Publications

The sustainable use of resources requires new strategies to transform industrial byproductsinto raw materials for other applications. This approach, inspired by circular economy funda-mentals, can be successfully applied in transportation infrastructures where a significantamount of natural raw materials is generally required. Slags from the steelmaking processin electric arc furnaces are generally of two types: oxidizing (black colored) and reducing(lighter colored). In Portugal, the oxidizing steel slag or electric arc furnace (EAF) with con-trolled production has been certified as

Slags and rubber from end-of-life tires represent a liability to the steel and tire industry, causing economic and environmental problems that are difficult to manage. Transport infrastructures can use these industrial by-products instead of extracting natural raw materials, but the adequate mechanical performance of the materials needs to be assured. This paper addresses the mechanical behaviour of slag

The increasing demand for the development and expansion of transport infrastructuresrequires alternative solutions that are economically and environmentally viable to providethe necessary raw materials. Transport infrastructures consume a large amount of naturalaggregates; however, from a circular economy perspective, industrial by-products can effec-tively replace these materials. This avoids the environmental impacts associated with the ex-traction of natural raw materials and simultaneously provides a destination for the industrialby-products. For this purpose, it is important to evaluate if existing standards and technicalrequirements that were developed for natural aggregates are suitable for industrial by-prod-ucts. This review study is focused on slags from steelmaking process in electric arc furnaces,which are generally of two types: oxidizing (black colored) and reducing (lighter colored), spe-cifically addressing the requirements of these materials for the granular layers of transportinfrastructures. The chemical composition of the slags is analyzed as well as its physicaland mechanical characteristics, swelling behavior, and leachate content, discussing testing pro-cedures and technical specifications.

Photogrammetry-based methods using everyday photographic equipment and easily available software have gained relevance for roughness measurement of rock joints, as an alternative to traditional approaches. However, the influence of some aspects, such as the number and orientation of camera poses, the parameters of the Structure-from-Motion, Multi-View Stereo and meshing algorithms, the resolution and accuracy of the reconstructed models, requires proper appraisal. To assess the surface roughness of a granite rock joint specimen using such photogrammetry methods, 3D models generated using different settings (i.e. camera sensors, camera poses, open/free software and workflows) were compared with a reference model obtained by contact digitalization. The results suggest that comparable results can be achieved if the photos adequately cover the specimen and, at least, equivalent vertex densities are attained. Percentiles p5 and p95 of surface deviations of the tested models to the reference mesh were, in general, lower than ±0.1 mm. Estimated roughness parameters showed reduced variability, with a minor impact on the shear strength evaluated according to the Grasselli

The subgrade of a freight railroad track must have sufficient bearing capacity to prevent excessive plastic strains and geometry-related problems to ensure its good performance. The track sub-ballast layer is used to distribute the loads from the ballast to the subgrade, as well as to mitigate climate-based subgrade problems. This study aims to evaluate the effects of Brazilian southeastern tropical climate on subgrade hydraulic and structural behavior, as well as its effect on the railroad track substructure. This is achieved by considering both granular and bituminous sub-ballast solutions. Accordingly, suction sensors were installed at the subgrade for the realtime monitoring and calibration of both track sections. The subgrade water retention was characterized by considering the effect of hydraulic hysteresis. Two independent finite element method (FEM) numerical models were developed. Water flow analyses were performed using a 2-D model to obtain the suction variation in the track substructure profile using climate-track interaction simulations. A 3-D model was used to evaluate the railroad track structural behavior in terms of wheel load

