Validation of a simple 3D finite element model for residual life calculations

Material Response and Damage Modelling for new thin surfaced unbound granular pavements is becoming increasingly important in New Zealand for two reasons. The first is the increasing use of “design and construct” type contracts where the client is required to make some judgement of the length of life of the finished pavement at the end of the defects liability period. The second is the continual constraints on maintenance budgets making it imperative that all designs are as efficient and effective as possible. Previous attempts to develop material response and damage modelling to allow residual pavement life determinations have used transient surface deflections. Equipment such as the falling weight deflectometer (FWD) provided key inputs to the Mechanistic – Empirical pavement design models that estimated life. More advanced models have combined laboratory testing and deflection measurements effectively attempting to eliminate the more conservative empirical aspects of the modelling process. Both approaches have their limitations which has been discussed and illustrated with data from the Canterbury Accelerated Pavement Testing Indoor Facility (CAPTIF) in previous papers. This paper specifically looks at the validation of a simple non-linear 3D axisymmetric finite element model to be used as part of an improved residual life determination. The improved process uses a combination of laboratory data, field testing and early life data to predict the long term performance of an unbound pavement. This is an extremely rigorous validation as the model will be tested against both Falling Weight Deflectometer data and multi-depth in-situ elastic strain data from the Canterbury Accelerated Pavement Testing Indoor Facility (CAPTIF). Satisfying both data sets would confirm that the simple 3D Finite Element Model is appropriate for the calculating the elastic strains occurring in the pavement.

• Authors:
  • Alabaster, D
  • Henning, T
  • Wilson, D
• Conference:
  • Conference on Asphalt Pavements for Southern Africa (CAPSA15), 11th, 2015, Sun City, South Africa
• Publication Date: 2015-8

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 6p
• Monograph Title: 11th Conference on Asphalt Pavements for Southern Africa: CAPSA15, 16-19 August 2015, Sun City, South Africa

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accuracy; Life cycle analysis; Pavement performance; Pavements; Test procedures; Tests for suitability, service and quality
• Uncontrolled Terms: Road design and asset management
• Geographic Terms: New Zealand
• ATRI Terms: Accuracy; Life cycle assessment; Pavement evaluation; Pavement performance; Test method
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01597119
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• Files: ATRI
• Created Date: Apr 22 2016 11:15AM