Estudo dos efeitos provocados por Resíduos de Construção e Demolição (RCD) numa geogrelha de poliéster

Abstract

Over the last years, reducing the exploitation of non-renewable natural resources has been a constant concern associated with the environmental preservation. It is therefore essential to promote research and applications involving alternative materials. The use of Construction and Demolition Wastes (C&DW) in geosynthetic reinforced structures represents an interesting alternative from an economic and environmental point of view. The use of recycled C&DW in geotechnical works, on the one hand, reduces the use of non-renewable natural resources, and on the other, avoids landfilling of inert materials. In this work, a recycled C&DW is physically and environmentally characterized and the effects of this material on a polyester (PET) extruded uniaxial geogrid are evaluated. The short-term tensile behaviour of geogrid samples exhumed from an experimental trial embankment after 12 months of exposure is compared to the behaviour of intact samples. The results presented in this work show that the damage caused by the C&DW on the geogrid is insignificant and similar to that caused by natural soils. The study herein presented is part of a broader research aiming to assess the feasibility of using recycled C&DW as filling material of geosynthetic reinforced structures, which has shown that if properly selected and compacted, recycled C&DW can be a feasible alternative to the natural soils used traditionally in the construction of these structures.