Critical response analysis of asphalt pavement on concrete curved ramp bridge deck considering tire-bridge interaction

This study developed a full-scale concrete curved ramp bridge deck finite element (FE) model, which considered the effect of tire-bridge interaction. In this full-scale FE model, an inflated tire model was developed to simulate the rolling tire load. The tire-bridge interaction equations were established based on the different interaction modes of the driving and driven wheels with the deck pavement. The effects of travel speed, curvature radius and load position on the critical response of bridge deck pavement was analysed. The results indicated that the deck pavement above the mid-span and flange cantilever panel exhibited greater critical tensile stress and strain values; whereas the bearing end diaphragm and the flange longitudinal diaphragm contributed the maximum critical shear stress. In the vertical depth direction, the damage induced by the traffic load mainly initiated at the deck pavement surface, and shear damage was more prone to occur between the layers of different paving materials. The reduced curvature radius and increased travel speed both promoted the appearance of unbalanced damage in the inner and outer tire loading zones. Besides, the smaller curvature radii and higher travel speeds would result in more severe local damage of deck pavement.