On a Certain Method of Selection of Domain for Finite Element Modelling of the Layered Elastic Half-Space in the Static Analysis of Flexible Pavement

In the flexible road pavement design a mechanistic model of a multilayered half-space with linear elastic or viscoelastic layers is usually used for the pavement analysis.

This paper describes a domain selection for the purpose of a FE model creating of the linear elastic layered half-space and boundary conditions on borders of that domain. This FE model should guarantee that the key components of displacements, stresses and strains obtained using ABAQUS program would be in particular identical with those ones obtained by analytical method using VEROAD program.

It to achieve matching results with both methods is relatively easy for stresses and strains. However, for displacements, using FEM to obtain correct results is (understandably) highly problematic due to infinity of half-space. This paper proposes an original method of overcoming these difficulties.