Surface Protection of Pavements: New Perspectives and Applications

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Aspects in Colloid and Interface Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 257

Special Issue Editors

Fuyang Normal University, Fuyang 236041, China
Interests: Intelligent transportation infrastructure construction and operation

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Fuyang Normal University, Fuyang 236041, China
Interests: Intelligent transportation infrastructure construction and operation

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Fuyang Normal University, Fuyang 236041, China
Interests: low-carbon and ecological pavement materials; pavement maintenance materials; intelligent detection of pavement disease

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

After being used for a certain period of time, asphalt pavement, as the main pavement form of highways and municipal roads, under the combined effect of traffic load and environment, is subjected to a variety of surface damage, as well as the reduction or even loss of its surface function. If reasonable treatments are not implemented to deal with these issues, it will not only produce structural damage in the pavement, but will also be a serious threat to the safety of driving. Therefore, it is necessary to detect, monitor, and evaluate the early damage of asphalt pavements, and to select targeted technical measures for treatment at the right time to restore the pavement’s function, while reducing maintenance costs in order to achieve low-carbon and low-cost maintenance.

In this respect, our Special Issue aims to publish high-quality original papers that shed new insights into anti-skid function restoration; the intelligent detection of surface distresses; and the design of maintenance programs, asphalt micro-surfacing, new materials for thin-layer maintenance, and new technology for the surface regeneration of asphalt pavements.

Dr. Ke Zhang
Dr. Wei Zhang
Dr. Yi Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • anti-slip properties
  • disease detection
  • conservation design
  • bitumen coatings
  • micro-surfacing
  • thin-layer covering
  • regeneration

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 2459 KiB  
Article
Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Rubberized Warm-Mix Asphalt Pavements: A Cradle-to-Gate Plus Maintenance Approach
by Ana María Rodríguez-Alloza and Daniel Garraín
Coatings 2025, 15(8), 899; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15080899 (registering DOI) - 1 Aug 2025
Abstract
In response to the escalating climate crisis, reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) has become a top priority for both the public and private sectors. The pavement industry plays a key role in this transition, offering innovative technologies that minimize environmental impacts without compromising [...] Read more.
In response to the escalating climate crisis, reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) has become a top priority for both the public and private sectors. The pavement industry plays a key role in this transition, offering innovative technologies that minimize environmental impacts without compromising performance. Among these, the incorporation of recycled tire rubber and warm-mix asphalt (WMA) additives represents a promising strategy to reduce energy consumption and resource depletion in road construction. This study conducts a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate the environmental performance of an asphalt pavement incorporating recycled rubber and a WMA additive—referred to as R-W asphalt—against a conventional hot-mix asphalt (HMA) pavement. The analysis follows the ISO 14040/44 standards, covering material production, transport, construction, and maintenance. Two service-life scenarios are considered: one assuming equivalent durability and another with a five-year extension for the R-W pavement. The results demonstrate environmental impact reductions of up to 57%, with average savings ranging from 32% to 52% across key impact categories such as climate change, land use, and resource use. These benefits are primarily attributed to lower production temperatures and extended maintenance intervals. The findings underscore the potential of R-W asphalt as a cleaner engineering solution aligned with circular economy principles and climate mitigation goals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Protection of Pavements: New Perspectives and Applications)
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