Nowadays, there are multiple initiatives showing a renewed interest on railway transport of goods and passengers around the world. Thus, an efficient management of railway infrastructures, both at the operational level and in terms of economic profitability, is not only desirable but also corresponds to an area of ongoing research. In order to contribute to these efforts, an alternative and novel methodology to evaluate railway track support conditions is presented here, based on modal analysis of the characteristic frequencies of the multi-element system composed by a railway infrastructure and an instrumented vehicle moving over it. This methodology belongs to the group of vibration-based structural damage identification methods, and is focused on observing the characteristic frequencies of this multi-element system, which can be correlated with changes in the physical properties of the railway infrastructure under analysis. An important feature of the proposed methodology is that it should enable the collection of information regarding the conditions of the substructure of a railway infrastructure. By performing this assessment of a railway infrastructure over its length, and over time by comparing different rides over the same railway stretch, important information can be gathered regarding the support conditions of the track. This paper presents a complete description on the current stage of development of the proposed methodology, along with the theoretical model that serves as the basis to interpret the collected data. Preliminary verification of this methodology is performed through the analysis of two case studies regarding the passage of an instrumented vehicle over two underpasses. The results obtained so far show that the proposed methodology can provide relevant information regarding the support conditions of railway tracks.

The purpose of this Special Issue was to collect and publish technical and researchpapers, including review papers, focusing on the recycling of road pavement materials topromote pavement sustainability performance. Ten papers were published in total covering the use of construction and demolition waste (reclaimed asphalt pavement, recycledconcrete aggregate and glass) and industrial waste (plastic and slag). The application ofrecycled materials concerns bituminous mixtures, concrete mixtures, and non-traditionalinterlocking blocks or cobbles. The most relevant contributions of each paper are briefly described in the following sections. The papers involved thirty-four authors from eleven countries of Europe (Belgium, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Portugal), Africa (Nigeria),Asia (Malaysia and Saudi Arabia), Australia, and South America (Brazil and Colombia).

A complexidade do sistema via-férrea, em termos da variabilidade do comportamento estrutural e material ao longo de seu ciclo de vida, tem-se constituído um obstáculo para o estabelecimento de métodos robustos de previsão do seu comportamento de longo-prazo. Neste trabalho apresenta-se uma implementação computacional que incorpora algumas funcionalidades para uma reprodução mais realista desse comportamento, face a outras existentes. Para demonstrar as potencialidades desta ferramenta, são analisados cenários de plena via, tendo-se introduzido, em alguns deles, uma travessa sem apoio na camada de balastro (

O artigo tem como objetivo apresentar as principais contribuições da geotecnia e da era digital nos pavimentos e nas vias-férreas, com importância nas várias fases do ciclo de vida (projeto, construção, operação e manutenção). Neste contexto são apresentados aspetos da caracterização e modelação dos geomateriais e sua influência no desempenho dessas estruturas, através da demonstração de resultados de ensaios de laboratório e

Transition zones between embankments and bridges or tunnels are examples of critical assets of the railway infrastructure. These locations often exhibit higher degradations rates, mostly due to the development of differential settlements, which amplify the dynamic train-track interaction, thus further accelerating the development of settlements and deteriorating track components and vehicles. Despite the technical and scientific interest in predicting the long-term behavior of transition zones, few studies have been able to develop a robust approach that could accurately simulate this complex structural response. To address this topic, this work presents a three-dimensional finite element (3D FEM) approach to simulate the long-term behavior of railway tracks at transition zones. The approach considers both plastic deformation of the ballast layer using a high-cycle strain accumulation model and the non-linearity of the dynamic vehicle-track interaction that results from the evolution of the deformed states of the track itself. The results shed some light into the behavior of transition zones and evidence the complex long-term response of this structures and its interdependency with the transient response of the train-track interaction. Aspects that are critical when assessing the performance of these systems are analyzed in detail, which might be of relevance for researchers and practitioners in the design, construction, and maintenance processes.

