Numerical assessment of the structural contribution of porous friction courses (PFC). (20th November 2019) - Manrique-Sanchez, Laura
Highlights: The structural contribution of PFCs on flexible pavements was evaluated. Finite Element models of asphalt pavements with realistic PFCs were assessed. The mechanical response of the pavements with and without PFCs were compared. PFCs contributed, in different extent, to the structural capacity of the pavements. This contribution depends specific microstructural characteristics of the PFCs. Abstract: Porous Friction Courses (PFC) are Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) materials with high air void contents that are placed as thin layers on top of conventional flexible pavements to obtain safety and noise-reduction benefits. These layers are considered an additional component of the pavement and, consequently, their structural contribution is not typically considered. This paper uses Finite Element (FE) modelling to evaluate the potential contribution of PFCs with different thicknesses to the overall structural capacity of three different flexible pavements. The results show that PFC layers do contribute to the pavement structural capacity but that this contribution strongly depends on their different microstructural and geometrical characteristics.