ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: One of the primary goals of this investigation is the development of a material constitutive model capable of describing the non-linear response of SBS modified asphalt mixes in pavements with full depth modification. The parameters of the material constitutive model are obtained from mechanical data of base course asphalt mixes. The model has been verified and implemented into a 3D finite element system that enables the simulation of dynamic non-linear response of the pavement. In this contribution, the details of the material constitutive model and its use for describing the nonlinear behavior of the SBS modified base course mixes are presented. 3D Finite element analyses were run on two different pavement profiles with two different mixes (one is polymer modified mix and another is the non-modified reference mix) being subjected to moving wheel loads. The pavement structure containing polymer modified asphalt showed about four times less damage (accumulated plastic strain) than the non-modified reference mix. Also the effect of the polymer modified asphalt on the rut depth was significant. The results until date have shown that polymer modification can be an effective measure to extend pavement life.
