Comparative analysis of pavements designed by the empirical (DNER) and mechanistic methods and proposal of a simplified catalog of pavements for the area of Campo Grande (MS)

Author(s)

Rogerio Silveira Bezerra Neto

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Carlos.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC/SBD)
• Defense date: 2004-02-19

Examining board members

Alexandre Benetti Parreira; Laura Maria Goretti da Motta; Salomão Pinto

• Advisor: Alexandre Benetti Parreira

Abstract

This study has as main objective to compare structures of flexible pavements designed by two different methods, the DNER empirical method and the mechanistic method, being considered some paving materials used in the area of Campo Grande, state of Mato Grosso do Sul. As secondary objectives, it can stand out the obtaining of the mechanical properties of these materials and the proposal of a simplified catalog of flexible pavements for the referred area. For the accomplishment of the research, typical materials of subgrade, base course and surface layer were collected. After their characterizations, tests of compaction, CBR and repeated load were executed. The mechanistic analyses were accomplished being used the software FEPAVE, that takes into account the non-linear resilient modulus of the materials, being considered the reliability criterion. Starting from the comparative analysis of the design methods, it was observed that the structures established by the mechanistic method can be identical, more slender or less slender to the ones obtained by the empirical method, depending on the type of the material that constitutes the layers and the reliability level adopted. It was also verified that the characterization of the materials by repeated load tests (resilient modulus, fatigue’s life and permanent deformation) is indispensable when one want to project a pavement being used the mechanistic method. Finally, a simplified catalog of flexible pavements was elaborated for the area of Campo Grande – MS, with the intentions of to contemplate the use of local materials and to aid the engineers in the conception of their projects (AU)