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Road and Rail Construction Materials: Development and Prospects

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction and Building Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2026 | Viewed by 4077

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Editors

Dr. Yang Gao

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Guest Editor

Shanxi Key Laboratory of Civil Engineering Disaster Prevention and Control, College of Civil Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Interests: road and rail materials; asphalt; solid waste utilization; emulsified asphalt; pavement regeneration

Dr. Taotao Fan

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor

School of Traffic and Transportation, Shijiazhuang Tiedao University, Shijiazhuang 050043, China
Interests: road materials; rail materials; asphalt; solid waste utilization; polymer modification

Dr. Zhen Zhang

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor

School of Naval Architecture and Civil Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 215600, China
Interests: road pavement and bridge deck pavement materials; bitumen; solid waste utilization; steel slag; bituminous pavement recycling

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The advancement of modern infrastructure imposes higher demands on construction materials, particularly in terms of durability, environmental friendliness, and cost-effectiveness. As critical transportation infrastructure, the quality of road and rail construction directly impacts economic development and public quality of life. Therefore, researching and developing high-performance construction materials has become a significant task for both academia and the engineering community.

This Special Issue, titled "Road and Rail Construction Materials: Development and Prospects", aims to explore the latest developments and future prospects of materials used in road and rail construction. It will cover key areas such as the development and application of new materials, including road materials, rail materials, composite materials, and recycled materials. It will examine material performance and serve as an evaluation, focusing on durability, crack resistance, fatigue resistance, and environmental adaptability. Additionally, it will address environmental protection and sustainable development through the use of green materials and technologies.

This Special Issue will provide a platform for researchers and practitioners to exchange and showcase their latest findings, promoting innovation in road and rail construction materials. We look forward to your contributions to advancing transportation infrastructure.

Dr. Yang Gao
Dr. Taotao Fan
Dr. Zhen Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

modified asphalt
solid waste utilization
polymer modification
subgrade materials
recycled materials
rail materials
emulsified asphalt
mixture
composite materials

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 4123 KB

Open AccessArticle

Transient Contact Elastic–Plastic Characteristics Analysis of Rail Welded Joints in Heavy-Haul Railways

by Chen Liu and Zhiqiang Wang

Materials 2026, 19(6), 1246; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19061246 - 21 Mar 2026

Viewed by 543

Abstract

This study investigates the transient wheel–rail contact mechanics of welded joints in heavy-haul rails via a validated 3D finite element model, and analyzes the stick-slip behavior, dynamic response and elastoplastic characteristics in the base material zone, heat-affected zone and weld bead zone. Results show a distinct contact state transition from stick-slip in the base material to predominant slip within the welded zones, indicating higher wear susceptibility. Dynamic response analysis reveals the highest and lowest contact-point acceleration amplitudes in the base material and heat-affected zone, respectively, due to material heterogeneity. Plastic deformation consistently initiates at the rail surface, where stress and strain concentrate, establishing it as the primary site for damage nucleation. A systematic parametric study shows that plastic deformation can be effectively mitigated by increasing the yield strength and elastic modulus of the welded joint material, or reducing the wheelset velocity, unsprung mass and wheel–rail friction coefficient. In contrast, adjusting the primary suspension and fastener parameters exerts a negligible influence on plastic deformation control. These findings provide a mechanistic basis for optimizing the performance and maintenance of welded joints in heavy-haul rail operations. This study reveals the coupling law of multiple mechanisms among contact behavior, dynamic response and material failure during the damage initiation process of rail welded joints from the mechanistic perspective, which provides a theoretical basis for the structural optimization, condition assessment and maintenance of rail welded joints in heavy-haul railways. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Road and Rail Construction Materials: Development and Prospects)

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15 pages, 2240 KB

Open AccessArticle

Research on Friction Welded Connections of B500SP Reinforcement Bars with 1.4301 (AISI 304) and 1.4021 (AISI 420) Stainless Steel Bars

by Jarosław Michałek and Ryszard Krawczyk

Materials 2026, 19(2), 313; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19020313 - 13 Jan 2026

