Dynamic Response of Layered Media to Impact Loading (on the Example of Highways)

Introduction. The main way to assess the load-bearing capacity of road structures (which are layered media consisting of materials of different stiffness) is through impact testing. The analysis of the results of these tests is reduced to the consideration of only peak values of vertical displacements without taking into account the change of these parameters in the frequency and time range. At the same time, it is the study of amplitude-frequency characteristics of displacements that can allow solving a number of urgent problems related, for example, to bringing the actual values of vertical displacements to the values under the design modes of operation of the structure.The purpose of the study is to analyze the dynamic response of layered media (road structures) of automobile roads to impact loading, aimed at bringing the actual parameters of the dynamic response to the design values regulated by the requirements of domestic regulatory documents on road design.Materials and Methods. Modern shock loading facilities allow to reproduce the load with a pulse time of 0.03 s, while the design values of elastic moduli are calculated for 0.1 s. To overcome this contradiction, the authors realized an exact solution of the dynamic Lame equation for a multilayered half-space and constructed a series of amplitude-frequency characteristics of displacements, from the processing of which a simplified functional dependence was derived.Results. The methodology of construction of amplitude-frequency characteristics of displacements on the surface of road pavement under impact impact has been developed, which finds its practical application. On the basis of the exact solution of the dynamic Lame equation by means of statistical processing, a simplified regression dependence for vertical displacements is established. An example of calculation of the elastic moduli of the road structure layers taking into account their reduction depending on the time of load application is presented.Discussion and Conclusion. Within the framework of the study, for the first time, a methodology for bringing the actual values of vertical displacements to the values under the design modes of operation of a road structure, based entirely on the computational analysis of its dynamic VAT, in particular, the amplitude-frequency characteristic of deformation under unsteady impact, has been obtained. The developed approach is able to significantly increase the reliability of diagnostics of highway condition, as well as to ensure the unity of measurements and results obtained during the design and diagnostics of roads.