Análise paramétrica do comportamento de pavimentos semirrígidos sob diferentes condições de carga e variáveis estruturais

Abstract

This final project aims to perform a parametric analysis of the behavior of semi-rigid pavements under various loading conditions and structural parameters. In this context, the impact of different load levels, thicknesses, and resilience moduli of the cement-treated graded gravel (CGCB) base course, as well as the resilience moduli of the subgrade, was assessed on pavement performance prediction. To estimate pavement service life, three main failure modes were considered: fatigue, permanent deformation, and surface deflection. Consequently, the AEMC program was used to perform computational simulations, as it provides stress, deformation, and displacement data, thus enabling pavement service life analyses, taking into account the influence of each of the established variables. This study determined approximately 24 distinct semi-rigid pavement structure scenarios, simulated individually for loads of 8.2, 10, 11.25, and 12 tons, totaling approximately 96 simulations. However, the results showed that increasing the BGTC's resilient modulus had a negative impact on fatigue life, which proved to be the most critical failure criterion. Meanwhile, thicker base layers significantly increased service life cycles, representing the most significant parameter for pavement performance in terms of fatigue and permanent deformation. Overloading has a direct impact on pavement behavior, significantly reducing its durability, especially when related to the surface deflection criterion and low-stiffness subgrades. Therefore, this study emphasizes the importance of monitoring the weight of commercial vehicles, as well as the adoption of best practices for pavement design.