Effects of layer interface conditions on top-down fatigue cracking of asphalt pavements

AbstractDifferent types of responses have been considered in the past as the driving forces of the top-down cracking (TDC). The horizontal tensile strain at the surface is the most appropriate response of pavement structures for analysing TDC. In computing the horizontal strains, most of the mechanistic design methods of asphalt pavement consider that pavement layers are fully bonded and bottom-up cracking is the critical type of fatigue distress. The bonding condition between pavement layers is one of the significant factors influencing pavement performance. In this research, the effects of interface bonding conditions on top-down fatigue cracking are investigated based on the horizontal tensile strain at the surface. Analysis procedures are conducted using of Lucas algorithm and integration, summation and extrapolation (ISE) methods to determine the horizontal strain responses of asphalt concrete (AC) layer at the surface accurately. The results reveal that the AC layer thickness, type of base layer mat...