Experimental and numerical prediction of airport pavement over expansive subgrade stabilized by asphalt layers

Longitudinal cracks in runway pavements are frequently observed on swelling soil subgrades. Such soil behavior, which is influenced by variations in water content, decreases the bearing capacity and life expectancy of runway while also increases the cracking and deformations in pavement structure la...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Arabian journal of geosciences 2022, Vol.15 (18), Article 1503
Main Authors: Djellali, Adel, Sarker, Debojit, Saghafi, Behrooz
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Airports
Asphalt
Bearing capacity
Creep (materials)
Deformation
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth science
Earth Sciences
Finite element method
Flexible pavements
Life expectancy
Life span
Loads (forces)
Mathematical analysis
Mathematical models
Moisture content
Nondestructive testing
Numerical analysis
Numerical prediction
Original Paper
Runways
Soil
Soil creep
Soil structure
Soil swelling
Soils
Three dimensional models
Water content
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Summary:Longitudinal cracks in runway pavements are frequently observed on swelling soil subgrades. Such soil behavior, which is influenced by variations in water content, decreases the bearing capacity and life expectancy of runway while also increases the cracking and deformations in pavement structure layers. This paper investigates the behavior of a strengthened runway flexible pavement on expansive subgrade soil by experimental and numerical analysis to better understand the combined effects of swelling and wheel loads, as well as to stabilize the upward displacements on the pavement. A three-dimensional (3D) finite element model (FEM) with software package PLAXIS 3D was developed to simulate the deformations in the pavement structure under high instantaneous pressures and the upwards movements induced by the swelling soil. In particular, 87 non-destructive deflection tests were performed to evaluate the behavior of runway by measuring deformations and stresses in various profiles before and after strengthening with new asphalt layers constructed following the ACN-PCN method. For the swelling subgrade, the materials were simulated with nonlinear behavior for pavement structure and a soft-soil creep model (SSCM) for the long-term time-dependent behavior. The numerical results for the combined effect of swelling and wheel loads on the pavement were consistent with the experimental deflections measured on the pavement.
ISSN:1866-7511
1866-7538
DOI:10.1007/s12517-022-10778-z