A Study of Influence of Temperature on Crack Propagation Behavior of Asphalt Concrete
The fracture resistance of asphalt materials significantly influences the service life of asphalt pavements and consequently affects the maintenance and rehabilitation costs of the pavement network. Therefore, there is significant interest in understanding the mechanism of fracture in asphalt pavements and in developing analysis tools that would lead to the selection of asphalt materials with increased fracture resistance. Study of cracking behavior of asphalt mixtures should be conducted in a micro-scale level to have a real simulation of crack propagation. Using SIEMENS SOMATOM plus X-ray CT (computerized tomography) and multi-functional testing rig, a dynamic observation of cracking propagation of hot mix asphalt was conducted in this research. Failure process under compressive pressure was recorded using CT images and CT numbers. The direct responses in density change of Marshall Samples under a CT-compressive process are change of CT numbers. Cracking propagation in the samples can be clearly observed and failure mode and stress-strain behavior can then be simulated. The tests reported provide important theoretical fundamentals to study the cracking behavior and failure mechanism of asphalt mixtures Under the influence of temperaturet.
Development of a new yielding criterion: The Yeh-Stratton criterion
Abstract A new criterion responsible for the first yielding of a material is presented: the Yeh-Stratton criterion (the Y-S criterion). The Y-S criterion requires three yield strengths in simple tension, compression and torsion. It can be shown that the Y-S criterion is applicable to a brittle material as well as to a ductile material. The yield surface of the Y-S criterion is bounded and compatible in the σ-τ plane, the σ1-σ3 plane and the σ1-σ2-σ3 plane. It also predicts the angle of failure.
The micro-mechanical behaviour of artificially cemented sand particles under compression and shear
The mechanical behaviour of cemented sands at macro-scale has been widely studied in the past, while there is still a lack of laboratory test data for the micro-mechanical response. Therefore, a series of uniaxial compression and tangential shear tests on artificially cemented sand particles have been conducted using a microscope to observe their behaviour. First, the consistency of cemented particles with different cementing agents is discussed. Three breakage modes are proposed according to the images taken using a microscope camera. A new parameter named ‘local roundness at contact’ is introduced to emphasise the effect of contact morphology on sample strength. Moreover, the effect of bond thickness on the mechanical response of cemented particles has been investigated. Finally, the shear strength parameters of artificially cemented sand samples have been determined for two different sample diameters.