Effect of pavement design parameters on the behaviour of orthotropic steel bridge deck pavements under traffic loading

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of the pavement design parameters on the behaviour of orthotropic steel bridge deck pavements under traffic loading using a three-dimensional finite element model. Four types of paving materials were considered in this analysis: polymer concrete, epoxy asphalt concrete, polymer-modified stone mastic asphalt concrete and mastic asphalt concrete. The maximum transverse tensile strain was developed at the bottom of the pavement under a tyre of dual tyres or on top of the pavement between two tyres. From the sensitivity analysis, better interface bonding between the deck plate and pavement led to a significant enhancement of bottom-up fatigue cracking resistance, especially for 40-mm-thick pavements. As pavement temperature increased from − 20 to 60°C, critical tensile strain increased significantly, and corresponding locations moved from the bottom to the top of the deck pavement.

Keywords::

• deck pavement
• paving materials
• orthotropic steel bridge deck
• finite element analysis
• fatigue crack

Notes

^1. Email: [email protected]

^2. Email: [email protected]

^3. Email: [email protected]

Additional information

Funding

The authors would like to acknowledge the partial support by Samsung C&T for a research project entitled as ‘Evaluation of Performance and Cost Effectiveness of a Synthetic Gussasphalt Bridge Deck Pavement for Cable Suspended Bridges’ and the Carbon Neutral Road Technologies Development Research Program through the Korea Institute of Construction & Transportation Technology Evaluation and Planning (KICTEP) and the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTM).