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Advances in Road Engineering: Innovation in Road Pavements and Materials
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Advances in Road Engineering: Innovation in Road Pavements and Materials

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Materials, and Repair & Renovation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 July 2024 | Viewed by 9679

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Andrea Baliello

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
Interests: road materials; pavement engineering; road egineering; road infrastructures; railways; airports
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Di Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, Aalto University, 02150 Espoo, Finland
Interests: asphalt pavement; low-temperature properties of bituminous materials; sustainability of road infrastructures; fatigue properties of asphalt mixtures; solid recycling materials used in asphalt pavement
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Significant innovations regarding construction engineering are increasingly diffusing because of growing attention about environmental aspects, economic concerns, and sustainability in general.

In this field, more and more importance has been gained by road pavement engineering, since streets, mainly within an urban context, cover a significant part of the territory.

Given this fact, the aim of this Special Issue is to collect and spread valuable scientific contributions dealing with innovative, smart, eco-friendly road pavements addressed to the general sustainability of the road construction industry (innovative recycling techniques for saving natural resources and reducing waste disposal—performance-optimized pavement structures and materials to face new challenges about traffic increase, heavier vehicles, climate changes, etc.—advances in construction and maintenance practices and materials for durable design, etc.).

Thus, we are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue entitled “Advances in Road Engineering: Innovation in Road Pavements and Materials”. This Special Issue covers various subjects related to advanced technologies and materials in asphalt pavement. Research on the investigation and application of varieties of technologies is welcome. Assessments of the influence on the in-service performance, economy, environment effect, and life-cycle assessment are all invited. Literature reviews are also highly appreciated.

Dr. Andrea Baliello
Dr. Di Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • innovative roads
  • road materials
  • pavement engineering
  • smart pavements
  • sustainable roads
  • co-friendly roads
  • road construction
  • road maintenance

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 2293 KiB  
Article
A Parametric Study Investigating the Dowel Bar Load Transfer Efficiency in Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement Using a Finite Element Model
by Saima Yaqoob, Johan Silfwerbrand and Romain Gabriel Roger Balieu
Buildings 2024, 14(4), 1039; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14041039 - 08 Apr 2024
Viewed by 349
Abstract
Transverse joints are introduced in jointed plain concrete pavement systems to mitigate the risk of cracks that can develop due to shrinkage and temperature variations. However, the structural behaviour of jointed plain concrete pavement (JPCP) is significantly affected by the transverse joint, as [...] Read more.
Transverse joints are introduced in jointed plain concrete pavement systems to mitigate the risk of cracks that can develop due to shrinkage and temperature variations. However, the structural behaviour of jointed plain concrete pavement (JPCP) is significantly affected by the transverse joint, as it creates a discontinuity between adjacent slabs. The performance of JPCP at the transverse joints is enhanced by providing steel dowel bars in the traffic direction. The dowel bar provides reliable transfer of traffic loads from the loaded side of the joint to the unloaded side, known as load transfer efficiency (LTE) or joint efficiency (JE). Furthermore, dowel bars contribute to the slab’s alignment in the JPCP. Joints are the critical component of concrete pavements that can lead to various distresses, necessitating rehabilitation. The Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) is concerned with the repair of concrete pavement. Precast concrete slabs are efficient for repairing concrete pavement, but their performance relies on well-functioning dowel bars. In this study, a three-dimensional finite element model (3D-FEM) was developed using the ABAQUS software to evaluate the structural response of JPCP and analyse the flexural stress concentration in the concrete slab by considering the dowel bar at three different locations (i.e., at the concrete slabs’ top, bottom, and mid-height). Furthermore, the structural response of JPCP was also investigated for several important parameters, such as the joint opening between adjacent slabs, mispositioning of dowel bars (horizontal, vertical, and longitudinal translations), size (diameter) of the dowel bar, and bond between the slab and the dowel bar. The study found that the maximum LTE occurred when the dowel bar was positioned at the mid-depth of the concrete slab. An increase in the dowel bar diameter yielded a 3% increase in LTE. Conversely, the increase in the joint opening between slabs led to a 2.1% decrease in LTE. Additionally, the mispositioning of dowel bars in the horizontal and longitudinal directions showed a 2.1% difference in the LTE. However, a 0.5% reduction in the LTE was observed for a vertical translation. Moreover, an approximately 0.5% increase in LTE was observed when there was improved bonding between the concrete slab and dowel bar. These findings can be valuable in designing and evaluating dowel-jointed plain concrete pavements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Road Engineering: Innovation in Road Pavements and Materials)
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20 pages, 3084 KiB  
Article
Natural Gradient Boosting for Probabilistic Prediction of Soaked CBR Values Using an Explainable Artificial Intelligence Approach
by Esteban Díaz and Giovanni Spagnoli
Buildings 2024, 14(2), 352; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14020352 - 26 Jan 2024
Viewed by 622
Abstract
The California bearing ratio (CBR) value of subgrade is the most used parameter for dimensioning flexible and rigid pavements. The test for determining the CBR value is typically conducted under soaked conditions and is costly, labour-intensive, and time-consuming. Machine learning (ML) techniques have [...] Read more.
The California bearing ratio (CBR) value of subgrade is the most used parameter for dimensioning flexible and rigid pavements. The test for determining the CBR value is typically conducted under soaked conditions and is costly, labour-intensive, and time-consuming. Machine learning (ML) techniques have been recently implemented in engineering practice to predict the CBR value from the soil index properties with satisfactory results. However, they provide only deterministic predictions, which do not account for the aleatoric uncertainty linked to input variables and the epistemic uncertainty inherent in the model itself. This work addresses this limitation by introducing an ML model based on the natural gradient boosting (NGBoost) algorithm, becoming the first study to estimate the soaked CBR value from this probabilistic perspective. A database of 2130 soaked CBR tests was compiled for this study. The NGBoost model showcased robust predictive performance, establishing itself as a reliable and effective algorithm for predicting the soaked CBR value. Furthermore, it produced probabilistic CBR predictions as probability density functions, facilitating the establishment of reliable confidence intervals, representing a notable improvement compared to conventional deterministic models. Finally, the Shapley additive explanations method was implemented to investigate the interpretability of the proposed model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Road Engineering: Innovation in Road Pavements and Materials)
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17 pages, 43634 KiB  
Article
Performance Evaluation on the Application of MAST and RCC on a Cambodian Rural Road: A Case Study
by Carlo Elipse, Je Won Kim and Byung-Sik Ohm
Buildings 2023, 13(12), 2993; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13122993 - 30 Nov 2023
Viewed by 805
Abstract
Cambodia’s transportation sector has exhibited tremendous growth in the past decades together with its economic advancement. However, these improvements are only focused on the national and provincial roads, leaving the rural roads underdeveloped. A large percentage of the rural roads in Cambodia are [...] Read more.
Cambodia’s transportation sector has exhibited tremendous growth in the past decades together with its economic advancement. However, these improvements are only focused on the national and provincial roads, leaving the rural roads underdeveloped. A large percentage of the rural roads in Cambodia are unpaved while those paved roads are in deteriorated condition, making these rural roads prone to structural failure when subjected to heavy truck traffic and massive rainfall. Therefore, an innovative pavement material shall be used in the construction and rehabilitation of Cambodian rural roads. In this study, a composite pavement testbed consisting of a roller compacted cement (RCC) base layer and a modified double bituminous surface treatment (DBST), namely multi-layered bituminous surface treatment (MAST), was constructed in Cambodia and its performance was evaluated. To have a point of comparison, the testbed was divided into three sections with varying combinations of surface and base layer: (1) MAST surface with an RCC base, (2) MAST surface with an aggregate base, and (3) DBST surface with an aggregate base. Initially, a visual inspection was conducted to investigate the surface condition of the testbed. To assess the structural capacity, a light-falling weight deflectometer device was used. Meanwhile, the surface roughness was evaluated through the sand patch test. Lastly, the pass-by test was performed to quantify the noise level of the pavement. Based on the results, the proposed composite pavement performed significantly superior to the typical pavement in Cambodia, which is the third section. In summary, the composite pavement with MAST as the surface layer and RCC as the base layer was observed to be suitable for heavy truck traffic loading and the environmental conditions of Cambodia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Road Engineering: Innovation in Road Pavements and Materials)
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12 pages, 4579 KiB  
Article
Application of Steel-Fiber-Reinforced Self-Stressing Concrete in Prefabricated Pavement Joints
by Yun-Feng Xi, Sheng-Jun Ren, Bao-Ling Chen, Bing Yang, Jin Lee, Guang-Hao Zhu, Tian-Cheng Zhou and Hao Xu
Buildings 2023, 13(9), 2129; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13092129 - 22 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 738
Abstract
Prefabricated pavement, with its advantages of a high paving speed, low material consumption, low carbon emissions, high strength, and easy construction, has gradually been used to address issues associated with traditional cement pavement construction. However, even under the long-term combined effects of vehicle [...] Read more.
