Creep response of bituminous mixtures—rheological model and microstructural interpretation

The main failure mechanisms of flexible pavements, such as low-temperature cracking, fatigue failure, and rutting are strongly influenced by the viscoelastic properties of asphalt. These viscoelastic properties originate from the thermorheological behavior of bitumen, the binder material of asphalt. In this paper, the bitumen behavior is studied by means of a comprehensive experimental program, allowing the identification of viscoelastic parameters of a power-law type creep model, indicating two time scales (short-term and long-term) within the creep deformation history of bitumen. Moreover, these characteristics of the creep deformation transfer towards bitumen-inclusion mixtures, as illustrated for mastic, consisting of bitumen and filler. For this purpose, the aforementioned power-law creep model is implemented into a micromechanical framework. Finally, the activation of the different creep mechanisms as a function of the loading rate is discussed, using viscoelastic properties obtained from both static and cyclic creep tests.     

Linear viscoelastic behavior of asphalt and asphalt based mastic

The rheological properties of an asphalt mastic and its matrix are investigated. For the purpose of comparison a sample of thermal aged asphalt matrix is also considered. Dynamic and creep shear measurements are reported. The reduced shear rate concept proposed by Ohl and Gleissle is used to correlate mechanical properties of the three materials at the same temperature. We found that the concept gives only qualitative trends. A similar conclusion is found concerning the applicability of the time-temperature superposition principle for each sample. Our experimental results show also that the increase in viscosity due to thermal treatment or to the inclusion of solid particles is not uniform with temperature. The differences in the increase of the Vogel temperature from the asphalt to the mastic, or to the thermally aged asphalt, relate to the different mechanisms involved. Sedimentation of steel spheres in asphalt and mastic, is studied next. The Newtonian wall correction factor for the Stokes drag law holds for the three samples. Despite the similar behavior observed in conventional shear tests, Stokes' law gives the correct trend for the two asphalts although it overestimates the experimental settling velocity by a factor of approximately two in the case of the mastic. Received: 8 June 1999/Accepted: 19 October 1999     

A non-linear uniaxial integral constitutive equation incorporating rate effects,creep and relaxation

A previously proposed first order non-linear differential equation for uniaxial viscoplasticity, which is non-linear in stress and strain but linear in stress and strain rates, is transformed into an equivalent integral equation. The proposed equation employs total strain only and is symmetric with respect to the origin and applies for tension and compression. The limiting behavior for large strains and large times for monotonic, creep and relaxation loading is investigated and appropriate limits are obtained. When the equation is specialized to an overstress model it is qualitatively shown to reproduce key features of viscoplastic behavior. These include: initial linear elastic or linear viscoelastic response: immediate elastic slope for a large instantaneous change in strain rate normal strain rate sensitivity and non-linear spacing of the stress-strain curves obtained at various strain rates; and primary and secondary creep and relaxation such that the creep (relaxation) curves do not cross. Isochronous creep curves are also considered. Other specializations yield wavy stress-strain curves and inverse strain rate sensitivity. For cyclic loading the model must be modified to account for history dependence in the sense of plasticity.     

Finite deformation of a polymer: experiments and modeling

The response of a polymer (polytetrafluoroethylene) to quasi-static and dynamic loading is determined and modeled. The polytetrafluoroethylene is extremely ductile and highly nonlinear in elastic as well as plastic behaviors including elastic unloading. Constitutive model developed earlier by Khan, Huang and Liang (KHL) is extended to include the responses of polymeric materials. The strain rate hardening, creep, and relaxation behaviors of polytetrafluoroethylene were determined through extensive experimental study. Based on the observation that both viscoelastic and viscoplastic deformation of polytetrafluoroethylene are time dependent and nonlinear, a phenomenalogical viscoelasto–plastic constitutive model is presented by a series connection of a viscoelastic deformation module (represented by three elements standard solid spring dashpot model), and a viscoplastic deformation module represented by KHL model. The KHL module is affected only when the stress exceeds the initial yield stress. The comparison between the predictions from the extended model and experimental data for uniaxial static and dynamic compression, creep and relaxation demonstrate that the proposed constitutive model is able to represent the observed time dependent mechanical behavior of polytetrafluoroethylene polytetrafluoroethylene qualitatively and quantitatively.     

