Shakedown of multi-layered pavements under repeated moving surface loads

Shakedown theory can distinguish different long-term behaviours of elastic-plastic structures subjected to repeated or cyclic loads; therefore it has been suggested as a more rational theoretical foundation for pavement design. In this paper, a numerical step-by-step approach is used to obtain shakedown limits of pavements based on investigation of the development of residual stress fields in layered pavements under repeated moving surface loads. Analyses were conducted for two-layered and four-layered pavements assuming Mohr- Coulomb materials. The numerical results agree well with previous shakedown solutions obtained by Wang and Yu (2013b) using Melan's static shakedown theorem.