MECHANISTIC ANALYSIS OF REFLECTIVE CRACKING AND VALIDATION OF FIELD TEST

Reflective cracking is a critical problem for asphalt overlays on existing concrete pavements. A three-dimensional finite element method and the fracture mechanics method based on the two-dimensional finite element method were used to analyze effects of factors on reflective cracking, such as interface condition, width of delamination, thickness of asphalt overlay, and crack length. The analytical results show that it is not economical to prevent reflective cracking only by increasing asphalt overlay thickness. The difference between thin asphalt overlay and thick asphalt overlay is that reflective cracking is couple for thin asphalt overlay, and single for thick asphalt overlay. Furthermore, test roads were constructed to validate the results of mechanistic analysis. The deflection with load at joint is the key factor to lead to the occurrence of reflective cracking, and the relative deflection mainly affects the propagation of reflective cracking. For the covering abstract see ITRD E109276.