Abstract:

An extended finite element model (XFEM) was constructed by ABAQUS to investigate the propagation of the traffic induced reflective cracking, and the anti-cracking characteristics and mechanism of geotextile. The influence factors of tensile modulus and placement location of the geotextile were analyzed. A repeated loading test on the material test system was conducted to validate the XFEM model. It is shown that the crack propagation induced by repeated loading can be classified into four stages. The larger the tensile modulus of the geotextile is, the slower the crack propagation will be, the stress intensity factor of the crack tip decreases and the internal force for crack propagation is insufficient as the crack propagates. The most cost-effective tensile modulus of geotextile is 100 MPa. Long-term force conditions of the geotextile will not change with the tensile modulus, and the geotextile plays a greater role in the early stage of crack propagation. Geotextile placed at a higher location, the crack length is bigger. Geotextile placed on the top of base course will absorb most concentrated stress to have the best cracking resistance.

Key words: road engineering, geotextile, traffic induced reflective cracking, extended finite element model, stress intensity factor