Numerical Simulation in Compaction and Water Drainage of Porous Asphalt Concrete

This project aims to develop a numerical method to investigate the response of loose porous asphalt mixtures under compaction and how water drains through porous asphalt concrete. The research method will include a comparative study between numerical simulation and experimental validation. Loose asphalt mixtures with proper designs will be compacted in laboratory using common compaction method such as gyratory compaction. The air void content and air void distribution during the compaction process will be obtained. In the numerical simulation, the particle deformation and air void distribution during compaction will also be achieved through internal monitoring. The experimental test results and the numerical simulation will be compared so that the numerical simulation can be validated with proper calibration.
For the water drainage simulation, the computational fluid dynamics will be coupled with discrete element method to study the water flow in a porous media. Similarly, experimental validation will be conducted for the water drainage process. Finally, a parametric study will be conducted to find out the relation between the air void property and the water flow characteristics in porous asphalt concrete. Eventually, the numerical simulation can help find out the optimum design and compaction method for porous concrete in terms of water drainage purpose.