Effects of Structural Factors on Rutting of PCC+AC Composite Pavements for Tollgates

PCC+AC (Portland cement concrete and asphalt concrete) composite pavement has been widely applied in road engineering, especially in tollgates. However, due to the special traffic load condition in tollgates and the differences of material properties between PCC and AC, composite pavement is prone to serious rutting problems. To analyze potential rutting and structural factors affecting PCC+AC composite pavement, 3D finite element models were established under the combined action of vertical and horizontal load in tollgates. The results show that for the PCC+AC composite pavement of tollgates, rutting depth increases with the increasing asphalt surface thickness. Through the study of deformation ratio of PCC+AC composite pavement, the change rule and economy of the bottom tensile stress of the base course, we determined that the reasonable overlay thickness of the asphalt pavements for the reconstruction and expansion of the rigid base is 22–24 cm.