Prefabricated pavement, with its advantages of a high paving speed, low material consumption, low carbon emissions, high strength, and easy construction, has gradually been used to address issues associated with traditional cement pavement construction. However, even under the long-term combined effects of vehicle loads and environmental loads, the joints between pavement slabs remain prone to various problems. This paper proposes the use of steel-fiber-reinforced self-stressing concrete (SFRSSC) with a certain level of self-stress for joint pouring and connection to control the development of cracks in the joints and achieve seamless integration between the slabs. Additionally, the self-stress generated by SFRSSC is utilized to enhance the continuity of the prestressed design in precast slabs, thereby extending their service life. Through laboratory experiments and field tests, the self-stress magnitude, mechanical strength, and long-term applicability of SFRSSC were studied. The results indicate that SFRSSC can achieve self-stress levels of over 7 MPa under standard curing conditions, but the values decrease significantly when removed from the standard curing environment. SFRSSC exhibits a compressive strength of over 60 MPa and a flexural strength of over 9 MPa, both of which exceed the requirements of the relevant standards, making it suitable for use as a pavement joint material. During long-term monitoring in the field, SFRSSC demonstrates favorable expansion effects and high stability. The longitudinal expansion remains stable at 100 με, while the transverse expansion exhibits minor shrinkage, maintained at around 25.2 με. Therefore, the application of SFRSSC in assembly-type prestressed pavement joints shows high applicability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Road Engineering: Innovation in Road Pavements and Materials)
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20 pages, 6602 KiB  
Article
Feasibility and Sustainable Performance of RAP Mixtures with Low-Viscosity Binder and Castor Wax–Corn Oil Rejuvenators
by Kyungnam Kim and Tri Ho Minh Le
Buildings 2023, 13(7), 1578; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13071578 - 21 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 901
Abstract
The utilization of Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP) mixtures in pavement construction is an environmentally friendly approach that promotes sustainable development by reducing energy consumption and material waste. However, the high cost of conventional rejuvenators limits the widespread use of RAP mixtures. In this [...] Read more.
The utilization of Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP) mixtures in pavement construction is an environmentally friendly approach that promotes sustainable development by reducing energy consumption and material waste. However, the high cost of conventional rejuvenators limits the widespread use of RAP mixtures. In this study, a novel approach is proposed to enhance the performance of RAP mixtures by incorporating a combination of high-penetration asphalt binder and rejuvenators, namely Castor wax and Corn oil. The newly developed rejuvenator consists of 8.5% Castor wax oil, 3% Corn oil, 3% fatty acid amine surfactant, 0.2% additive, and 79.8% water. The test results demonstrate that the modified mixture exhibits superior properties compared with conventional RAP mixtures. The Multiple Stress Creep Recovery test results showed a 20% reduction in cumulative strain rate for the RAP mixture with the new rejuvenators compared with that for the conventional ones. Furthermore, the Tensile Strength Ratio test indicated a notable 9.47% improvement in the rejuvenated RAP mixture’s resistance to moisture-induced damage compared with the conventional mixture. Evaluation of viscoelastic behaviors revealed a slight reduction in dynamic modulus for the rejuvenated binder, but a significant improvement in elastic behavior. In terms of rutting resistance, the Hamburg wheel tracking rut depths of the rejuvenated binder were significantly lower, representing reductions of 21.83% for specific binder compositions. Additionally, the absence of the stripping phenomenon further confirmed the superior moisture resistance of the modified mixture. The rejuvenated binder exhibited a remarkable 28.55% increase in fatigue load cycles to failure compared with the reference RAP binder, demonstrating substantial resistance to fatigue cracking. These quantitative comparisons not only confirm the superior performance of the modified mixture over conventional RAP mixtures, but also highlight the potential cost savings achieved through the utilization of Castor wax and Corn oil rejuvenators. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Road Engineering: Innovation in Road Pavements and Materials)
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15 pages, 4419 KiB  
Article
Study on Crystallization Mechanism of Asphalt Mixture in Bridge Deck Pavement
by Chuanxi Luo, Duanyi Wang, Jian Li and Jun He
Buildings 2023, 13(6), 1527; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13061527 - 14 Jun 2023
Viewed by 936
Abstract
This study focuses on unknown crystal precipitates from an asphalt mixture used in bridge deck pavement layers. X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy was used to analyze the composition and source of crystals in the asphalt mixture used in bridge deck pavement, and infiltration tests, porosity [...] Read more.