About 50% of the materials extracted from the earth

About 50% of the materials extracted from the earth

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Comfort and safety are crucial aspects in a transport infrastructure project. Depending on axle loads and traffic speeds, parameters are established carefully in order to ensure a good quality in terms of geometry and bearing capacity during the entire infrastructure life cycle, preventing deterioration process. Nevertheless, maintenance actions have to be performed aiming to restore proper track condition. The quality control during the construction is an important factor that can evaluate the performance of materials. Nowadays, the materials are mainly characterised by their physical and mechanical properties, but there is an increased interest in developing performance based specifications that can provide more realistic information about the behaviour of the track during the life cycle. In order to achieve this task, non-destructive tests represent a good solution, as they are cost and time efficient.Among non-destructive loading equipment, one of the most efficient is the Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD). In this research, FWD tests were undertaken during the construction of a new railway line 29 km long, at the top of the substructure and in different months. Based on the performed load tests, the structural modelling of the track was established through back-calculation, and the variation of the materials moduli for different testing campaigns was evaluated.The main results obtained are presented and analysed in this paper, as well as some considerations regarding FWD testing and interpretation.

The performance requirements of modern railway tracks demand a proper design in order to meet safety and passenger comfort standards, taking into account the optimization of the infrastructure life cycle. The sub-ballast layer, namely the characteristics of the materials used, plays a fundamental role in the track behaviour. However the requirements established for these materials are not consensual worldwide. Very stringent requirements have been adopted in many countries, making it difficult to find adequate materials. The studies presented herein were performed during the construction of an upgraded section of the Portuguese Lisbon

The increasing of loads and traffic speed of the railways requires a better infrastructure, in order to enable the operation in optimal condition and less traffic interruptions due to maintenance actions. At the same time, the natural resources for the material generally used in the sub-ballast layer, namely the granite are limited, taking into account that the requirements in terms of stiffness and wearing resistance are very high.The bituminous mixtures can represent a good alternative to this traditional material. They enable the decreasing of sub-ballast thickness, better impermeability, better behaviour under the lorry traffic during construction and an improvement of the infrastructure stiffness and its continuity along the railway that results in less maintenance works.In this study two different structures are compared, one with granular material and the other one with bituminous material as sub-ballast layers. Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) tests were performed in order to establish the structural model. The back-calculation was made using both linear elastic and finite difference method. The results obtained so far are presented in this paper, together with some proposals for future developments.

Em Portugal, os valores de referência existentes para a sensibilidade à água de misturas betuminosas foram estabelecidos de acordo com a norma de ensaio militar americana MIL-STD

An important part for a proper railway maintenance policy is the evaluation of the condition of an existing railway substructure, in order to detect the deterioration causes. Recently, the use of non destructive techniques for substructure evaluation has increased due to advantages that these monitoring methods present. Several non destructive tests, loading tests and thickness measurement, were performed on a track section, part of a new railway line designed for high speed traffic. This paper presents the results achieved so far, the testing methodologies defined and the main concerns regarding the use of non destructive tests on a railway platform.

The development of transportation infrastructures has led to the need of huge earthmoving volumes, resulting in high embank-ments. In the construction of these embankments, rockfill and soil-rock mixture materials have been used. A 25 km roadway sec-tion, in the North of Portugal, with the difficult topographic conditions, has required the construction of large embankments. The involved formations are essentially granite (South area) and schist and greywacke (North area). To optimize the construction procedure and to evaluate their performance, physical and mechanical characterization of the materials was carried out and mon-itoring equipments were installed in some embankments. For that purpose, five embankments were selected, taking into account, essentially, the geometry and type of material used in their construction. Plate load tests were also performed, aiming at the eval-uation of the deformation modulus of the embankments. In order to measure displacements, vertical and horizontal inclinome-ters, extensometers and pressure cells systems were installed during construction. After construction, topographic marks on the embankment surface were installed. In this paper, the results of the mechanical characterization carried out in situ and in the la-boratory (large triaxial and oedometer tests) are presented. The installed monitoring equipments are also described. The dis-placements during the construction and deformations in service are herein presented.

