Mechanical response-based structural optimisation of prefabricated plastic pavement module

Abstract

This study investigated the mechanical responses of a semi-rigid base pavement with asphalt concrete and prefabricated plastic modules, aiming to optimise the structural design of prefabricated modules. Three types of structural forms were designed and a dynamic finite element (FE) modelling with moving loads was conducted. Different types of stress and strain were compared to highlight the differences of various types of modular structural designs. Results indicate that the stress and strain for the prefabricated plastic module are higher than those in the asphalt concrete layer due to the hollow structure and its relatively lower modulus. The stress distribution and concentration can be optimised by adding supports within the hollow structure. The me-chanical responses of the layers below surface layer remain unchanged after replacing asphalt concrete with prefabricated plastic modules. According to this case study, the prefabricated plastic pavement modules would not experience strength failure.