Viewed by 422

Abstract

Steel and prestressed concrete traction poles can be fixed to reinforced concrete pile foundations using typical bolted connections. The stainless steel fastening screw is connected to the ordinary steel foundation pile reinforcement by friction welding under specific friction welding process parameters. From the perspective of the structural strength of the connection between the traction pole and the foundation pile, regarding the transfer of tensile and shear forces through a single anchor bolt, the yield strength of stainless steel bolts should be R_e,min ≥ 345 MPa for M30 anchors, R_e,min ≥ 310 MPa for M36 anchors and R_e,min ≥ 300 MPa for M42 anchors. This requirement is reliably met by martensitic stainless steels, while other stainless steels have yield strengths below the required minimum. What truly determines the foundation pile’s load capacity is not the satisfactory mechanical strength of the stainless steel (here, the parameters are met), but the quality of the friction-welded end connection between the reinforcement and the threaded bars. Incorrect selection of the type of prestressing steel in the analyzed connection can have enormous consequences for foundation pile manufacturers. Annual production of foundation piles amounts to thousands of units, and an incorrect decision made by the pile designer at the design stage can result in significant financial losses and a high risk to human life. This article presents the results of studies on friction-welded connections of M30, M36, and M42 threaded bars made of austenitic 1.4301 (AISI 304) and martensitic 1.4021 (AISI 420) stainless steel with B500SP reinforcement bars. The tests yielded negative results for 1.4021 (AISI 420) steel, despite its yield strength exceeding R_e ≥ 360 MPa. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Road and Rail Construction Materials: Development and Prospects)

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45 pages, 9392 KB

Open AccessArticle

Engineering Performance, Environmental and Economic Assessment of Pavement Reconstruction Using Cold In-Place Recycling with Foamed Bitumen: A Municipal Road Case Study

by Justyna Stępień, Anna Chomicz-Kowalska, Krzysztof Maciejewski and Patrycja Wąsik

Materials 2026, 19(1), 83; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19010083 - 25 Dec 2025

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1236

Abstract

Modernizing municipal roads requires rehabilitation strategies that ensure adequate structural performance while reducing environmental and economic burdens. Although cold in-place recycling with foamed bitumen (CIR-FB) has been widely investigated, integrated assessments combining mechanistic–empirical modeling with LCA and LCCA remain limited—particularly for municipal roads in Central and Eastern Europe, where reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) quality, climatic conditions and budget constraints differ from commonly studied regions. This study compares two reconstruction variants for a 1 km road section: a conventional design using virgin materials (V₁-N) and a recycling-based alternative (V2-Rc) incorporating RAP from the existing wearing and binder layers and reclaimed aggregate (RA) from the existing base. CIR-FB mixture testing (stiffness ≈ 5.25 GPa; foamed bitumen = 2.5%, cement = 2.0%) was integrated into mechanistic–empirical fatigue analysis, material-flow quantification, LCA and LCCA. The V₂-Rc variant achieved a 3–21-fold increase in fatigue life compared to V₁-N at equal thickness. Material demand decreased by approximately 27%, demolition waste by approximately 39%, and approximately 92% of the existing pavement was reused in situ. Transport work was reduced five-fold (veh-km) and more than six-fold (t-km). LCA showed a 15.9% reduction in CO₂-eq emissions, while LCCA indicated approximately 19% lower construction cost, with advantages remaining robust under ±20% sensitivity. The results demonstrate that CIR-FB, when supported by proper RAP/RA characterization, can substantially improve structural, environmental and economic performance in municipal road rehabilitation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Road and Rail Construction Materials: Development and Prospects)

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21 pages, 2799 KB

Open AccessArticle

Molecular Insights into the Kinetic Aging Mechanisms of SBS-Modified Asphalt

by Yunjing Nie, Ye Bai, Fang Liu, Pengfei Li and Zhidong Zhou

Materials 2025, 18(21), 4821; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18214821 - 22 Oct 2025

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1051

Abstract

The aging of SBS-modified asphalt (SBSMA) is a kinetic process that significantly deteriorates pavement performance and shortens service life. Although previous studies have explored the evolution of SBSMA during aging, the underlying kinetic mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, SBSMA samples were subjected to varying degrees of aging to simulate the kinetic aging process. Changes in four components and chemical functional groups were characterized, supporting the construction of molecular models at different aging stages. Molecular dynamics simulations indicate that the oxidation rate of SBSMA and degradation rate of SBS molecular chains are significantly higher in the initial aging stage than later, leading to a pronounced increase in cohesive energy density and solubility parameters, along with a decrease in surface free energy, fractional free volume, and binding energies, predominantly occurring during the first aging stage. Aging also shortens intermolecular distance between asphaltene molecules while increasing the distances between asphaltene–resin and asphaltene–SBS. The adsorption competition between asphaltene and SBS for lightweight components intensifies initially, whereas asphaltene exhibits stronger adsorption in the later aging stage. Furthermore, the diffusion coefficients of asphaltene and SBS increase rapidly initially then slow, causing a corresponding rapid initial decline followed by decrease in resin, aromatic, and saturate components. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Road and Rail Construction Materials: Development and Prospects)

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