The use of Construction and Demolition Recycled Materials (C&DRM) in road pavementsis envisaged as a solution with environmental and economic benefits. Their application asunbound granular materials in pavement layers (base, sub-base and capping layers) alsohas the advantage to allow the incorporation of large quantities of those materials, fromdifferent origins.The generalised application of C&DRM in road construction is however still limited bysome knowledge gaps, deriving from the lack of information concerning the mechanicaland environmental performance of these materials and from the limited experience withtheir practical application in road construction.A research project, SUPREMA, aiming to contribute to the sustainable implementation ofC&DRM in road pavements, by improving the knowledge concerning the mechanical andenvironmental behaviour of these materials when placed as aggregates in unboundpavement layers, is being developed by the National Laboratory for Civil Engineering(LNEC), in cooperation with Technical University of Lisbon (IST), over three years.This paper discusses the detailed objectives and methodology of the research projectand presents some of its early results, in particular the ones concerning the C&DRMpotential pollution.

This case study refers to the first significant experience with asphalt rubber, manufactured by the wetprocess, applied on a full scale rehabilitation project in Portugal. It concerns the application of a gapgradedasphalt rubber wearing course in the rehabilitation of the pavement of National road stretchesEN 104 between Azurara and Trofa and EN 105 between Travagem and Santo Tirso. / O presente caso de estudo refere-se à primeira experiência relevante, em Portugal, na qual seutilizaram misturas com betume modificado com borracha reciclada de pneus na reabilitação deestradas nacionais. Diz respeito, em particular, à aplicação de misturas betuminosas rugosas combetume modificado com borracha em camadas de desgaste, no âmbito da reabilitação do pavimento deum troço da estrada nacional EN 104, entre Azurara e Trofa, e da estrada nacional EN 105, entreTravagem e Santo Tirso.

This case study refers to a successful application of an asphalt rubber wearing course in the frame ofthe rehabilitation of the pavement of the National Road EN 14 between

This case study refers to plant hot mix recycling works in the frame of the rehabilitation of a stretch ofthe motorway A1, located in the centre of Portugal.It concerns the use of 20% - 25% of Reclaimed Asphalt in the production of two different asphaltconcrete mixtures for application in binder courses. / O presente caso de estudo refere-se ao fabrico e aplicação de misturas betuminosas recicladas a quenteem central, num troço da auto-estrada A1 localizado no centro do País. Neste caso, foram utilizadas nofabrico de duas misturas diferentes, uma Mistura Betuminosa Densa e um Betão BetuminosoSubjacente à Camada Drenante, respectivamente, cerca de 20 % e 25 % de misturas betuminosasrecuperadas.

This case study refers to the first known application of RAP in the production of hot mix asphaltconcrete in Portugal. It concerns the application of a plant hot mix recycled asphalt concrete as abinder course in a national road stretch located in the North of Portugal. / O presente caso de estudo refere-se à primeira obra realizada em Portugal, na qual se procedeu àreutilização de materiais betuminosos fresados na reabilitação de um pavimento flexível de um trechode uma estrada nacional (EN105), situada no Norte do País. Os materiais fresados foram reciclados emcentral mediante a incorporação de novos materiais, e posteriormente utilizados em camadas deregularização.

This case study refers to an application of cold in situ recycling of an old asphalt pavement usingbitumen emulsion.The rehabilitation works were performed in 2 phases: The first phase consisted in recycling theexisting asphalt and granular layers up to 120 mm deep and application of a slurry surfacing. Thesecond phase consisted in placing an asphalt cold mix binder course and a new slurry surfacing. / O presente caso de estudo refere-se à aplicação de misturas betuminosas recicladas a frio

This case study refers to a successful application of cold in situ recycling of asphalt layers from aheavily cracked pavement using bitumen emulsion.A new hot mix asphalt binder course and a new wearing course were placed on the recycled layer. / O presente caso de estudo refere-se a uma aplicação bem sucedida de reciclagem a frio

The use of alternative materials, in particular industrial by-products and waste materials, in the construction oftransport infrastructures and geotechnical works, has been promoted across the world. Nonetheless, considering that, in most situations, the application of some of these materials is fairly recent, little information is available on the long-term performance of the infrastructures in which they were used. This work mentions some characteristics of the Inert Steel Aggregate for Construction (ISAC). It presents some results related to the evolution in the surface characteristics and the structural behaviour of a field trial built on a road section in Portugal. ISAC was used in the embankments and pavement layers. The visual inspection, the results of the mechanical tests performed, and the values of the settlements measured on the surface markings about ten years after the section is open to traffic led to conclude that the pavement in the zone where ISAC was used as a construction material is, in general, in a better condition and presents better structural performance than the adjacent areas built with natural materials. The embankment's maximum settlements in the areas with ISAC were similar to the ones observed in the adjacent areas.

