Corrugation of an unpaved road surface under vehicle weight. (30th September 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Matsuyama, C.; Tanaka, Y.; Sato, M.; Shima, H.
• Is Part Of: Proceedings. Volume 476:Number 2241(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-09-30
• Subjects: pattern formation -- surface instability -- washboard road -- self-organization; Physical sciences -- Periodicals; Engineering -- Periodicals; Mathematics -- Periodicals; 500
• DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2020.0323
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1364-5021

Abstract

Abstract : Road corrugation refers to the formation of periodic, transverse ripples on unpaved road surfaces. It forms spontaneously on an initially flat surface under heavy traffic and can be considered to be a type of unstable growth phenomenon, possibly caused by the local volume contraction of the underlying soil due to a moving vehicle's weight. In the present work, we demonstrate a possible mechanism for road corrugation using experimental data of soil consolidation and numerical simulations. The results indicate that the vertical oscillation of moving vehicles, which is excited by the initial irregularities of the surface, plays a key role in the development of corrugation.