Fatigue performance of asphalt pavement based on discrete element.

In order to research the fatigue performance of asphalt pavement under repeated load considering the fatigue damage and healing of asphalt mixtures, the discrete element model of asphalt pavement was used to calculate the tensile stress and strain at the bottom of the asphalt layer. Considering the random dynamic loads of vehicle, the influence of load magnitude, rest period Of repeated load and loading sequence on fatigue performance of the asphalt layer was studied. Results show that the tensile stress and strain at the bottom of the asphalt layer fluctuate according to the repeated load. With the increase of rest period of repeated load, the level of stress or strain at the bottom of the asphalt layer is reduced evidently and the amplitude of stress or strain is increased with a certain extent. Different fatigue performances of the asphalt layer are caused by different loading sequences. The fatigue damage of asphalt pavement caused by the sequence from heavy load to light load is more serious than that from light load to heavy load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]