Railway tracks may be perceived as simple physical structures, but in fact they entail a significant level of complexity as refers to the assessment and prediction of their transient and long-term behaviors. These mostly result from the intrinsic characteristics of their components and of the dynamic interaction with the suc-cessive passing trains at different speeds and with different loading characteris-tics. The railway industry

A via férrea balastrada é uma estrutura relativamente simples, mas exibe um comportamento complexo, nomeadamente devido às distintas solicitações dinâmicas a que está sujeita, e à forma como se comportam e interagem os seus diversos elementos. O método dos elementos finitos é particularmente adequado à análise do funcionamento destas estruturas, possibilitando a modelação das ações e a utilização de modelos constitutivos avançados para os diversos materiais que constituem o sistema, permitindo considerar a variação das características físicas e geométricas no espaço. Neste capítulo descreve-se e demonstra-se a aplicação de uma ferramenta de modelação numérica tridimensional, concebida especificamente para o cálculo da resposta dinâmica da via-férrea, cujo desenvolvimento, ao longo dos últimos anos, tem tido a contribuição dos autores. Para além da apresentação e validação da ferramenta de modelação, são apresentados estudos relativos à análise do comportamento da via em situações particulares.

A utilização de machine learning tem despertado a curiosidade e o interesse do meio académico e empresarial. Com efeito, a aplicação de machine learning, baseada em técnicas capazes de aprender com os dados, tem sido efetuada com sucesso em diversos contextos. Este sucesso é particularmente evidente nas áreas que utilizam grandes volumes de dados e que procuram obter informação que permita alimentar modelos de previsão.Na área dos Transportes, para além da resolução de questões relacionadas com a mobilidade, é expectável que a aplicação de técnicas de machine learning venha a ser cada vez mais frequente em questões relacionadas com a gestão de infraestruturas, em particular no estabelecimento de modelos de previsão do comportamento.Neste capítulo procura-se evidenciar o potencial da aplicação de machine learning em sistemas de gestão de pavimentos, através da descrição de alguns dos trabalhos desenvolvidos pelos autores neste domínio, essencialmente relacionados com a aplicação de machine learning no desenvolvimento de modelos de previsão do desempenho dos pavimentos, uma das temáticas essenciais dos sistemas de gestão de pavimentos.

Este artigo apresenta uma etapa de uma pesquisa mais abrangente que está em andamento na Universidade do Porto, no âmbito do grupo de pesquisa Construct-Geo, que visa avaliar os aspectos geomecânicos de materiais alternativos para uso como camada de lastro em vias férreas do tipo heavy haul. São apresentados resultados de ensaios triaxiais monotônicos e cíclicos conduzidos em corpos de prova de 150 mm de diâmetro por 300 mm de altura, em escala reduzida numa proporção de 1:2,5 em relação à granulometriade lastro padrão AREMA N. 24. Analisou-se um agregado de escória de aciaria, quimicamente e ambientalmente, inerte comparativamente a um agregado de granito, relativamente à resistência e à deformabilidade. Os ensaios cíclicos foram conduzidos em dois escalões de carga de 500.000 ciclos, sendo cada escalão compatível com o carregamento imposto por vias do tipo heavy haul com, respectivamente,32,5 toneladas/eixo e 40 toneladas/eixo. Os resultados mostraram que o lastro de escória de aciaria apresentou parâmetros de resistência superiores comparativamente ao lastro de granito e um melhor comportamento quanto à deformabilidade, expresso por maiores valores de módulo de resiliência, menoresíndices de quebra e degradação de partículas e uma maior tendência de estabilização das deformações plásticas, fenômeno conhecido como shakedown e que também foi investigado.

