In situ mechanical response characteristics of Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) applied to semi-flexible asphalt pavements

Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART), featuring multi-axles, high tire pressure, and complete channelization, leads to severe rutting on conventional asphalt pavements. Semi-flexible pavement materials (SFP) were applied to ART corridors to mitigate rutting. Mechanical response characteristics were obtained by embedding sensors to understand the interaction between ART and SFP. Results found that the damage of corridor pavement shifted from rutting to top-down transverse cracking after adopting SFP. Nonresidual longitudinal tensile strains primarily caused top-down transverse cracking. The compressive stress at the bottom of corridor pavement caused by ART is 41%, 36%, and 58% higher than that of the BUS, respectively, under the condition of constant speed, acceleration, and deceleration. The maximum strain response caused by ART under a high-temperature environment was ten times higher than that of buses. These findings can provide data support for numerical simulations, material failures, and structural damage of ART corridors. Highlights 1. Mechanical responses of semi-flexible pavement materials influenced by Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) were first captured using sensors. 2. ART with high tire pressure exhibits a multi-axial cumulative effect in high-temperature conditions, resulting in pavement strains that can be up to ten times those of buses. 3. After adopting semi-flexible pavement, the damage in ART corridors shifted from rutting to top-down transverse cracking. 4. Nonresidual longitudinal tensile strains are the underlying cause of top-down transverse cracking.