Interlayer Shear Characteristics of Bridge Deck Pavement through Experimental and Numerical Analysis

In order to study the interlayer shear behavior of bridge deck pavement, a numerical simulation was conducted to analyze the influence of varying interfacial conditions on shear stress at the bottom of pavement layers under the moving loading effect. Moreover, the shear strength of the different adhesive and waterproof adhesive materials was evaluated by conducting laboratory tests. The results showed that improving the bonding condition at the upper interlayer led to the reduction of the shear stress at the bottom of the pavement layers. With the increase of the friction coefficient of the upper interface to the full bonding state, the resulting shear stress at the bottom of the upper layer declined to the lowest value, which was about 35% of that of the full slip state. When the lower interlayer was in the full slip or partial bonding state, the resulting shear stress at the bottom of the lower layer decreased linearly with the increase of the friction coefficient of the upper interlayer. Moreover, once the contact state of the upper interlayer reached the full bonding state, the resulting shear stress at the bottom of the lower layer reached the minimum, which is about 88% of that of the full slip state. To improve the integrity and shear resistance of the bridge deck pavement structure, interlayer bonding should be strengthened. In this regard, the resin emulsified asphalt was determined as an appropriate adhesive material to be applied at the upper and lower interlayers. In addition, interlayer shear bond strength, regardless of the type of adhesive materials, was decreased with increasing temperature. Finally, statistical analysis results indicated that all factors of structure type, type of adhesive material, and temperature statistically have a significant effect on interlayer bond strength. The findings of this study could provide a theoretical basis and experimental support for improving the interlayer design and construction in the concrete bridge deck pavement structure.