ABSTRACT
To investigate the equivalent resilient modulus of the subgrade under water-immerged conditions, a constitutive model of the subgrade resilient modulus considering moisture variation was introduced into ABAQUS. Based on the derived distribution of the resilient modulus within the subgrade, the pavement response under falling weight deflectometer (FWD) load was simulated at varied water levels, and the equivalent resilient modulus of the subgrade was calculated by the method of iterative inversion. The results of the inversion indicates that equivalent resilient modulus of the subgrade shows a strong correlation with the subgrade moisture, with a range of 20 to 190 MPa, and linear correlation coefficients of 0.9867 and 0.9783, respectively, which can be considered as following a linear variation. The approach can be used as an effective tool for subgrade design and water damage control.