The reuse of recycled materials in geotechnical works has awakened a growing interest in the last few years in Portugal. A committee (GT-VROG) within the Portuguese Geotechnical Society (SPG) was created recently for analysing the current state of this kind of use and for promoting it nationwide. As part of the activities of the group, a national survey within producers of waste materials and potential users in geotechnical works was carried out, and a national seminar was organised within the framework of the activities of the TC-3 of the ISSMGE, in order to discuss the present situation in the country and the best ways to develop the reuse of this kind of materials in geotechnical applications. The seminar had the participation of representatives of the different entities interested on the subject (producers, users, administration and research centres), as well as of invited foreign specialists from other European countries. Taking advantage of the results of these activities, the current state of the use of recycled materials in geotechnical works in Portugal is briefly presented and analysed next.

Transportation infrastructures are vital to our society. These infrastructures naturally tend to deteriorate over time. A set of activities is then required to manage existing assets in accordance with sound management principles. These activities are usually integrated into systems that manage infrastructures according to technical, social and economic aspects. This research aims to examine the potential of applying machine learning techniques to current transportation infrastructure management systems. Machine learning is an application of artificial intelligence enabling systems to automatically learn and improve from experience (data), arriving at solutions not explicitly programmed. Powered by algorithms that can learn from data, machine learning leads to efficient and effective systems that improve over time. Over the last few years, the application of machine learning has transformed several industries and could do so for transportation infrastructure as well.To achieve the research objectives, a set of studies was performed. Each of these studies had a specific objective, the set of which can be expressed as follows: to define combined performance indicators for pavement condition assessment using machine learning; to develop machine learning models for pavement performance prediction; to formulate machine learning solutions to overcome pavement data issues, such as missing data; to integrate machine learning techniques into decision support systems for pavement maintenance management. Together these studies explored the development of machine learning applications for solving some standard pavement management problems, providing insights into the application of machine learning to transportation infrastructure management systems. The studies successfully demonstrated the potential of machine learning applications for pavement management systems. It showed that machine learning is applicable to various transportation asset management problems, such as condition assessment, performance prediction, and decision support, and that it is able to outperform some of the analytical techniques currently used. Overall, this research work finds that machine learning is a promising tool for transportation infrastructure management systems.

The railway track continually degrades over its life cycle. This has negative consequences for maintenance and availability of the lines and is particularly evident at locations with abrupt changes in the track

Esta dissertação pretende ser um contributo para o desenvolvimento de uma metodologia de abordagem do problema da renovação de plataformas ferroviárias em serviço, em particular no que se refere à avaliação da capacidade de carga e técnicas de reforço. A referida metodologia foi desenvolvida com o objectivo de apoiar os projectos de renovação das vias férreas.Os principais aspectos abordados são os mecanismos que contribuem para a degradação das vias férreas, a caracterização

Nas últimas décadas tem vindo a verificar-se, em Portugal bem como no resto do mundo, umacentuado crescimento do volume de tráfego rodoviário e das cargas transportadas pelos veículospesados. Tem-se observado, igualmente, um aumento das exigências funcionais, relacionadas com asegurança e conforto do utente das infra-estruturas, a par das preocupações de carácter ambiental, oque conduz à necessidade de pavimentos rodoviários cada vez mais resistentes e duráveis.Consequentemente, tem-se vindo a recorrer a soluções de pavimentação que envolvem maioresespessuras de camadas betuminosas o que implica uma maior parcela de contribuição docomportamento deste tipo de materiais no desempenho das estruturas de pavimentos. Daqui decorre,entre outros aspectos, uma crescente preocupação com a deformação permanente deste tipo demateriais. Esta situação é também sentida em diversos países, nomeadamente nos países europeus,no Canadá e nos Estados Unidos da América.O presente trabalho tem como objectivo contribuir para um melhor conhecimento do comportamentoà deformação permanente de misturas betuminosas aplicadas em camadas de desgaste depavimentos rodoviários, possibilitando o estabelecimento de metodologias e de critérios de avaliação,que conduzam à selecção de materiais adequados às exigências actuais. Como principais aspectosabordados referem-se a caracterização do comportamento viscoelástico destes materiais, através daexecução e interpretação de ensaios laboratoriais com aplicação de cargas repetidas, que simulemas condições observadas in situ, e a modelação do comportamento à deformação permanente dasmisturas.É analisado o fenómeno da deformação permanente, bem como a sua forma de manifestação naestrutura do pavimento

