Tecnologia aplicada à avaliação das estruturas dos pavimentos aeroportuários

Este trabalho trata da avaliação das estruturas dos pavimentos aeroportuários, aplicando tecnologias modernas e não destrutivas. A pesquisa busca demonstrar a complexidade das estruturas de pavimentos e sua interface com as cargas e o meio ambiente, principalmente no contexto aeroportuário, que é composto por diversos fatores de risco e de difícil controle, além da necessidade de garantir a qualidade e a segurança. Foram analisados os conceitos básicos de pavimentação com ênfase nas especificidades dos pavimentos aeroportuários como sistema interativo entre aeronave e pavimento, relação configurada pelo método ACN/PCN (Aircraft Classification Number/ Pavement Classifcation Number). Apresenta-se a metodologia de gestão de pavimentos e os benefícios que sua aplicação trará para os usuários e para qualidade da rede de pavimentos, quando são realizadas as avaliações funcionais e estruturais de forma sistêmica e continuada, utilizando as tecnologias não destrutivas que estão em uso corrente em outros países e que precisam ser aplicadas e difundidas no ambiente aeroportuário no Brasil. _________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTThis work deals with the evaluation of airport pavements through the use of modern and nondestructive technologies. The purpose of the research is to demonstrate modern ways of measuring airport pavement structures and their interactions to load absorption under adverse environmental conditions mainly. This survey was conducted aiming the Brazilian scenario where infrastructure of airports are requiring special attention to match growing number of movements, each time tolling heavier aircraft. Airport runways and aprons load capacity have demands which are sometimes out of airport management control. Many risk factors affecting airport pavement structures are difficult to evaluate or sometimes have difficulties to obtain and treat essential technical data needed to their control. Application of right technology to deal with this subject is fundamental for managers in order to enable them to select and adopt the best course of action required by pavement decision making process. Special motivation for this research is originated on the necessity of using state of art technology, as far as equipments and manpower are concerned, in order to provide quality services to insure safety condition of airport runways operation. It is important remark that good finishing pavement is essential to have the desirable degree of comfort for passengers. Management of airport pavement structure maintenance is function of capability to acquire right and timely demanded information on pavement conditions. Basic analysis of pavements emphasizes the need to identify continuously specific characteristic and results of the interactive process of regular reactions between airport pavements and aircrafts. This relationship has to be determined to each aircraft model matching to runway and apron pavement which is obtained through the specific method designated internationally as ACN/PCN (Aircraft Classification Number/Pavement Classification Number). This work presents proposal of developing methodology for airport pavement management using modern technical principles to be adjusted to Brazilian conditions. Application of this developed methodology will bring great benefits to airports management by ways of assuring superior quality of pavement networks when functional and structural evaluations are performed. Surveyed methodology includes the use of systematic and continuous nondestructive technologies including FWD and GPR techniques