Effect of Bond Condition on Flexible Pavement Performance

This paper summarizes a theoretical study undertaken to provide a deeper understanding of the consequences of poor bond on flexible pavement performance. Two different modeling approaches have been used. In the first, the pavement structure was analyzed using a layered linear elastic program taking into account different degrees of interface bond between pavement layers and a static horizontal load in addition to the standard vertical dual load. The results indicate that the condition of the bond between the binder course and the base can reduce the life of the pavement structure by up to 80%. For poor bond between the surface course and binder course, the pavement life was found to be particularly sensitive to any horizontal loading applied by the traffic. Static linear two-dimensional (2D) finite element (FE) modeling confirmed these results. Nonlinear 2D FE modeling was also performed to investigate the effect of more realistic bond conditions between pavement layers. The results cast additional light on the overall structural performance of pavement with different degrees of bond subjected to both horizontal and vertical forces.