ABSTRACT
In order to study the crack resistance of the High Viscoelastic Asphalt Sand Stress-Absorbing Layer (HVASSAL) based on the nonlinear contact between layers, ABAQUS finite element software was applied to set up 4 composite pavement models of three load types with crack in the concrete base. The nonlinear contact problem was solved by applying the Coulomb friction model and the Cohesive zone model. Results show that (1) The tensile stress of surface layer increased about 20% ~ 30% under the condition of nonlinear contact compared with fully continuous contact; (2) Considering the effects of tensile stress, the thickness range of the optimal thickness of HVASSAL is 5 ~ 10 mm; (3) The minimum tension stress of asphalt sand specimen is 0.348 MPa, the maximum tensile stress that HVASSAL suffered is 0.12 MPa. Therefore, the asphalt sands as stress absorbed layer material can meet the strength requirement.
