Fuzzy-Modulus-Based Layered Elastic Analysis of Asphalt Pavements for Enhanced Fatigue Life Prediction

Area of Science:

• Civil Engineering
• Materials Science
• Transportation Engineering

Background:

• Asphalt pavement fatigue performance is crucial for infrastructure longevity.
• Uncertainty in material properties, like elastic moduli, challenges traditional pavement design.
• Deterministic models often oversimplify real-world variability in pavement materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel approach for evaluating asphalt pavement fatigue performance.
• To incorporate fuzzy set theory for modeling uncertainty in asphalt layer elastic moduli.
• To improve the reliability of pavement fatigue life predictions.

Main Methods:

• Integration of fuzzy numbers with an analytical multilayer elastic pavement model.
• Application of alpha-cut representation and defuzzification techniques.
• Utilizing fuzzy-modulus-based parameters within layered elastic half-space models.

Main Results:

• Fuzzy estimations of critical strain responses and associated fatigue lives were obtained.
• The methodology realistically captures material property uncertainty compared to deterministic methods.
• Fuzzy bounds for fatigue life parameters were provided, enabling robust pavement design.

Conclusions:

• The proposed fuzzy set theory approach enhances the predictive reliability of asphalt pavement performance.
• This method offers a more realistic evaluation of pavement fatigue under material uncertainty.
• The technique supports more robust and reliable pavement engineering designs.