Introduction of new road pavement response modelling software by means of benchmarking

Abstract

Pavement response modelling based on the theory of linear elasticity was introduced in South Africa in the late 1960's and early 1970's. Since that time, continuous developments took place, and today it is possible to determine the stress / strain distribution of multi-layered road pavement problems in a matter of seconds. This paper provides an overview of historical developments, followed by the introduction of new software and the validation thereof. In the latest version of the Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Analysis and Design Software (ME-PADS v1.1), the previous ELSYM5 analysis engine was replaced by General Analysis of Multi-layered Elastic Systems (GAMES) software. Among the advantages of GAMES are the ability to model multiple pavement layers and loads, the inclusion of layer interface slip and higher accuracy close to the pavement surface. In the present study the results generated using GAMES for a number of standard load cases are compared to those of a range of other packages used world wide. Newly developed Finite Element Method for Pavement Analysis (FEMPA) software, which is currently only available for use in a research environment, is also benchmarked against these other packages. The results show that both the GAMES and FEMPA packages can be used with confidence. The scope of this paper is to briefly summarise the local historical development of pavement analysis software and to introduce new software by way of benchmarking between existing modelling systems (methodologies). The aim of the paper is to present the results of benchmarking, and to recommend further use of these methodologies in pavement engineering