Modelagem numérico-experimental de reflexão de trincas

Abstract

This study proposes a numerical-experimental approach to predict the reflective cracking in asphalt pavements. The experimental part consists of obtaining the viscoelastic and fatigue properties of the asphalt mixtures, while the numerical part consists of the computational modeling of the problem using the finite element method (FEM) and the simplified viscoelastic continuous damage mechanics (S- VECD), through the program AEDCISO. The model developed was calibrated and applied to simulate the reflective cracking on an experimental scale, simulating the Overlay Test (OT), and on a real scale, simulating pavement structures. In the simulations of pavement structures, a parametric study and an application to real cases were made. The simulation results on an experimental scale demonstrated that the model was able to satisfactorily predict the failure of the asphalt mixtures used in the OT test. In real scale, the model demonstrated the sensitivity and capability to simulate the reflective cracking and to capture the influence of variables such as material properties, layer thicknesses and the presence of cracks. The model was not able to accurately predict the evolution of the cracked area observed in the field, but it was able to adequately rank the performance of the analyzed structures