A thermo-viscoelastic–viscoplastic–viscodamage constitutive model for asphaltic materials

A temperature-dependent viscodamage model is proposed and coupled to the temperature-dependent Schapery’s nonlinear viscoelasticity and the temperature-dependent Perzyna’s viscoplasticity constitutive model presented in Abu Al-Rub et al., 2009, Huang et al., in press in order to model the nonlinear constitutive behavior of asphalt mixes. The thermo-viscodamage model is formulated to be a function of temperature, total effective strain, and the damage driving force which is expressed in terms of the stress invariants of the effective stress in the undamaged configuration. This expression for the damage force allows for the distinction between the influence of compression and extension loading conditions on damage nucleation and growth. A systematic procedure for obtaining the thermo-viscodamage model parameters using creep test data at different stress levels and different temperatures is presented. The recursive-iterative and radial return algorithms are used for the numerical implementation of the nonlinear viscoelasticity and viscoplasticity models, respectively, whereas the viscodamage model is implemented using the effective (undamaged) configuration concept. Numerical algorithms are implemented in the well-known finite element code Abaqus via the user material subroutine UMAT. The model is then calibrated and verified by comparing the model predictions with experimental data that include creep-recovery, creep, and uniaxial constant strain rate tests over a range of temperatures, stress levels, and strain rates. It is shown that the presented constitutive model is capable of predicting the nonlinear behavior of asphaltic mixes under different loading conditions.     

Damage Evolution and Crack Propagation in Semicircular Bending Asphalt Mixture Specimens

The damage and fracture behaviors of semicircular bending(SCB) asphalt mixture specimens with different orientation notches are experimentally and numerically investigated. In the numerical simulations, asphalt mixture is modeled as a two-phase material, namely a mix of coarse aggregates and asphalt mastic, and the mechanical behavior of asphalt mastic is characterized with the damage constitutive model and the damage-based fracture criterion. Some SCB experiments are performed on the asphalt mixture specimens with different orientation notches to validate the numerical method. Finally, the effects of notch orientation and aggregate distribution on crack path, damage distribution, and the load vs.displacement relation are numerically evaluated.     

胶凝原油蠕变的时间-温度-应力等效性

黏弹性蠕变是胶凝原油重要的流变特性,要描述胶凝原油的黏弹性蠕变行为,必须同时考虑 应力、时间和温度等参数. 于是对胶凝原油进行了不同应力和不同温度下的蠕变实验,利用 时间-温度-应力等效原理分析了胶凝原油的非线性蠕变行为,得到了参考应力和参考温度下 的蠕变主曲线,并用黏弹性流变模型拟合得到了蠕变主曲线的表达式. 从而可以分别通过较 高温度和应力水平下的短期蠕变行为来预测较低温度和应力水平下的长期蠕变行为.     

纤维沥青混凝土FRA黏弹性预测模型

纤维沥青混凝土FRA(Fiber reinforced asphalt concrete)的力学行为取决于沥青混合料和纤维的物理属性及几何特征。通过三参数固体模型,考虑纤维的几何特性,构造了一种预测FRA黏弹性行为模型,推导出该模型的本构方程、蠕变柔量和松弛模量表达式。采用该模型研究了纤维体积分、比半径和弹性模量等对FRA松弛模量和蠕变柔量的影响。结果表明,纤维掺入量和比半径对FRA的松弛模量和蠕变柔量影响较大,而弹性模量影响较小。通过试验,验证了FRA预测模型具有较高的精度。在研究试验范围内,SMA-13沥青混凝土的聚丙烯腈纤维(PAN)最佳掺入量和长径比分别为0.3%～0.4%和600～900。     

ANALYSIS OF MECHANICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF FROZEN CLAY AND MODIFIED S-M CREEP MODEL1)

为合理描述人工冻结法施工的矿井土层力学特性,对某矿井土样的重塑土进行单轴抗压强度实验和单轴压缩蠕变实验,得到重塑冻结黏土在不同温度及载荷加载等级下的应力-应变曲线和蠕变曲线。实验结果表明：冻结温度越低,土样的单轴强度越大;相同冻结温度下,土样的蠕变变形随着应力水平的升高而增大。单轴压缩蠕变的等时应力-应变曲线随时间发展向应变轴靠拢;土样经历初始蠕变和等速蠕变两个阶段,在较高应力水平下有进入加速蠕变的趋势;对S-M模型中各参数的意义进行修正并考虑温度的影响,得到人工冻结黏土改进S-M蠕变显式模型,然后采用粒子群算法对人工冻结黏土S-M蠕变模型参数进行优化。改进S-M蠕变显式模型理论计算值与实验值吻合良好,表明改进S-M蠕变显式模型能较好模拟人工冻结黏土的蠕变特性。改进S-M蠕变显式模型为人工冻土蠕变计算提供一种新方法。     

