Nonlinear Numerical Model for a Vehicle-Pavement Coupled System Considering Pavement Roughness

Considering pavement roughness, this study on a vehicle-pavement coupled system was mainly based on the linear elastic model in frequency domain. The nonlinear dynamic numerical model for the system was established using finite element method. The model could simulate the movement and jumping of vehicles in the time domain. The results for the new model were verified, and they showed that the new model could reflect the true vibration between vehicle and pavement. The new model indicated that the pavement roughness was severe, and the vibration displacement of the pavement was large. Results showed that the maximum displacement of the C-level road roughness was 1.31 times than that of the A-level road roughness under the same condition. However, the vibration frequency of the pavement is not significantly affected by the roughness.