ABSTRACT
This paper presents a finite element (FE) method to investigate the effects of asphalt patching mixture on the cracking performance of asphalt pavements. A heterogeneous model, which combines the asphalt patching mixture and asphalt pavement into a macroscale system, was established using the ABAQUS finite element software. Based on a pre-defined initial crack, the extended finite element method (XFEM) was employed to characterize the crack propagations in the pavement. In addition, the temperature stress produced by the patching construction process was taken into consideration. The results showed that the developed FE model provided an insight into the cracking behavior of asphalt pavement with respect to various asphalt patching mixture types, patching locations and loading conditions. In light of these benefits, the presented approach can be expected to be utilized as a mechanistic tool for predicting and evaluating the asphalt pavement performance after the patching maintenance.
