Simulation of Shakedown Behavior in Pavement’s Granular Layer

Abstract

While in the design of flexible pavement the significance of asphalt layers is understood, the role of granular layers supporting the asphalt layers should not be underestimated. The behavior of granular layers used in base, sub-base or subgrade layer of flexible pavement is complicated due to nonlinear elastoplastic response of materials subjected to dynamic load of traffic. Shakedown theory integrated with Mohr-Coulomb criterion is applied to simulate the response of granular layers to dynamic loading in a numerical analysis. The results of analysis are then compared to simple the results of modeling without considering shakedown effects and the conclusion is drawn.