Numerical Simulation of Asphalt Compaction and Asphalt Performance

Abstract

Asphalt pavement compaction is important, and it can determine the service quality as well as durability of pavement. In recent years, numerical methods have been extensively used to simulate and study the construction process of asphalt pavement and mechanical properties of asphalt mixtures. In the following sections, the compaction process, considering the interaction between the materials and the equipment, is simulated, and the influence of different compaction methods on the mechanical performance of asphalt mixtures is investigated. To achieve this goal, a pre-compaction model is developed using the Discrete Element Method (DEM), and the models of both materials and the paving machine are generated separately. After the pre-compaction simulation, the theory of bounding surface plasticity is combined with the theory of Finite Element Method (FEM) as well as with a kinematic model of a roller drum to simulate the asphalt mixture behavior during a roller pass. In order to ensure consistency both in the laboratory compaction and in-situ compaction, the Aachen compactor has been developed. The effect of different compaction methods (Field, Aachen and Marshall Compactions) on the asphalt specimens is compared and evaluated using the microscale FEM.