Development of an indoor test method for anti-reflection cracking performance of asphalt overlays

To solve the problems of large specimen size and high dispersion in fatigue tests used to evaluate the anti-reflection cracking performance of asphalt overlays, an indoor test method based on small-sized composite specimens and CSIC (composite specimen interface cracking) specimens is developed. The effects of three sizes of glass fiber grating and the absence of grating on anti-reflection performance are compared and analyzed through fatigue tests, with three parallel specimens prepared for each condition. To evaluate the precision of the proposed method, an XFEM model is established using ABAQUS finite element software to simulate the cracking process of composite specimens and assess anti-reflection crack performance. The results show that the addition of glass fiber grating significantly improves ant-reflection cracking performance, consistent with trends observed in standard tests. Fatigue tests using CSIC specimens effectively improve test precision and reduce result dispersion. The grid participates integrally in the crack resistance process, and smaller grid sizes provide better anti-reflection performance. The ABAQUS simulation results further verify the feasibility of the proposed evaluation method.