Numerical Modeling of Pile-Supported Low Embankments under Cyclic Traffic Loading Considering the Effect of Pavement Crack
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 23, Issue 12
Abstract
Extensive research has been carried out to understand the behavior of pile-supported embankments; however, pavement crack, which could appear early on the pavement of low embankments during the service life, has not yet been incorporated in previous numerical models. This study aims to investigate the effect of pavement crack on the response of pile-supported low embankments under cyclic traffic loading. A finite-element model for pile-supported low embankments that considers the pavement crack was developed, and a cyclic traffic loading was simulated using a half-sinusoidal function. The numerical model with a crack under cyclic loading was verified using an existing analytical solution. The effect of pavement crack, including crack type, horizontal distance, and depth, on the response of pile-supported low embankments under cyclic traffic loading were investigated. Results indicate that the vertical stress and settlement in pile-supported low embankments increase with consideration of the effect of pavement crack, which leads to a quicker degradation of the arching effect compared with a case with no crack. Results from a parametric study show that the settlement of soft soil decreases with increasing elastic modulus of the AC layer and wheel velocity and decreasing peak amplitude of cyclic loading.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The financial support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 52078236 and 51878313) is acknowledged.
Notation
The following symbols are used in this paper:
- a
- radius of the contact area between tire and pavement;
- a0
- width of pile caps;
- ac
- crack depth;
- c0, h
- specimen geometry in Fig. 4;
- D
- distance between the centers of the two tires;
- DAC
- thickness of the AC layer;
- d
- equivalent diameter of tire–pavement contact area;
- d0
- diameter of piles;
- EAC
- elastic modulus of AC layer;
- FM
- geometric function for a pure bending specimen with double-edge cracks;
- K, KI, KII, KIII
- SIF, SIF for mode I, II, and III, respectively;
- Km
- amplitude of SIF KI under cyclic loading;
- M0
- bending moment;
- p(t)
- cyclic traffic loading;
- p0
- peak amplitude of cyclic loading;
- pst
- standard single-axle dual tire load;
- s
- center-to-center spacing between piles;
- v
- wheel velocity;
- xc
- horizontal distance between the crack and cyclic loading center;
- α, β
- damping coefficient for mass matrix and stiffness matrix;
- η
- ratio of the crack depth to the thickness of the pavement layer; and
- λd
- damping ratio.
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Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 23 • Issue 12 • December 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 12, 2022
Accepted: May 8, 2023
Published online: Sep 22, 2023
Published in print: Dec 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Feb 22, 2024
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