Incidencia de la viruta de acero en el comportamiento de pavimentos rígidos sometidos a esfuerzos de flexión

Abstract

Today, rigid pavements are a common option to build roads. However, these face significant challenges when subjected to different loads for which they are designed. Failures caused by bending stresses in the concrete are a common problem, which generates cracking problems in the pavement, thus reducing its useful life. This research evaluates the flexural behavior of concrete incorporating steel chips compared to the usual concrete in pavements. The methodology consisted of analyzing the modulus of rupture of both beams without and with steel chips, using the ASTM C78 standard, designing a concrete with a compressive strength of 350 kgf/cm2, in addition to replacing the fine aggregate with steel chips in percentages of 3%, 6%, and 9% respectively. Based on the results obtained, the concrete with 9% chips achieved the best result, with a modulus of rupture of 46,929 kgf/cm2; on the other hand, the traditional concrete obtained a result of 40,596 kgf/cm2, thus presenting an improvement of 15.6% in the concrete with the inclusion of chips. Likewise, the highest compressive strength was 449 kgf/cm2 with 6% chips, thus leaving a clear idea of how beneficial it can be to replace the fine aggregate with steel chips in concrete for pavements. Finally, rigid pavements that include steel chips in the concrete can have significant benefits in terms of the modulus of rupture.