417

THE STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF THE ROAD BASED ON

NONLINEAR FINITE ELEMENT METHOD

Zhenhua Zhou Chuanchao Zheng
Graduate Student Professor
College of Highway College of Highway
Chang'an University Chang'an University
Xi'an Shaanxi, 710064, Xi'an Shaanxi, 710064,
P.R.China P.R.China
Fax: +86-29-5261532 Fax: +86-29-5261532
E-Mail:flyzzh998@etang.com E-Mail:chuanchaoz@hotmail.com

Abstract:In this paper,in order to know how much that nonlinear factors influence the linear
analysis in the road structural analysis,we attempt to find out how much the difference is
between the results of the two method by numerical simulating technology,and attract the
attention on this problem.We establish a finite element model for the road structure,and we
use the numerical simulating program,Msc.Nastran,to analyse the response of the subgrade
with considering the soil of the subgrade is a kind of nonlinear material.Then we explore the
effect of the nonlinear property of the subgrade on determining the moduli of the semi-rigid
subbase and base.Finally,we analyse a certain road structure with considering the nonlinear
property of the subgrade only.With these analysis,some valuable conclusions are gained.They
have much meaning for the road engineering.

Key Words:Pavement,Non-linearity,Finite Element Method,Modulus

1.INTRODUCTION

Finite element method applied to the road engineering can derive from the sixties last
century.Since Duncan,Monismith,Wallson and so on firstly discussed the problem about
applying the finite element method to the linear and nonlinear analysis of the road
structure,the nonlinear analysis has experienced for around half century in the road
engineering.Many achievements have been attained.At present,all know clearly that many
shortages exist in the elastic layered theory,and think that nonlinear analysis is more
reasonable.But,because of many conditions limited,we have to go on applying the elastic
layered theory.Although much research work has been done,we don’t know how much that
nonlinear factors influence the linear analysis yet.Now,we attempt to find out how much the
difference is between the results of the two method by numerical simulating technology,and
attract the attention on this problem.

2.THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FINITE ELEMENT MODEL

Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.4, October, 2003
 418

For the road structure applied by the vertical load,a three-dimensional finite element model
is established . Because the symmetry of the model,we can use a 1/4 model.Fig.1 shows the
1/4 model,which size is 5m × 5m × 6m. According to the tentative calculation and
experience,we can think this model is quite effective to analyse the road structure.

Fig.1 1/4 Model of the Road Structure

For the whole model,boundary conditions are as below:

The bottom surface is fixed,the two side surfaces parallel to the road are free,and the other
two side surfaces vertical to the road are confined in the horizontal direction.

3.NUMERICAL SIMULATING PROGRAM

MSC.Nastran,developed by the support of NASA in 1966,is a finite element analytical

program which is quite credible.

4.NONLINEAR ANALYSIS FOR SUBGRADE

We presume that soil of the subgrade is a kind of nonlinear elastic material,and we get a
one-dimensional stress-strain curve.(Fig.2)

Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.4, October, 2003
 419

We know the stress states in the soil is very complicated,so we simplify them to a
one-dimensional stress-strain curve to analyze the road structure easily.

600

STRESS （kp）
500

400

300

200

100

0
0 20 40 60
STRAIN（10e-4）

Fig.2 One-Dimensional Stress-Strain Curve of the Subgrade Soil

0.001
0.0009
0.0008
Deflection（m）

0.0007
0.0006
0.0005
0.0004 nonlinear
elasticity
0.0003
linear
0.0002 elasticity
0.0001
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Load Proportion（%）

Fig.3 Load Proportion—Deflection Curves

Fig.3 show the Load Proportion-Deflection Curves of the subgrade subjected to a single
wheel load.From Fig.3,we can see that deflection of the nonlinear case is smaller than that of
the linear case before the load proportion attains to 100%,and the difference is
considerable.Obviously,the deflection of the linear elastic case is conservative with the
smaller load applied, in fact,it can’t reach the results gained.

Fig.4 and Fig.5 show the Deflection Along the Axis And Radial Direction of the load.From
Fig.4 and Fig.5,we can draw that linear elastic theory exaggerates the deflection of the
underground and the place around the load.

Fig.6 and Fig.7 show the Vertical Stress Along the Axis And Radial Direction of the
load.From the two figures,we can see the curves are quite close.So,basically,we can say that
nonlinear factors have no effect on the vertical stress.

Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.4, October, 2003
 420

0.001
0.0009

DEFLECTION（m）
0.0008
0.0007
0.0006 nonlinear
0.0005 linear
0.0004
0.0003
0.0002
0.0001
0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
Depth（m）

Fig.4 the Deflection Along the Load Axis

0.001
0.0009
DEFLECTION（m）

0.0008
0.0007
0.0006
0.0005 linear
0.0004 nonlinear
0.0003
0.0002
0.0001
0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2
RADIAL DISTANCE（m）

Fig.5 the Deflection Along the Radial Direction

100000
VERTICAL STRESS

0
-100000 0 0.5 1 1.5 2
-200000
（Pa）

-300000
-400000 linear
nonlinear
-500000
-600000
-700000
-800000
RADIAL DISTANCE（m）

Fig.6 Vertical Stress Along the Radial Direction

5.NONLINEAR ANALYSIS WITH SIMULATING FLEXIBLE LOAD BEARING

PLATE

5.1 Determining The Modulus of The Subgrade

Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.4, October, 2003
 421

We can use the simulating program,MSC.Nastran, to get the deflections of each load
grade.Then we can use the deflection to backcalculate the modulus of the subgrade according
to equation(1).Table 1 is the result.The moduli of the subgrade in linear analysis(Table 1) are
different because the nonlinear factors exist.The modulus decreases as the load grade
increases.But,because the actual stress in the subgrade is quite low for the high grading road
structure and determining modulus is under the states of high stress,the modulus gained must
be smaller than the modulus presented actually.The modulus we gained by linear induction
method(Equation 2) also decreases as the control load grade increases.(Table 2)
VERTICAL STRESS（Pa）

-700000

-600000

-500000

-400000
linear
-300000 nonlinear
-200000

-100000

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
DEPTH（m）

Fig.7 Vertical Stress Along the Load Axis

Table 1. The Moduli of the Subgrade in Linear Analysis

LOAD GRADE
0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4 0.45 0.5
(MPa)
DEFLECTION(mm) 0.038 0.093 0.157 0.229 0.311 0.397 0.490 0.590 0.693 0.801
MODULUS(MPa) 344 281 252 230 212 199 188 178 171 164

400
350
MODULUS（MPa)

300
250
200
150
100
50
0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6
LOAD GRADE（MPa)

Fig.8 Modulus Affected By Load Grade

Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.4, October, 2003
 422

Table 2. the Representative Moduli Gained by Linear Induction Method

CONTROL LOAD
0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50
GRADE（MPa）
REPRESENTATIVE
238 225 215 205 197 191
MODULUS(MPa)

5.2 Effect of The nonlinearity of The Subgrade On Determining The Moduli of The
Hemi-rigid Subbase And Base

Because the stiffness of the hemi-rigid subbase and base is high,we think they take on linear
elasticity under the normal wheel load.Now,we use the two-layer-system abas and coefficients

Table 3. The Moduli of The Hemi-rigid Subbase Affected by the Nonlinearity of the
Subgrade

CONTROL LOAD
0.15 0.2 0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.5
GRADE（MPa）*
REPRESENTATIVE
MODULUS OF
273 254 238 225 215 205 197 191
SUBGRADE
(MPa)
−
Wr 0.58 0.54 0.51 0.48 0.46 0.44 0.42 0.41

MODULUS OF
666 725 763 827 881 940 1015 1049
SUBBASE(MPa)

Table 4. The Moduli of The Hemi-rigid Base Affected by the Nonlinearity of the Subgrade

CONTROL LOAD
0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.5
GRADE（MPa）*
REPRESENTATIVE
MODULUS OF the
447 443 438 435 431 427
WHOLE LAYER
(MPa)
−
Wr 0.50 0.50 0.49 0.49 0.48 0.48

MODULUS OF
1490 1477 1531 1521 1585 1570
BASE(MPa)

Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.4, October, 2003
 423

of the pavement deflection to backcalculate the moduli of the subbase and base.Table 3 and
Table 4 show the results.

Considering the nonlinearity of the subgrade ,from Table 3,we can see the moduli
backcalculated of the subbase vary largely.The modulus of the subbase increases as the
control load of the subgrade increases. Control Load Grade increases from 0.15MPa to
0.5MPa,the modulus of the subbase is increased by over 50%.So we should pay much
attention on the effect of the nonlinearity of the subgrade on determining the modulus of the
hemi-rigid subbase.Before backcalculating the modulus of the base,we look on the subgrade
and subbase as a whole layer and compute the equivalent modulus of the layer(Table 5).We
find the moduli of the layer vary slightly.So the moduli backcalculated of the base(Table 4)
keep quite stable.

