Análise de desempenho à fadiga de misturas asfálticas por meio da simulação no software LVECD

Abstract

The understanding of the behavior of asphalt mixtures and their performance evaluations against the fatigue phenomenon are extremely relevant in the pavement scenario. Through these analyzes, it is possible to previously infer the materials lifespans, which leads to more efficient planning and decision making, in order to save resources. It is known that the fatigue phenomenon is one of the main types of pathology found in Brazilian highways. Therefore, this study sought to evaluate fifty-eight asphalt mixtures, in order to understand their behaviors and to rank them, according to their performances. The work is based on the uniaxial cyclic tensile-compression test and on the application of the Simplified Viscoelastic Continuum Damage (S-VECD) model to make the simulation of the mixtures in the LVECD (Layered Viscoelastic Pavement Analysis for Critical Distresses) software. From this, it was possible to evaluate the damage accumulated over time, as well as to simulate the cracked area for the respective mixtures, from the Nascimento (2015) transfer function. Thus, the performances of the pavements formed by the mixtures were estimated, so that the mixtures could be classified against fatigue. It was possible to notice that the mixtures with polymer-modified binder presented the best performances against the pathology, showing regular and substantial results. Finally, the fatigue strength of the mixtures was correlated with their resistance to permanent deformation, in order to make a general classification of the studied materials