Caracterização geotécnica de estradas não pavimentadas de baixo volume de tráfego: estudo de caso

Abstract

Low volume roads (LVR) play an important role as part of a national road network, because they complement national and regional network and represent a considerable extension of the existing road network, being of great social and economic development. In most countries, the LVR networks integrate unpaved roads, usually established in a perspective of connecting to more remote places and / or located in areas that, in many cases, integrate ecological and agricultural protected zones. The present study aims to study an unpaved LVR in the region of the Montesinho natural park, due to its importance in the valorization of this natural park. Furthermore, it ensures access between two dams that supply the localities of the region of Bragança. This road requires periodic maintenance by the managing body of the road, specifically the Municipal Chamber of Bragança, in order to ensure the safety and comfort of those who use it, without altering natural and seminatural landscapes and the ecological diversity of the place. Proper maintenance of this road requires that the structural and functional state of the road be evaluated periodically, involving a predominantly geotechnical characterization, because it is unpaved (not coated with bituminous layers). Therefore, to reach the objectives of this work, the road surface, the transversal profile and the drainage system were analyzed. For structural evaluation, it was necessary to divide the extension into homogeneous sections, using the method of Cumulative Difference, proposed by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The division was performed by analyzing the results of plate load tests and the dynamic penetrometer light tests. Based on the sections, the representative point of each section was estimated, to perform the granulometry, Proctor, California Bearing Ratio (CBR), and CBR in situ tests.