been continued. Meanwhile, another mechanistic-empirical design program has been developed by the KPRP(Korea Pavement Research Program) in Korea. To develop and improve the Korean design program reasonably, it is necessary to analyze the MEPDG and then compare programs each other. For concrete pavement, fatigue cracking is predicted by using very complicated logic different from other performance indicators. Therefore, in this paper, transfer functions of the fatigue cracking used in the version of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.1 of the MEPDG were analyzed. Sensitivity of the input parameters to the cumulative fatigue damage was compared to each other by the MEPDG version and KPRP.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.29-36
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• 2012

PURPOSES : Plastic deformation is frequently made in intersection asphalt pavement at its early age due to deceleration and stoppage of vehicles. This study has been performed to provide a mechanistic basis for reasonable selection of paving method to minimize the plastic deformation at intersection. METHODS : Pavement layer, temperature, traffic volume of the intersections managed by the Daejeon Regional Construction and Management Administration were collected to calculate asphalt dynamic modulus with pavement depth by using a prediction equation suggested by the Korean pavement design guide. Performance of ordinary dense-graded asphalt pavement, polymer modified asphalt pavement, and fiber reinforced asphalt pavement was analyzed by finite element method and the results were used in a performance model to predict the plastic deformation. RESULTS : In aspect of performance, the three paving methods were usable under low traffic while the fiber reinforced asphalt pavement was the most suitable under heavy traffic. CONCLUSIONS : Reasonable paving method suitable for traffic characteristics in the intersection might be decided by considering economic feasibility.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2009.03a
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• pp.11-16
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• 2009

Better understanding of in-situ mechanical behavior of pavement foundations is very important to predict long-term effects on the system performance of transport infrastructure. In order to do that, resilient stiffness characterization of geomaterals is needed to properly adopt such mechanistic analysis under both traffic and environmental loadings. In this paper, in situ monitoring data from KHC test road was used to analyze the non-linearity of stress conditions under traffic and moisture loadings. Then, the predicted non-linear response using finite element method with a selected constitutive model of foundation geomaterials are verified with the field data.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2013

The main objective of this research is to develop the Mechanistic-Empirical (M-E) guidelines for evaluating the capacity of existing highways to sustain route overweight truck traffic over a specified performance period due to a growing concern on the impact of increasing overweight truck loads on highways. In this study, a two-stage framework was developed for this purpose. Level I procedure involves the use of pavement evaluation charts to identify the best possible route from among the alternatives considered and to determine what additional tests and analyses are needed as a screening tool. Level II involves the application of the Overweight Truck Route Analysis (OTRA) program to evaluate the structural adequacy of an existing route to carry routine overweight truck traffic over the specified performance period along with estimating asphalt concrete overlay thickness, if necessary.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.73-82
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• 1989

Various analytical procedures for the structural behavior of concrete pavement system are studied in order to identify a suitable method which will be incorperated in the pavement management system using nondestructive test and mechanistic evaluation. A typical four layered system is adopted and analyzed using 3 dimensional finite elements, plane strain elements, plates with Winkler foundation, and plates with Burmister foundation. Numerical analysis results of various structural analysis procedures are compared and analized based on displacements and stresses. It is concluded, after analysis of merits and demetits of the procedures, that Burmister foundation analysis procedure is the most sui-table procedure for implementation for the analysis of stresses and displacements because of its accuracy and simplicity.