Finite Element Analysis of Coir Fiber Reinforced Bituminous Pavements

International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume V, Issue XI, November 2018 | ISSN 2321–2705

Finite Element Analysis of Coir Fiber Reinforced Bituminous Pavements

Shaina Hashim, Satyakumar M

Local Self Government Department, Government of Kerala

Abstract: – The maintenance of rural roads is becoming an increasing challenge as a result of the rapid growth of the network and increase in traffic volume. Fiber reinforcement of bituminous mixes can be easily adopted in rural road construction without any appreciable increase in construction cost. Only limited studies are there in the field of thin bituminous mixes used for rural road. Coir fiber has been used as the reinforcement for bituminous mix based on laboratory studies. A three layer pavement system was considered for the study comprising of subgrade, base and surface course. The pavement system was modelled using two dimensional finite element method and the tensile strain in the interface between bituminous layer and base and compressive strain above the subgrade are determined; which are the design criteria for design of pavement in M-E method. The increase in service life of the pavements is expressed as Traffic Benefit Ratio (TBR). This study has shown that coir fiber reinforcement when correctly introduced can reduce the rutting and improve the life of pavements even in thin bituminous pavements.

Key Words: – Coir fiber, Finite element method, Mechanistic –Empirical method, Traffic benefits ratio, Service life

I. INTRODUCTION

Mechanistic – Empirical method of design is based on the mechanics of materials that relates input, such as wheel load, to an output or pavement response. In pavement design, the responses are the stresses, strains, and deflections within a pavement structure and the physical causes are the loads and material properties of the pavement structure. The relationship between these phenomena and their physical causes are typically described using some mathematical models. The most common of them is layered elastic model. The pavement has been modeled as a three layer structure and stresses and strains at critical locations have to be computed. Failure criteria adopted are fatigue cracking and rutting failure of bituminous mixes.

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