Study on the Mechanical Behavior of Joint in Articulated Assembled Subgrade Asphalt Pavement

To study the mechanical response of the joint under the lateral synergistic action of articulated assembled subgrade, and to screen out the joint materials with the best suitability, this paper establishes a finite element model of an articulated, assembled base-layer asphalt pavement using ABAQUS. It analyses the influence of articulated reinforcement, structural layer, and material parameters on the mechanical response of the joint. The results show that the articulated reinforcement effectively inhibits the displacement of the slab so that the vertical compressive stress at the bottom of the joint decreases by about 37%; the extreme value variation in the modulus of the surface layer, subgrade layer, and soil base causes the principal stress to decrease by about 0.26%, 5.5%, and 11.6%, respectively; the increase in the thickness of the surface layer and the subgrade layer effectively improves the stress state, with a maximum reduction of 9% and 22%, respectively; Poisson’s ratio and modulus of elasticity of the joint material have a significant effect on the principal stress, and when the material parameters are at the maximum value, the principal stress increases by about 20.8%. In addition, this paper proposes a screening standard for joint material. Finally, it selects 60 mesh rubber-modified asphalt as the optimal joint material.