Investigating the Pavement Vibration Response for Roadway Service Condition Evaluation

Dynamic response of pavement provides service condition information and helps with damage prediction, while limited research is available with the simulation of pavement vibration response for evaluating roadway service condition. This paper presents a numerical model for the analysis of the pavement vibration due to the dynamic load created by a passing vehicle. A quarter vehicle model was used for the determination of the vehicle moving load. Both random and spatial characteristics of the load were considered. The random nonuniform moving load was then introduced in a 3D finite element model for the determination of the traffic-induced pavement vibration. The validated numerical model was used to assess the effects of dynamic load, material properties, and pavement structures on pavement vibration response. Numerical analyses showed that the vibration modes changed considerably for the different roadway service conditions. The vibration signals reflect the level of road roughness, the stiffness of the pavement materials, and the integrity of pavement structure. The acceleration extrema, the time-domain signal waveform, the frequency distribution, and the sum of squares of Fourier amplitude can be potential indexes for evaluating roadway service condition. This provides recommendations for the application of pavement vibration response in early-warning and timely maintenance of road.