Journal of Transportation Research

Journal of Transportation Research

A Finite Element Analysis of Heavy Vehicle Wheel Configuration and Speed on Reflective Crack Propagation

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Erfan Naserzare 1
Ali Abdi Kordani 2
Hamidreza Behnood 3
1 M.Sc., Grad., Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Technical and Engineering, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran.
2 Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Technical and Engineering, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran.
3 Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Technical and Engineering, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran.
10.22034/tri.2025.486248.3297
Abstract
Fatigue is a failure phenomenon caused by repeated loading, where the stress induced can be significantly lower than the ultimate strength of the material. Fatigue cracks in asphalt pavements can be categorized into two types based on their location and propagation pattern. The first type originates at the bottom of the asphalt layer and propagates upwards, while the second type, more common in thick pavements, starts at the surface and extends downwards. These latter cracks have received less attention in research compared to the former. Three types of heavy-traffic vehicles were studied: a 26-ton 6-wheel truck, a 40-ton 18-wheel trailer, and a 40-ton 12-wheel trailer. Vehicle speeds of 40, 60, and 80 kilometers per hour and new layer thicknesses of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 centimeters were analyzed. The effects of varying Poisson's ratio and elasticity modulus of the layers by 5% to 30% on rut depth were also examined. The results indicate that increased axial load and number of wheels have a direct correlation with crack growth, and reducing vehicle speed leads to deeper ruts. Additionally, increasing the thickness of the layers is not an effective solution for reducing reflective cracks, whereas enhancing the elasticity modulus of the surface layer shows better results.
Keywords
Pavement Asphalt
Finite Element
Reflective Cracks
Elasticity Modulus
Subjects
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