Theory of creep deformation with kinematic hardening for materials with different properties in tension and compression

A constitutive model for creep deformation that describes the loading-history-dependent behavior of initially isotropic materials with different properties in tension and compression under stress vector rotations limited by 50–60° is presented within a thermodynamic framework. In the proposed constitutive model a kinematic hardening rule is adopted. This model also introduces an effective equivalent stress in the creep potential that is based on the first and second invariants of the effective stress tensor, and on the joint invariant of the effective stress tensor and eigenvector associated with the maximum principal Cauchy stress. The formulation of the kinematic hardening rule is presented and discussed. All the material parameters in the model have been obtained from a series of proposed basic experiments with constant stresses. These model parameters are then used to predict the creep deformation of the aluminum alloy under multiaxial loading with constant stresses, and under non-proportional uniaxial and non-proportional multiaxial loadings for both isothermal and nonisothermal processes.     

非线性粘弹体的时间-温度-应力等效原理及其应用

考虑粘弹性材料特征时间的应力相关性,认为应力水平与温度、压力、溶剂浓度、损伤及老化等材料特征时间的影响相似,有其等效性。依自由体积理论,推导了温度－应力移位因子的表达式,提出了时间－温度－应力等 效原理。应用此原理,可以将不同温度和应力水平下的儒变曲线移位成某一参考温度和参考应力水平下的主曲线,从而可以通过较高温度和应力水平下的短期蠕变行为来预测较低温度和应力水平下的较长期的蠕变行为。实例分析了高密度聚乙烯（HDPE）非线性蠕变行为的－应力等效性。     

层间接触对沥青路面粘弹性动力响应影响研究

为分析沥青面层材料粘弹特性及路面各层间接触条件对沥青路面动力响应的影响,基于解析的方法,开展了层间非完全连续沥青路面粘弹性动力响应的求解工作．采用修正的Burgers模型定义沥青面层材料的粘弹性本构关系,考虑沥青路面层间接触条件,在车辆荷载作用下,建立沥青路面的理论计算模型;通过Laplace-Hankel积分变换将偏微分方程组转化为常微分方程组并对问题进行求解;采用转换矩阵表征层间接触条件,求得层间非完全连续沥青路面粘弹性动力响应的解析表达式．从沥青路面实例计算结果发现：修正的Burgers模型中的瞬时弹性模量参数是对弯沉计算结果影响最大的因素之一,路表弯沉随的增大呈下降趋势,特别是当较小时,这种趋势尤为明显;沥青混合料本构模型中的粘弹性修正系数B和黏性参数是影响路面路表弯沉计算结果的另两个重要因素,并且B和对弯沉峰值出现时间的影响具有相反的趋势;层间的非完全连续条件对沥青路面动态弯沉计算结果影响较大,并以面层与基层间的非完全连续对弯沉计算结果影响最为显著．     

Photovisco-elastoplastic behavior of polycarbonate material under creep and tension tests

Polymers are widely used as photomechanical models of a prototype material (often a metal). Photoplasticity is one of the methods used in order to show the behavior of plastic materials stressed beyond the linear elastic limit. To illustrate this process we have analyzed the photovisco-elastoplastic behavior of polycarbonate as a photoplastic material. In this paper a technique for local and simultaneous measurement of birefringence and principal strains is presented. The mechanical and optical properties, at room temperature, have been evaluated by means of uniaxial tension tests. A series of creep tests has been carried out in order to study the photovisco-elastoplastic behavior of polycarbonate. In two different experiments we analyzed nonlinear birefringence and the amplitude of the corresponding strains. We could thus evaluate the distribution of strains and the distribution of uniaxial stress for each birefringence state and vice versa.     

螺旋压缩弹簧应力松弛特性试验分析及其应用

本文通过应力松弛试验、理论推导及数值模拟研究了高温下螺旋压缩弹簧的应力松弛规律,并利用加速模型对工况下弹簧应力松弛服役寿命做出预测。首先,根据螺旋压缩弹簧的结构特点搭建了弹簧应力松弛连续动态测试装置,该装置不仅避免了传统测试方法存在的缺陷,而且能够保证试验过程中位移载荷恒定,并实时监测载荷变化。本文以某飞机舱门单锁机构中的螺旋压缩弹簧为试验对象进行了不同温度条件下的应力松弛试验,得到其松弛动力学曲线,并基于Arrhenius模型建立了弹簧在工况下的应力松弛服役寿命预测模型;其次,基于应力松弛和蠕变在本质上的一致性,结合金属材料蠕变规律并根据试验弹簧的受力特点,推导出用于描述试验材料松弛行为的蠕变本构方程,由试验结果获得该本构方程的材料常数;最后,通过该本构方程及材料常数,在ANSYS软件中对试验弹簧的松弛过程进行模拟,结果表明,模拟结果与试验结果误差不大于4%。因此,通过本文方法所建立的蠕变方程对弹簧在不同载荷条件下的应力松弛规律进行仿真分析具有一定的可行性与准确性。     

