Parâmetros elásticos típicos de materiais de pavimentos flexíveis do Rio Grande do Sul e sua aplicação em uma análise de custo/benefício

Abstract

The deployment of a modern road system, with all necessary infrastructure needed for users to travel in safety and comfort, requires high levels of financial investments. The expenses with substantial maintenance and early reconstruction of our tracks are unacceptable, as we have field and laboratory equipment that allows us for a better understanding of materials and design methods. Thus, this research had as general objectives structuring a database with materials and typical elastic parameters of flexible pavements of Rio Grande do Sul roads, through the process of modulus backcalculation, and determine the best structural options regarding the cost-benefit relationship, making flexible pavement project engineers job easier. There were got the resilient modules of five federal highways located in our state (BR 158, BR 285, BR 287, BR 290 e BR 392), through backcalculated deflectometric basins collected with FWD equipment, provided by DNIT. After the application of a statistical filter based on the coefficient of variation percentage, in order to eliminate the spurious data, a typical module database of the resilient materials evaluated was generated. Based on the data and on the literature, there were defined structural groups based on different structural assemblies through different combinations between resilient modules and thicknesses of layers commonly used in flexible pavements. Using mechanistic analysis concepts, it was evaluated by the AEMC software, specific tensile strains in lower fiber coating (t), and subgrade top compression (c), which, later subsidize the implementation of performance models for fatigue and permanent deformation consolidated in the literature, enabling obtaining the N number of standard axles for each structural assembly set. At the same time, using DNIT road cost system (SICRO II), pavement services were budget, determining the cost per km for the structures previously defined. Comparing the cost/km and critical N data (evaluated from the comparison of results obtained by the models of performance) there was obtained the cost/benefit ratio for all data sets. Evaluating the 100 most economic positions, it is observed that 100% of structural assemblies have the highest arbitrated asphalt concrete thicknesses (12.5 cm). It is also evident, the influence that the asphalt concrete has, as 88% of occurrences among the top 100 positions have the highest resilient arbitrated module. Thus, it is concluded that the variables that produce the best cost/benefit relationship are the modulus and the thickness of the asphalt concrete layer.