Numerical visco-elastoplastic constitutive modelization of creep recovery tests on hot mix asphalt

This paper discusses a visco-elastoplastic constitutive model to analyze the creep deformability of asphalt concretes at high service temperatures, finalized to improve the interpretation of permanent deformation phenomenon and performance design of road pavements. A three dimensional constitutive visco-elastoplastic model is introduced, in tensor as well as in numerical form. The associated uniaxial model is used to arrange a plastic element in series with the viscoelastic component. The latter is defined by an elastic spring placed in parallel with three Maxwell elements. Three different hardening laws, namely isotropic, kinematic and mixed hardening, are included in the constitutive model to compare the creep deformability. The proposed constitutive model has been calibrated and validated on the basis of uniaxial creep-recovery test results at 40 °C. This is performed with a high performance hot mix asphalt concrete (HP-HMA) at different stresses and loading times. Depending on the hardening law considered, permanent deformation data predicted by the proposed model results are reasonably consistent with the experimental creep-recovery data. A rational constitutive model that is physically congruent with the creep phenomenon of asphalt concretes was developed and calibrated to achieve a deeper understanding of the stress-strain response of such materials. The fundamental relevance of an appropriate plastic response modeling, in the study of the creep behavior of asphalt concretes for highway and road pavements.