General surface loading over layered transversely isotropic pavements with imperfect interfaces

In this paper, we present an efficient and comprehensive approach to study the response of layered flexible pavements under general surface loading. Each layer can be transversely isotropic and the interface between the layers can be imperfect. Multiple surface loadings in both vertical and horizontal directions over circular regions can be applied. To handle efficiently multilayered pavements under very general loading and interface conditions, a new method called DVP (dual variable and position method) is proposed. The new method is computationally stable and can handle multiple imperfect interfaces very well in the multilayered pavement. The solution is further expressed in terms of the cylindrical system of vector functions so that the normal (dilatational) and shear (torsional) deformations can be separated and solved in terms of the LM- and N-types of this vector-function system. Various equivalent imperfect interface models are also investigated and their equivalence to the thin interface layer is further discussed.