Dynamic analyses of a viscoelastic plate on a generalised Pasternak foundation

AbstractThis paper studies the problem of a slab-on-grade subjected to short-duration dynamic loading. The slab-on-grade system is modelled as a viscoelastic plate resting on a generalised Pasternak foundation, which accounts for the effects of inertia, damping and shear resistance. A semi-analytical forward-solution is proposed by making use of a Hankel transform in space and a finite difference method in time. To evaluate the ability of the considered model to describe the response of slab-on-grade systems, the behaviours of several pavement sections under dynamic loading are examined. A quasi-Newton inverse analysis is employed to find the model parameters by comparing the field-measured and model-calculated responses. The results show that the generalised Pasternak model can simulate the behaviour of slab-on-grade systems with a wide range of slab and grade properties.