Cao Zhonglu, Cao Dianguang, Chang Haolei, Fu Yaoguo, Shen Xiyuan, Huang Weiping, Wang Huiping, Bao Wanlu, Feng Chao, Tong Zheng, Lin Xiaopeng, Zhang Weiguang
Tianjin Port Engineering Institute Co., Ltd., of CCCC First Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd., Tianjin 300222, China.
CCCC First Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd., Tianjin 300461, China.
Materials (Basel). 2025 Jul 16;18(14):3336. doi: 10.3390/ma18143336.
Structural cracks are internal distresses that cannot be observed from pavement surfaces. However, the existing evaluation methods for asphalt pavement structures lack the consideration of these cracks, which are crucial for accurate pavement assessment and effective maintenance planning. This study develops a novel framework combining a three-dimensional (3D) ground penetrating radar (GPR) and finite element modeling (FEM) to evaluate the severity of structural cracks. First, the size and depth development of structural cracks on a four-layer asphalt pavement were determined using the 3D GPR. Then, the range of influence of the structural crack on structural bearing capacity was analyzed based on 3D FEM simulation model. Structural cracks have a distance-dependent diminishing influence on the deflection in the horizontal direction, with the most pronounced effects within a 20-cm width zone surrounding the cracks. Finally, two indices have been proposed: the pavement structural crack index (PSCI) to assess the depth of crack damage and the structural crack reflection ratio (SCRR) to evaluate surface reflection. Besides, PSCI and SCRR are used to classify the severities of structural cracks: none, low, and high. The threshold between none/low damage is a structural crack damage rate of 0.19%, and the threshold between low/high damage is 0.663%. An experiment on a 132-km expressway indicated that the proposed method achieved 94.4% accuracy via coring. The results also demonstrate the strong correlation between PSCI and pavement deflection (R = 0.92), supporting performance-based maintenance strategies. The results also demonstrate the correlation between structural and surface cracks, with 65.8% of the cracked sections having both structural and surface cracks.
结构性裂缝是无法从路面表面观察到的内部病害。然而，现有的沥青路面结构评价方法没有考虑这些裂缝，而这些裂缝对于准确的路面评估和有效的养护规划至关重要。本研究开发了一种结合三维（3D）探地雷达（GPR）和有限元建模（FEM）的新型框架，以评估结构性裂缝的严重程度。首先，使用3D GPR确定了四层沥青路面上结构性裂缝的尺寸和深度发展情况。然后，基于3D FEM模拟模型分析了结构性裂缝对结构承载能力的影响范围。结构性裂缝对水平方向挠度的影响随距离减小，在裂缝周围20厘米宽的区域内影响最为显著。最后，提出了两个指标：用于评估裂缝损伤深度的路面结构裂缝指数（PSCI）和用于评估表面反射的结构裂缝反射率（SCRR）。此外，PSCI和SCRR用于对结构性裂缝的严重程度进行分类：无、低和高。无/低损伤之间的阈值是结构裂缝损伤率0.19%，低/高损伤之间的阈值是0.663%。在一条132公里长的高速公路上进行的试验表明，所提出的方法通过取芯实现了94.4%的准确率。结果还表明PSCI与路面挠度之间具有很强的相关性（R = 0.92），支持基于性能的养护策略。结果还表明了结构性裂缝与表面裂缝之间的相关性，65.8%的开裂路段同时存在结构性裂缝和表面裂缝。