This study focuses on unknown crystal precipitates from an asphalt mixture used in bridge deck pavement layers. X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy was used to analyze the composition and source of crystals in the asphalt mixture used in bridge deck pavement, and infiltration tests, porosity tests, splitting tests and multi-wheel rutting tests were carried out to determine the precipitation area and non-precipitation area to explain the influence of crystals on the road performance of an asphalt pavement. A nuclear-free densitometer and 3D ground-penetrating radar (3D GPR) were used to detect the porosity and thickness uniformity of the whole section to study the formation mechanism of crystals. The results showed that the main components of crystals were water molecules, while the rest mainly came from machine-made sand, and there was no significant difference in pavement performance in the areas where crystals precipitated. The crystals were mainly caused by rainwater penetrating into the pavement through coarse segregation areas and collecting in the depression of the lower bearing layer. Under high temperature, the solution precipitated out of the pavement and formed crystals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Road Engineering: Innovation in Road Pavements and Materials)
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12 pages, 3085 KiB  
Article
Research on High- and Low-Temperature Rheological Properties of High-Viscosity Modified Asphalt Binder
by Zhongcai Huang, Xianwu Ling, Di Wang, Pengfei Li, Huaquan Li, Xinyu Wang, Zujian Wang, Rong Wei, Weining Zhu and Augusto Cannone Falchetto
Buildings 2023, 13(4), 1077; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13041077 - 19 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1035
Abstract
This study evaluates the critical high- and low-temperature rheological properties of a high-viscosity modified asphalt (HVMA) binder by analyzing one neat and three high-viscosity modified binders (B-type, Y-type, and H-type) using temperature sweep tests and multi-stress creep recovery tests (MSCR) through the dynamic [...] Read more.
This study evaluates the critical high- and low-temperature rheological properties of a high-viscosity modified asphalt (HVMA) binder by analyzing one neat and three high-viscosity modified binders (B-type, Y-type, and H-type) using temperature sweep tests and multi-stress creep recovery tests (MSCR) through the dynamic shear rheometer (DSR), and low-temperature creep stiffness properties by the bending beam rheometer (BBR). Technical indexes such as the softening point temperature, dynamic viscosity, rutting factor, unrecoverable creep compliance, and the creep recovery rate are measured and calculated for high-temperature properties, while the m/S value, dissipation energy ratio, relaxation time, elongation, creep stiffness, and creep speed are used as technical indexes for low-temperature properties. The results show that the incorporation of high-viscosity modifiers reduces the unrecoverable creep compliance and increases the creep recovery rate of the asphalt binder. Non-recoverable creep compliance is found to be a reliable indicator for high-temperature performance, while at low temperatures, the relaxation time decreases, the dissipation energy increases, and the stress relaxation ability improves. The dissipation energy ratio and m/S value are suggested to evaluate the low-temperature performance of HVMA binders using the Burgers model based on the BBR bending creep stiffness test. Therefore, this study recommends using the unrecoverable creep compliance via MSCR to evaluate high-temperature properties and dissipation energy ratio and m/S value for low-temperature properties in the evaluation of HVMA binders. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Road Engineering: Innovation in Road Pavements and Materials)
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22 pages, 5443 KiB  
Article
Laboratory and Full-Scale Testbed Study in the Feasibility of Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene Asphalt Pavement Having Epoxy Resin and Crumb Rubber Powder
by Sang-Yum Lee and Tri Ho Minh Le
Buildings 2023, 13(3), 652; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13030652 - 28 Feb 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1375
Abstract
Conventional asphalt concrete pavements have deteriorated rapidly due to the current increased traffic and extreme climate impacts. In addition to the upgrading in the construction quality, there is an urgent need to expand the utilization of modified asphalt binders to improve road capacity [...] Read more.
