ABSTRACT
Base and subgrade spatial variability can induce adverse effects on the structural response of pavements. However, few studies have investigated the impact of the spatial variability of the asphalt layer. The effects of asphalt geogrid reinforcement on pavement performance with spatially variable layers is still unknown, although geogrid reinforcement has been a common practice in pavement engineering. Random finite difference analysis (RFDA) is conducted in this study to evaluate the effect of spatial variability in asphalt layers on pavement responses and determine the effect of geogrid reinforcement under spatial variable situation. Several key conclusions are drawn: (1) the assumption of heterogeneity for the asphalt layer can induce a considerable underprediction of the critical pavement strain; (2) geogrid helps to mitigate the negative impact resulting from the asphalt spatial variability; (3) the low modulus dominating effect amplifies the mean strain of asphalt layer, thereby leading to a better mobilization of the geogrid reinforcement in the probabilistic cases.
