Estudo experimental e computacional de um protótipo de telhado verde com bromélias

Abstract

This work develops a mathematical and computational modeling based on an experimental study on the precipitation holding capacity of a green roof prototype with bromeliads over 25 months. The work was divided into 4 stages, according to the population growth of these plants, and sets of experimental tests carried out in 4 different periods. It is a water transport model in an “atmosphere-plant-soil” system. From the definition of the initial input parameters in the HYDRUS-1D computational model, long term simulations were carried out in order to determine the hydraulic behavior of the studied system. Through small modifications of these parameters, adjustments were performed, aiming for the application in simulations of isolated events, in order to compare the output data of these simulations with the experimental results. The resulting flows for the initial and intermediate phases showed a maximum difference of 9,45% in relation to the equivalent experimental events. Given the results considered valid, the computational model proved to be an efficient tool for the study of the flow in green roofs built with similar configurations. The results suggest that the hydrological processes in the prototype are strongly influenced by the soil hydraulic properties and the initial soil condition, defined in terms of pressure head, before the start of the event, which is strongly dependent on the actual evapotranspiration prior to the event.Também disponível on-line.