Application of Finite Element Analysis to Access the Rutting Potential in Asphalt Pavements

The finite element analysis program, ANSYS, is utilized in this research to numerically assess the rutting depth of an asphalt pavement under selected loading conditions. A generalized Maxwell model is used to simulate the viscoelastic behavior of the hot mix asphalt. The viscoelastic parameters of asphalt materials are obtained using a Frequency Sweep Test. Excluding the hot mix asphalt, a Drucker-Prager model is utilized to simulate material behaviors of underlying pavement courses. Twenty-five selected cases are analyzed to better understand the effects of rutting for asphalt pavements. Factors considered in this study include the magnitude of wheel loading, the wander distance, the speed of wheel loading, the number of load repetitions, and the modulus of subgrade. The analysis results indicate that the magnitude of loading and the modulus of subgrade have the greatest impact on the rutting development followed by the factor of wander distance. The speed of wheel loading and the number of load repetitions are found to be insignificant in quantifying the rutting depth.