Abstract
Using stress and strain in pavement design has become more prevalent through mechanistic-empirical design methods. Stresses and strains at any layer of the pavement determine the overall performance of such structure. Thus, the redistribution of these stresses and strains affects the stability of the pavement structure. Over the years, tree roots in pavement layers have contributed to its failure, although different recommendations to obviate the tree-roots effect have been suggested by arboriculturists and only a few contributions have been made by pavement engineers. Consequently, to date, pavement structure still experiences failure. However, with the help of the finite element model, the impact of tree roots in flexible pavement structure can be simulated and its effect on the stress and strain redistribution in pavement layers can be examined. The result of this study indicates that more stress is generated in overlay layers (asphalt and base layer) due to the presence of tree roots, which may later lead to cracks.