• Advances in Computational Design
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.371-393
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• 2022

This paper presents a three-dimensional flexible pavement simulated in ANSYS subjected to moving vehicular load on the surface of the pavement typical for the road section in Nepal. The adopted finite element (FE) model of pavement is validated with the classical theoretical formulations for half-space pavement. The validated model is further utilized to understand the damping and dynamic response of the pavement. Transient analysis of the developed FE model is done to understand the time varying response of the pavement under a moving vehicle. The material properties of pavement considered in the analysis is taken from typical road section used in Nepal. The response quantities of pavement with nonlinear viscoelastic asphalt layer are found significantly higher compared to the elastic pavement counterpart. The structural responses of the pavement decrease with increase in the vehicle speed due to less contact time between the tires of the vehicle and the road pavement.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.61-68
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• 2012

The main objective of this study is to develop an analytical model for the resilient modulus of EPS geofoam when it is applied for flexible pavement as a subgrade material. This analytical model has been developed based on the results from triaxial compression tests. And this model can be used to analyze the flexible pavement structure using the finite element method by developing a program or modifying an existing program for any desired purposes. The results of this study show that the EPS geofoam as a replacement material for subgrade in flexible pavement is a feasible alternative to natural weak soils.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.6 no.7
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• pp.817-826
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• 1998

A finite element model based on the incremental endochronic theory for flexible pavement materials was developed in this study. Three grid systems with eight-node cubic isoparametric elements, and different loading steps were used to perform the calculations for a specimen of circular cylinder. The uniaxial stress experimental results on an asphalt mixture at $60^{\circ}C$ in SHRP conducted by University of California at Berkeley were used to check the ability of the derived numerical model. Then, the numerical results showed isotropic response and deviatoric response on the specimen in a three dimensional manner, which provided a better understanding for a deformed flexible material under the specified loading conditions.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.35-47
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• 2023

Deformability of road pavements in the form of ruts represent a safety risk for road users. In the procedures for dimensioning the pavement structure, the requirement that such deformations do not occur is imperatively included, which results in the appropriate selection of elements (material, geometry) of the pavement structure. Deformability and functionality, will depend of the correct design of pavement structure during exploitation period. Nevertheless, there are many examples where deformations are observed on the pavement structure, in the form of rutting at parts of the road with relatively short length, realised in the same climatic and the same geoenvironmental conditions. The performed analysis of deformability led to the conclusion that the level of deformation is a function of the speed of traffic. This effect is observed on city roads, but also outside of urban areas at roads with speed limits are significant, due to the traffic management, traffic jams (intersections, etc.). Still, the lower speed cause greater deformations. The authors tried to describe the deformability of flexible pavement structures, from the aspects of geotechnical problems, as a function of driving speed. Outcome of the analysis is a traffic load correction coefficient, in terms of using the existing methods of flexible pavement structures design.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.213-224
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• 2008

Flexible pavement responses to vehicular loading, such as critical stresses and strains, in each pavement layer, could be predicted by the multilayered elastic analysis. However, multilayered elastic theory suffers from major drawbacks including spatial dimension of a numerical model, material properties considered in the analysis, boundary conditions, and ill-presentation of tire-pavement contact shape and stresses. To overcome these shortcomings, three-dimensional finite element (3D FE) models are developed and numerical analyses are conducted to calculate pavement responses to moving load in this study. This paper introduces a methodology for an effective 3D FE to simulate flexible pavement structure. It also discusses the mesh development and boundary condition analysis. Sensitivity analyses of flexible pavement response to loading are conducted. The infinite boundary conditions and time-dependent history of calculated pavement responses are considered in the analysis. This study found that the outcome of 3D FE implicit dynamic analysis of flexible pavement that utilizes appropriate boundary conditions, continuous moving load, viscoelastic hot-mix asphalt model is comparable to field measurements.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.35-44
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• 2015

The resilient modulus model of EPS geofoam to be used for a flexible pavement design was developed. In this study, the model was applied to design the flexible pavement and to predict the magnitude of the deformation of EPS geofoam blocks as a subgrade in the flexible pavement structure by using the resilient modulus model of EPS geofoam (RMEG) program. The RMEG program presented how much the EPS geofoam subgrade settled over the designed duration and the AASHTO flexible pavement design equation with the resilient modulus of EPS geofoam noted that how long the flexible pavement endured under traffic loads with 70% reliability for the estimated duration with less than 5mm vertical deformation during 20.6 years without the significant pavement distress as a substitute material for the natural soils.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.69-75
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• 2015

