Abstract

A hydro-mechanical analysis of a pavement is presented in which the variation of the water content is considered for the estimation of modulus of elasticity of the layers of soil in the pavement. To do this, the Richards differential equation and equilibrium in the axi-symmetric condition are solved simultaneously, considering a non-linear elasticity that depends on the suction and stress state in the soil. With this type of analysis, it is possible to quantify the variation of the damage with respect to time and visualize the deterioration of the pavement structures. It is considered a practical case in which the increase in damage is quantified in function of the variation of environmental conditions and conclusions are obtained.