Linear elastic analysis for asphaltic pavement enhanced with steel mesh

Abstract

The design and construction of sustainable flexible pavement require a comprehensive understanding of the behavior of different materials and the interaction between them (i.e. asphalt, base layer, subgrade). The design thicknesses of the layers associated with an increase in axial loads, as  it is the case in different regions of Syria, are large, which leads to an increase in construction costs and leads to defects in road paving. In this research, linear elastic analysis of asphalt layers was done to demonstrate the effect of reinforcing with metal mesh to resist tensile deformations and to prevent cracks that coming upward from the granular base layer.

The results of the linear elastic analysis showed that adding reinforcement with a metal mesh led to an improvement in the strain value in the horizontal direction below the asphalt layer, which expresses the fatigue criterion by 11% and increased the number of repetitive loads by 48%.