Conventional asphalt concrete pavements have deteriorated rapidly due to the current increased traffic and extreme climate impacts. In addition to the upgrading in the construction quality, there is an urgent need to expand the utilization of modified asphalt binders to improve road capacity and traffic safety. The proposed research aims to combine epoxy resin (ER) and crumb rubber powder (CRP) contents into conventional Styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS)-modified asphalt binder to not only reduce the consumption of normal asphalt binder but also promote the usage of recycled waste material in practice. To cope with this research objective, the ER and CRP were designed at 3% and 5% by weight of asphalt binder, respectively. Various laboratory tests were performed to evaluate the performance of modified mixtures (ERCRP), including the Frequency Sweep Test, Multiple Stressed Creep and Recovery, Dynamic Modulus, Semi-Circular Bending (SCB), and Cantabro Durability Tests. Additionally, an assessment of the modified asphalt concrete pavement via field testbed was conducted through Falling Weight Deflectometer and Ground Penetrating Radar. Overall, by adding the ER and CRP, the strain value of the control reference mix can be reduced up to 31.8% and 28.3% at MSCR 0.1 and 3.1 kPa, respectively. Additionally, the dynamic modulus of the ERCRP-modified samples was approximately 32,267 and 189 MPa, while the value of the reference mixture was 28,730 and 105 MPa at the highest and lowest frequency, respectively, indicating an enhancement under repeated loads. Regarding the SCB test results at 0 °C, the peak stress of the ERCRP-modified mixture was 4.75 MPa, while the value of the reference specimens was only 4.2 MPa, noticing the improved stress-bearing capacity. Based on a full-scale testbed, the FLWD elastic modulus of reinforced pavement shows a novel improvement (6.75%) compared with the control pavement, suggesting a potential application of ERCRP-modified asphalt binder for sustainable development purposes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Road Engineering: Innovation in Road Pavements and Materials)
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15 pages, 5268 KiB  
Article
Pavement Performance and Ice-Melting Characteristics of Asphalt Mixtures Incorporating Slow-Release Deicing Agent
by Jiaqiang Zhang, Weicheng Wang, Jinzhou Liu, Shuyi Wang, Xiaochun Qin and Bin Yu
Buildings 2023, 13(2), 306; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13020306 - 19 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1896
Abstract
Icy pavement is one of the primary causes affecting driving safety in winter, and deicing asphalt mixture could effectively resist pavement icing. This study evaluated the effect of a slow-release deicing agent on pavement performance and ice-melting characteristics of the asphalt mixture. The [...] Read more.
Icy pavement is one of the primary causes affecting driving safety in winter, and deicing asphalt mixture could effectively resist pavement icing. This study evaluated the effect of a slow-release deicing agent on pavement performance and ice-melting characteristics of the asphalt mixture. The asphalt mixture containing four different contents (0%, 30%, 50%, and 70% using the internal mixing method) by replacing mineral filler was designed. Pavement performance tests were used to investigate the effect of the deicing agent on the high-temperature stability, cracking resistance, and water stability of the asphalt mixture. Qualitative and quantitative tests were designed to compare the ice-melting characteristics and predict the ice-melting durability with different replacement amounts. The experimental results show that the high-temperature stability, low-temperature cracking resistance, and water stability of the asphalt mixture decrease with the increase inthe deicing agent. The mineral filler with a content of 50% deicing agent will enhance the stability of the mixture in the short term. Deicing asphalt mixture can significantly improve the ice and snow melting ability of the pavement, and the asphalt mixture with a content of 50% deicing agent will reduce the interface adhesion between mixture and ice by more than 55%. The slow-release deicing asphalt mixture can reach the maximum release concentration within two hours under rain and snow. The recommended replacement amount of slow-release deicing agent is 50%, and the predicted durability of deicing asphalt mixture is 5–8 years. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Road Engineering: Innovation in Road Pavements and Materials)
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