Numerical Analysis on the Deformation of Flexible Pavement System

Abstract

In this paper, flexible pavement system behavior due to heavy axle load is discussed. The effects of axle load, vehicle speed, and pavement thickness are studied numerically by means of PLAXIS 2D. The simulation results show that both vehicle speed and load significantly induce the deformation. The elastic deformation varies significantly when the speed and load change. However, the plastic deformation mostly depends on the vehicle speed. The effect of load becomes significant when the speed is slowing down. The pavement thickness also play important role to increase the stiffness to reduce the pavement deformation.