A grain-boundary model for polycrystals and sintered carbides

Experimental verification is given for the predicted action of a model depicting polycrystalline or sintered-carbide systems under stress as proposed by Drucker. The models employed consisted of a regular array of hexagonal bars of aluminum separated by asphalt “cement” layers of uniform thickness throughout. Construction of the models as well as the methods used to determine the viscoelastic properties of the asphalt are described in detail. The results of a series of creep tests, each at a constant load, are compared with the predicted behavior.     

Compression creep of molten poly (butylene terephthalate)

Viscoelastic parameters of poly(butylene terephthalate) melt in compression creep have been measured in an Instron Capillary Rheometer. Bulk compression creep complianceB(t) shows plateau regions in the molten state and in the melt crystallized state, both decreasing with increasing stress. Shifting ofB(t) curves provides master curves suitable for analyzing the total (superposed elastic and viscous) bulk compression behavior.Volume viscosity decreases with both increasing stresses and compression rates but seems to be independent of temperature. Its values are larger than those from constant compression rate experiments, possibly due to the presence of elastic effects.     

Time-temperature-stress equivalence and its application to nonlinear viscoelastic materials

Stress-dependence of the intrinsic time of viscoelastic materials is investigated. The influence of stress level on the intrinsic time is considered to be similar to that of temperature, pressure, solvent concentration, damage and physical aging. The time-temperature-stress equivalence principle is proposed, by employing which, the creep curves at different temperatures and stress levels can be shifted into a master curve at reference temperature and stress level. Thus the long-term creep behavior of viscoelastic materials at a lower temperature and stress can be predicted from the short-term one at a higher temperature and stress. As an example, the nonlinear creep behavior of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) at room temperature is studied using the time-temperature-stress equivalence principle presented. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 19632030, 50003005) and by the Education committee of Human Province (No. 99C122).     

丁基橡胶粘弹性材料的非线性蠕变本构描述

对丁基橡胶ZN-17粘弹性材料进行了不同温度、不同应力水平下的蠕变实验,揭示了该材料的非线性蠕变特性。基于蠕变实验结果,对标准线性固体模型描述该材料蠕变行为的预言能力进行了评估,提出了新的非线性蠕变本构模型。通过与实验结果比较,表明新模型能较好地描述该材料的非线性蠕变特性。     

Determination of Asphalt Binder Creep Compliance Using Depth-Sensing Indentation

Asphalt binders are common construction materials, however due to time- and temperature- dependence, their mechanical properties are often difficult to characterize. Several standard tests methods exist to describe their complex behavior. This paper presents an exploratory feasibility study of a flat-tip indentation testing to analyze the linear viscoelastic properties of asphalt binders. Depth-sensing indentation testing has been extensively used to characterize the properties of many engineering materials, however the applications to asphalt binders are very limited. This paper presents a simple solution for the creep compliance in tension derived for flat-tipped indenter. This solution was verified with the Finite Element Analysis and then applied to the experimental results from the indentation testing performed on one typical unmodified asphalt binder. The testing was conducted at three different low temperatures and under three different creep load levels to verity the linearity of the response, and to evaluate the robustness and applicability of the indentation method. Furthermore, the creep compliance functions determined from the indentation testing were compared with a more traditional 3-point bending experiments. The results show that there is a non-uniform discrepancy between the two testing methods, most likely due to nonlinear behavior of the asphalt binder at higher temperatures and micro-damage of the binder samples at lower temperatures. Other possible sources of error between indentation and 3-point bending are problems determining the initial tip-specimen contact surface and possible tip-specimen adhesion. It is concluded that flat-tipped indentation at low temperatures should be performed at lower load levels to avoid excessive stress concentrations that leads to micro-damage and nonlinear response of asphalt binders. Alternatively, asphalt binders at low temperatures could be evaluated using different indenter geometries, such as spherical or pyramidal, using corresponding parameter interpretation procedures.