PURPOSES : The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a geogrid reinforced subbase of permeable flexible pavement structures with respect to permanent deformation. METHODS : Experimental trials employing a repeated triaxial load test scheme were conducted for both a geogrid reinforced subbase material and a control specimen to obtain the permanent deformation properties based on the VESYS model. Along with this, a finite element-based numerical analysis was conducted to predict pavement performance with respect to the rutting model incorporated into the analysis. RESULTSAND CONCLUSIONS : The results of the experimental study reveal that the geogrid reinforcement seems to be effective in mitigating permanent deformation of the subbase material. The permanent deformation was mostly achieved in the early stages of loading and then rapidly reached equilibrium as the number of load applications increased. The ultimate permanent deformation due to the geogrid reinforcement was about 1.5 times less than that of the control specimen. Numerical analysis showed that the permeable, flexible pavement structure with the geogrid reinforced subbase also exhibits less development of rutting throughout the service life. This reduction in rutting led to a 20% decrease in thickness of the subbase layer, which might be beneficial to reduce construction costs unless the structural adequacy is not ensured. In the near future, further verification must be conducted, both experimentally and numerically, to support these findings.

• Advances in Computational Design
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.201-212
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• 2018

Decrease in availability of suitable subbase and base course materials for highway construction leads to a search for economic method of converting locally available troublesome soil to suitable one for highway construction. Present study insights on evaluation of benefits of stabilization of subgrade soils in term of extension in service life (TBR) and layer thickness reduction (LTR). Laboratory investigation consisting of Atterberg limit, Compaction, California Bearing Ratio, unconfined compressive strength and triaxial shear strength tests were carried out on two types of soil for varying percentages of stabilizers. Vertical compressive strains at the top of unstabilized and stabilized subgrade soils were found out by elastoplastic finite element analysis using commercial software ANSYS. The values of vertical compressive strains at the top of unstabilized and stabilized subgrade, were further used to estimate layer thickness reduction or extension in service life of the pavement due to stabilization. Finite element modeling of the flexible pavement layered structure provides modern technology and sophisticated characterization of materials that can be accommodated in the analysis and enhances the reliability for the prediction of pavement response for improved design methodology. If the pavement section is kept same for unstabilized and stabilized subgrade soils, pavement resting on lime, fly ash and fiber stabilized subgrade soil B will have service life 2.84, 1.84 and 1.67 times than that of unstabilized pavement respectively. The flexible pavement resting on stabilized subgrade is beneficial in reducing the construction material. Actual savings would depend on the option exercised by the designer for reducing the thickness of an individual layer.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.12 no.12
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• pp.63-70
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• 2011

Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) is a type of geosynthetic material manufactured with various strengths, unit weights, and dimensions. Due to recent advances in research on EPS, the use of EPS has increased dramatically. This super light weight material has a unit weight of approximately $0.16{\sim}0.47kN/m^3$, equivalent to 6.3~15.7 of that of most natural soils with conditions of fill materials. In spite of this advantage, it is noted that no standard method of resilient modulus test on EPS geofoam was reported and no literature on resilient modulus test methods for EPS geofoam exist. The main object of this study was to investigate feasibility of the resilient modulus of EPS when it was applied for flexible pavement. The investigation of the feasibility was completed based on the results from triaxial tests.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.25-33
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• 2015

PURPOSES : This paper, presents the results of a laboratory study aimed to verify the suitability of a particular type of Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) steel slag to be recycled in the lithic skeleton of both dense graded and porous asphalt mixtures for flexible pavements. METHODS : Cyclic creep and stiffness modulus tests were performed to evaluate the mechanical performance of three different asphalt mixtures (dense graded, porous asphalt, and stone mastic) prepared with two types of EAF steel slag. For comparison purposes, the same three mixtures were also designed with conventional aggregates (basalt and limestone). RESULTS : All the asphalt mixtures prepared with EAF steel slag satisfied the current requirements of the European standards, which support EAF steel slag as a suitable material for flexible pavement construction. CONCLUSIONS : Based on the experimental work, the use of waste material obtained from steel production (e.g. EAF steel slag) as an alternative in the lithic skeleton of asphalt mixtures can be a satisfactory and reasonable choice that fulfills the "Zero Waste" objective that many iron and steel industries have pursued in the past decades.