Author(s)

K. Sepehr, O.J. Svec, Z.Q. Yue & H.M. El Hussein

Abstract

Finite element modelling of asphalt concrete microstructure K. Sepehr, O.J. Svec, Z.Q. Yue, H.M. El Hussein Centre for Surface Transportation Technology, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A OR6 ABSTRACT Little progress has been achieved in the past relating the mechanical behaviour of asphalt concrete (AC) to its microscopic structure. The significant influence of microstructure on the response of asphalt composite material to traffic and thermal stresses, explains the difficulties encountered in attempting to predict AC performance, based on laboratory test results. This fact is a consequence of the vast differences between the microstructure of AC constructed in the field and that produced in the laboratory (e.g., rotational position, location of aggregates, and boundary characteristics of cores or laboratory samples). The same applies to AC field performance compared to the results of laboratory testing. For these reasons, no widely

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