Finite element model of airport rigid pavement structure based on ABAQUS

Based on ABAQUS software, the stress and deflection convergences of a slab with four free edges resting on Winkler foundation were analyzed.Appropriate continuum element type, mesh fineness and plane dimension for finite element model of jointed rigid pavement were studied.According to the concept of contributing areas, the stiffnesses of nodes along joint were distributed, and spring elements were set at corresponding points of abutting concrete boards to simulate force transfer among concrete boards.A comprehensive 3D finite element model to analyze the structural response of rigid pavement system was developed and verified.The transfer coefficients of joint loads for the model and a regress model were compared.Comparison result indicates that in the finite element model, second-order element C3D27 or C3D27R is most appropriate when considering interlayer contact.Relevant element dimensions should not exceed half of slab thickness.The maximum plane size of the model should be four times of relative stiffness radius.The element SPRING2 can be adopted to simulate the load transfer of joints in which stiffness are distributed to nodes based on their contributing areas.