Influence of Contacting Friction between Tires and Pavement on Asphalt Pavement Mechanical Response

A finite element model of tire contacting with pavement has been established using software ANSYS. Pavement mechanical response has been analyzed under the condition of smooth and friction contact between tire and pavement, and compared with that of the uniform load. The distribution of tire pressure has been analyzed; the influence of pavement mechanical response by the friction between tire and road also has been discussed. Results show that: the tire pressure on the road surface is not evenly distributed, but parabolic shape distribution along the driving direction is distributed. There are stress concentrations on both sides of the tire when considering the friction between tire and pavement. The road surface vertical displacement is basically the same under three conditions; the pavement surface maximum vertical stress and maximum shear stress under smooth contact condition were greater than that under friction contact condition. For the vertical stress under uniformly distributed load condition, stress concentration phenomenon is appeared in the loading area; but the horizontal shear stress is very small, only about 20% of the both contact model.