Um estudo paramétrico sobre tensões, deformações e resistência à fadiga de pavimentos asfálticos

Abstract

In Brazil, the investment in infrastructure of transports has increased for both maintenance and foundation of highways. Although, the traffic growth rates, in volume and weight, in addition to the weather conditions, has produce dearly degradation of the pavements. In this context, the numeric analysis of pavement structures became more and more relevant to predict the behavior of the pavements. This work evaluates numerically the stress and strain in pavements, according the traffic loading, using Finite Element Method. Thereby, the estimation of that effect in the life cycle of the wearing course is done. Several numerical analyses are fulfilled considering changes in the physical features of pavement layers. The adopted values for the layers features are acquired from the literature considering the interval of values obtained from each material in use. Each analysis includes the calculation of the deflection and the strain, respectively, in the top and in the base of wearing course. The estimation of the necessary number of cycles for the fatigue in the wearing course is done by three models from the literature. The analysis indicates the subbase course as relevant to reduce the stress in the top of subgrade, while the base and wearing course influence more significantly in the deflections in the top of pavement and the fatigue in wearing course.