The main objective of the COST Action 354

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As crescentes exigências impostas ao transporte ferroviário e a necessidade de o tornar num sistemade transporte mais competitivo, têm levado ao desenvolvimento de novas soluções de via-férrea.Estas novas soluções constituem inovações tecnológicas de via-férrea que diferem da via balastradatradicional na utilização de diferentes materiais e métodos construtivos. Apostam fortemente naredução da necessidade de conservação e renovação da via, o que se traduz na diminuição doscustos associados à sua operação, assim como no aumento da disponibilidade da linha.Assim, estas soluções apresentam uma melhor resposta a velocidades de circulação cada vez maiselevadas e a maiores volumes de tráfego, que tendem a conduzir a maior deterioração da via e aconsequentes maiores custos de conservação e renovação. Em comparação com a via tradicional,estas soluções podem ser mais vantajosas, no que se refere à segurança, a aspectos ambientais, àgestão da operação e a custos globais, quando se considera o ciclo de vida da infra-estrutura.Embora estas tecnologias tenham vindo a ser testadas e aplicadas em alguns países, desde há váriasdécadas, em particular no Japão, só mais recentemente diversos países demonstraram especialinteresse pela sua aplicação. Face a estas vantagens, tem-se verificado actualmente uma crescentetendência para a adopção destas novas soluções, sobretudo para as linhas de alta velocidade,particularmente na Europa e Ásia Oriental.Dentro deste contexto, e tendo em conta a previsível integração de Portugal na Rede Europeia de AltaVelocidade, desenvolveu-se o presente estudo com o objectivo de apresentar diversas soluções devia-férrea que estão disponíveis e compará-las com a solução tradicional de via balastrada.O estudo incide na descrição de concepções de via-férrea não tradicionais, como a via sem balastro ea via de apoio misto, fazendo-se especial referência às principais vantagens e desvantagens da viasem balastro, face à solução tradicional de via balastrada, e à experiência da sua aplicação.Apresenta-se ainda uma síntese da situação actual da aplicação destas novas soluções em paísesque apostaram fortemente nas redes de alta velocidade.Do estudo desenvolvido conclui-se que, para novas linhas de alta velocidade, estas soluções podemser bastante atractivas, como alternativa à via balastrada tradicional.Os autores agradecem a todas as entidades e pessoas a título individual a autorização expressa paraa publicação das ilustrações apresentadas neste estudo, encontrando-se estas devidamentereferenciadas.

The reuse of recycled materials in geotechnical works has awakened a growing interest in the last few years in Portugal. A committee (GT-VROG) within the Portuguese Geotechnical Society (SPG) was created recently for analysing the current state of this kind of use and for promoting it nationwide. As part of the activities of the group, a national survey within producers of waste materials and potential users in geotechnical works was carried out, and a national seminar was organised within the framework of the activities of the TC-3 of theISSMGE, in order to discuss the present situation in the country and the best ways to develop the reuse of this kind of materials in geotechnical applications. The seminar had the participation of representatives of the different entities interested on the subject (producers, users, administration and research centres), as well as of invited foreign specialists from other European countries. Taking advantage of the results of these activities, the current state of the use of recycled materials in geotechnical works in Portugal is presented and analysed next.

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