Table 5. the Equivalent Modulus of the Whole Layer

LOAD GRADE
0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4 0.45 0.5
(MPa)

DEFLECTION(mm) 0.029 0.058 0.087 0.118 0.150 0.183 0.216 0.250 0.285 0.320

EQUIVALENT
MODULUS OF the
458 458 452 446 439 432 427 421 416 411
WHOLE LAYER
(MPa)

6.ANALYSIS OF A CERTAIN ROAD STRUCTURE

We analysed many typical road structure,and we got similar results.For example,the road
structure we analysed is as below(Fig.9),and we presume it is subjected to a single wheel
load.

Fig.9 A Certain Road Structure

Table 6,Table 7 and Table 8 are the results of the ANALYSIS OF A CERTAIN ROAD

Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.4, October, 2003
 424

STRUCTURE with considering the nonlinearity of subgrade only.We consider the subgrade is
in the three cases as below:

Case 1:Condering the subgrade is nonlinear elastic.

Case 2:The modulus of the subgrade is 350MPa
Case 3:The modulus of the subgrade is 190MPa

From Table 6,Table 7,Table 8,we can draw that:

1.The modulus of the subgrade has slight effect on the vertical stress and max shear stress
along the axis of the load,but has large effect on the lateral stress.
2.The results of nonlinear case are basically equal to that of case 2.

Table 6. the Vertical Stress Along the Load Axis

VERTICAL DEPTH（cm）
STRESS
σz 0 8 12 22 32 42 52
（Pa）
NONLINEAR 645760 574820 392982 166898 71613 47039 28597
350MPa 645738 574716 392884 166766 71470 46934 28532
190MPa 645691 574083 391559 163528 66076 40872 23104

Table 7. the Lateral Stress Along the Load Axis

LATERAL TOP of BOTTOM of BOTTOM

TOP of BOTTOM of TOP of
STRESS SURFACE SURFACE of
BASE BASE SUBBASE
σy（Pa） COURSE COURSE SUBBASE
NONLINEAR -624438 -6907 -385 40371 14720 7808
350MPa -624917 -7141 -573 40652 14880 8128
190MPa -637409 -11665 -4127 46453 18904 20657

Table 8. the Max Shear Stress Along the Laod Axis

MAX
TOP of BOTTOM of BOTTOM
SHEAR TOP of BOTTOM of TOP of
SURFACE SURFACE of
STRESS BASE BASE SUBBASE
COURSE COURSE SUBBASE
τmax（Pa）
NONLINEAR 26422 225643 179069 63281 37046 21801
350MPa 26294 225486 178933 63345 37061 21919
190MPa 24517 222929 176605 63820 36168 25038

7.CONCLUSIONS

Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.4, October, 2003
 425

From the analyses as before,we can draw these conclusions as below finally.

1. The deflection of the load center of the nonlinear case is smaller than that of the linear
case before the load attains 100% for the subgrade subjected to a single wheel load.
2. Compared with the nonlinear elastic theory,the linear elastic theory exaggerates the
deflection of the undergroud and the place around the load for the subgrade.
3. Nonlinear factors have little effect on the vertical stress along the axis and radial direction
of the load for the subgrade subjected to a single wheel load.
4. Because of the nonlinear property of the subgrade,the determination of the moduli for the
subgrade and the hemi-rigid subbase is greatly affected,but the hemi-rigid base slightly
affected.
5. For the whole road structure,the changes of the modulus of the subgrade slightly influence
the vertical stress and the max shear stress along the load axis,but greatly influence the
lateral stress.And the results of the nonlinear case are equal to that of the case whose
modulus of subgrade is determined under the low control load grade.

REFERENCES

Zhang,Q.S.(1993)Finite Element Method in Road Engineering.People Communication

Press,Beijing.

Zhu,Z.H.,Wang,B.G. and Guo,D.Z.(1988)Mechanics Computing of Pavement.People

Communication Press,Beijing.

Yao,Z.K.(1994)Road Subgrade and Pavement Engineering.Tongji University

Press,Shanghai.

Huang,Y.X.(1998)Pavement Analysis and Design,People Communication Press,Beijing.

Zeng,D.R,Ling,T.Q. and Wang,S.J.(1997)Computing Deformation and Stress of Flexible

Pavement by Nonlinear FEM,Journal of Chongqing Jiaotong
Institute,Vol.16,No.2,27-36.

Xia,Y.X.,Hu,Q.A. and Yin,G.S.(1995)Elasto-Plastic Analysis on Three Layers of Flexible

Pavement,Journal of Xi’an Highway University,Vol.15,No.3,11-21.

Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.4, October, 2003