ABSTRACT
Because semi-rigid base asphalt structures on expansive soil embankment usually encounter severe premature distress induced by differential deformations of embankment, it is urgently necessary to find out new pavement structures that adapt to expansive soil embankment. On the basis of the properties of expansive soil embankment, using multilayered elastic theory and tolerant strain design methods, two pavement structures with crush rock and thick asphalt mixtures were presented, including a common semi-rigid base asphalt structure. With the help of ABAQUS FEM software, mechanical responses such as embankment settlement and additional stress were calculated. The results showed that differential deformations greatly influence the distribution of horizontal stress in pavement structures. The pavement structures with crush rock adapted well on expansive soil embankment. The semi-rigid base asphalt structure indicated poor adaptability due to its high sensitivity to the elasticity modulus of the sub-base.
