Analysis of generic correlations of deflections in road recover and the impact on public investments

Abstract

The road network under federal administration extends over sixty thousand kilometers, whose restoration has as its main design parameter the measure of recoverable deflection on the existing pavement surface, for which there are various equipment available for the execution of field surveys, especially the FWD and the benkelman beam. However, the pavement reinforcement sizing methods standardized by the National Department of Transport Infrastructure (DNIT) recommend the use of deflection measurements obtained using benkelman beam, thus requiring correlation of the deflection measurement obtained by other equipment. For this correlation, there are several proposed equations, however these are generic equations that do not consider specific characteristics and environmental conditions that are subject to the pavement. In this sense, this study seeks to present the influence of the use of generic equations to correlate these measurements, demonstrating by means of a technical comparative analysis the divergence between pavement restoration solutions dimensioned through genuine deflection measurements and correlated measurements, including analyzing the influence of correlation in the application of public resources in road maintenance, demonstrating the damage to the budget caused by the use of generic premises.