Resumen de Use of 3-dimensional discrete element model to examine aggregate layer particle movement due to load wander
P.R. Donovan, Erol Tutulumluer, H. Huang
Many large aircraft have similar wheel loads and tire pressures but different gear configurations. Individual aircraft also have slightly different transverse travel variation (wander) depending on factors such as the width of the pavement, the time of day, and type of operation (landing, takeoff, or taxiing). As a result, aircraft wheel loads are commonly applied on relatively wide traffic lanes. In recent full-scale pavement test studies at the US Federal Aviation Administration’s National Airport Pavement Test Facility, a complete load wander cycle was applied sequentially but not randomly to realistically apply traffic loading and investigate effects of offset wheel loads on performance. Each pass at a different offset was observed to cause particle movement and rearrangement in the unbound aggregate base and subbase layers of the flexible pavement test sections. This paper aims to demonstrate how a wheel load can cause particle movement in an unbound aggregate layer using a simplified 3-dimensional discrete element model.
