A cohesive crack model, which is similar to the dugdale-barenblatt model, was proposed to simulate the progressive crack developmentin asphalt concrete. Tensile strength, fracture energy, and the stress-separation relationship are the basic material properties associated with this model. To evaluate the material properties, indirect tensile tests and three-point bend tests were performed. From these experimental results, the effects of temperature on young's modulus, the fracture energy, and the indirect tensile strength were evaluated. To determine the stress-separation relationship, a numerical simulation (or curve-fitting method) was used. Using the material properties obtained from the experimental study, temperature effects on different fracture parameters (i.E., Critical stress intensity factorand critical j-integral) were studied. The theoretical predictions were found to be in good agreement with the available experimental results. This finding also indicates the potential applications of the proposed model in evaluating the performance of asphalt concrete pavements. This paper appears in transportation research record no. 1317, Asphalt mixtures: design, testing, and evaluation 1991.
Abstract