Abstract

A large research project on foamed bitumen (FB) stabilisation was conducted in New Zealand. The project consisted of an extensive laboratory and full-scale testing of FB pavements. The objective of this paper is to interpret the performance of FB pavements by using finite-element (FE) modelling. The mechanical properties of the materials were calculated using testing data and used as material inputs in the FE modelling. The Mohr-Coulomb and Drucker-Prager material models were adopted to calculate plastic deformation, which is related to pavement rutting. Results of the modelling indicate that increasing the FB content increases the tensile strength and modulus of the pavements, reducing the plastic deformations in the subgrade and the stabilised layer. In addition, adding FB reduces sensitivity to rutting when pavement is overloaded or the asphalt surface layer is cracked. © 2012 Taylor & Francis.