Avaliação estrutural e funcional de um pavimento rígido em via urbana do Recife - estudo de correlações.

Abstract

An experimental study aimed at the structural and functional evaluation of a rigid pavement, including the investigation of possible correlations between the results of the main tests used, was carried out in an important traffic corridor in the city of Recife. This corridor, with a length of 5 km and two lanes with 3 traffic lanes each, paved in concrete slabs of portland cement on sub-base of arenosiltoso material resting on a natural sandstone sublime, was opened to traffic for 15 years and presents an average daily volume of 19,000 vehicles per track. The "in situ" tests included, among others, load test on plates, CBR and pressiométricos in the central bed, the sub-base levels and the subgrade and sclerometric tests in the concrete plates of the coating. Soil samples from said layers were collected and the plates were extracted for laboratory testing. Dynamic in situ tests with the falling weight deflectometer (FWD) were also performed. It was found, among other parameters analyzed, a 23% increase in the compressive strength of concrete during these 15 years. The pavement was shown to be responsive to the traffic actions it underwent, according to the "erosion" and "fatigue" criteria of the Portland Cement Association. The pavement condition index, developed by the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, and adopted by the DNER, was rated "very good". From interrelationships and comparisons with reference parameters in the literature, a set of indicators of the compatibility and reliability of the results was reached. The usefulness of the sclerometric and ultrasonic tests was confirmed in the verification of the homogeneity of the concrete, the latter also being used to evaluate the elastic properties. At the same time the advantages of "FWD" have been shown, given the speed and volume of information it provides. On the basis of correlations between results of several tests, the feasibility of using the results of the CBR "in situ" test and the pressure test was evaluated in the evaluation of the reaction module, in a faster and less expensive way, than in the test test of load on plates, originally used.