Evaluation of construction and demolition waste in the design of the reinforcement layer for flexible pavements

Abstract

The global production of construction and demolition waste has increased significantly over the past few decades, causing environmental problems due to its irregular disposition. The use of recycled materials has therefore increased in this period, mainly aiming at sustainable development and protection of the environment. At the same time, the paving industry is being affected by the decrease in the availability of natural resources and an alternative is being sought to replace these. In this context, this article assesses the use of construction and demolition waste (RCD) as aggregates of asphalt mixtures in the design of the reinforcement layer for flexible pavements. In this study, residues from works of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF) were used, which were used as aggregates in asphalt mixtures of the cold pre-mixed type (PMF). The materials were initially characterized and the asphalt mixtures produced with the RCD aggregates were evaluated mechanically, through resistance, stiffness and fatigue tests. Subsequently, the properties of the mixtures produced together with UFJF's ring-road pavement retroanalysis data were inserted in a flexible pavement sizing software (MeDiNa) and compared with a mixture with natural aggregates, in order to analyze the possibility of such materials as a floor reinforcement layer. Based on the results, the recycled aggregates used in the research by means of cold mixtures showed satisfactory characterization and mechanical qualities. Two of the studied mixtures showed applicability as a possible reinforcement layer for the flexible pavement of the UJFJ ring road, showing a good alternative in relation to hot mixtures and with natural aggregates, since they have economic and ecological potential.