Abstract

The objective of this study was to quantify pavement damage due to a conventional (385/65R22.5) and a new generation of wide‐base (445/50R22.5) tires using three‐dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) analysis. The investigated new generation of wide‐base tires has wider treads and greater load‐carrying capacity than the conventional wide‐base tire. In addition, the contact patch is less sensitive to loading and is especially designed to operate at 690kPa inflation pressure at 121km/hr speed for full load of 151kN tandem axle. The developed FE models simulated the tread sizes and applicable contact pressure for each tread and utilized laboratory‐measured pavement material properties. In addition, the models were calibrated and properly validated using field‐measured stresses and strains. Comparison was established between the two wide‐base tire types and the dual‐tire assembly. Results indicated that the 445/50R22.5 wide‐base tire would cause more fatigue damage, approximately the same rutting damage and less surface‐initiated top‐down cracking than the conventional dual‐tire assembly. On the other hand, the conventional 385/65R22.5 wide‐base tire, which was introduced more than two decades ago, caused the most damage.