A Numerical Study on the Crack Propagation of Homogenized Micro-Crack Crushing for Concrete Pavement

Abstract

Homogenized micro-crack crushing is a new method of concrete pavement rehabilitation that makes full use of the bearing capacity of the original concrete pavement, whereby the treated pavement can be directly overlaid with hot mixed asphalt concrete. In order to solve the problem of longitudinal crack extension of a cracked core in the weak position of local pavement, the crack propagation mode of concrete slabs under low-velocity impact from different numbers and distributions of impact heads was studied using numerical simulation. Moreover, field tests were also carried out to determine the optimal layout of drop hammer impact heads, and the numerical simulation results were compared with the experimental data. The results show that, when a concrete slab is impacted by a single impact head, the bottom of the slab first cracks and then the crack develops upward until the main crack runs through the concrete slab. However, when the concrete slab is impacted by multiple-impact heads, including three or four impact heads, the concrete slab forms a triangular or quadrilateral fracture core, respectively. The numerical simulation results are in good agreement with the laboratory experiments. Through the optimized arrangement of the hammer’s impact heads, the problem of longitudinal crack extension of a cracked core can be effectively solved, and the probability of reflection cracks can be reduced.