Settlement on asphalt concrete pavement in permafrost regions under the dynamic load of aircraft

Abstract

The settlement in permafrost regions has a significant effect on the safety of the aircraft. Therefore, a numerical model of asphalt concrete pavement and subgrade in permafrost regions is proposed and verified by comparing with previous studies. Numerical models under the dynamic load of aircraft are used to analyze the settlement nephogram, time-dependent curve, and settlement curve. Results show that the influences of different parameters on settlements decrease slowly at the depth of 0–1.45m, then decrease quickly at the depth of 1.45-2m, finally tend to be stable. The peaks of settlements increase with the growth of international roughness index, taxiing speed, and aircraft’s weight. The settlement increases little when the international roughness index is more than 3. The settlement varies significantly when the taxiing speed is from 30m/s to 70m/s. The study provides a theoretical basis for the construction and maintenance of asphalt concrete pavement and subgrade in permafrost.