A criterion of asphalt pavement rutting based on the thermal-visco-elastic-plastic model

The rutting resistance design of asphalt pavement is full of compromise between technology and economy because it is difficult to predict rutting evolution and distribution. In order to investigate the criterion of rutting, two forms yield function based on the Perzyna theory were contrasted and utilised in the finite element model. Besides, temperature and traffic load, the most important factors of rutting, were taken into consideration to make the analysis of yield function closer to the field condition of pavement. Two resistance points were proposed as criterions in this paper. One can be used in pavement maintenance to figure out the depth of serious rutting, the other can be used in pavement design to determine the usage depth of modified asphalt mixture. The analysis illustrates that the key to controlling rutting at intersections is to use better anti-rutting materials at the top layers instead of deepening the usage of modified asphalt mixture. Besides, the depth of rutting varies dramatically with axle weights. It can be inferred that there may be deviations of the prediction for the rutting distribution and evolution when using the method of equivalent axle weight.