Computational Framework for Rate Dependent Fracture Modeling of Asphalt Concrete Mixtures

The fatigue resistance of flexible pavements is highly related to fracture properties of the hot mix (HMA) at intermediate temperatures. This paper utilizes the cohesive finite element modeling in a rate dependent framework to investigate the fracture behavior of a typical asphalt concrete mixture. The proposed model considers the viscoelastic behavior of the bulk material and the effects of loading rates on the fracture process zone of the asphalt mixture samples. To validate the computational framework for asphalt concrete mixture cracking, the results were compared to tensile fracture tests on the Semi Circular Bending (SCB) tests. By considering the viscoelastic properties of the bulk material and the rate dependent explicit cohesive finite element method there is a good correlation between the predicted fracture properties and the measured ones obtained from the SCB fracture experiments.

Keywords:

Cohesive Zone Model , Rate Dependent , Viscoelasticity , Asphalt concrete