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Advanced Road Materials and Pavement Engineering: Design, Structure, Performance and Characterization

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 2025 | Viewed by 4749

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Shihui Shen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Rail Transportation Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, Altoona, PA 16803, USA
Interests: civil engineering materials (asphalt, concrete, etc.); railroad and highway infrastructure
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Cheng Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Lyles School of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA
Interests: asphalt binders and mixes; mix design; pavement maintenance and rehabilitation; machine learning

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the rapid emergence and development of innovative materials and techniques have significantly influenced road engineering fields. Leveraging these state-of-the-art technologies is crucial in improving material performance, extending pavement service life, and addressing environmental, sustainability, and economic issues. In this Special Issue, we aim to introduce high-quality studies related to advanced functional materials and sustainable low-carbon materials in asphalt, concrete, or composite pavement. Research areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Sustainable/recycled materials in asphalt (such as bio-binders, bio-oils, recycled polymers, crumb rubber, waxes, or rejuvenating agents), cement (such as silica fume, fly ash, or ground granulated blast furnace slag), and aggregates (including reclaimed asphalt pavement, artificial aggregates, steel slags, construction and demolition waste, and plastic waste);
  • Innovative functional paving materials (including self-healing, de-icing, energy harvesting, or shape-memory materials);
  • Advanced functional additives for asphalt or asphalt mixture (such as cellulose, polyester, aramid fibers, nano-silica, carbon nanotubes, styrene–butadiene rubber, anti-stripping agents, self-healing agents, or warm mix additives);
  • Advanced functional additives for cement concrete (such as superplasticizers, shrinkage-reducing admixtures, corrosion inhibitors, or hydrophobic agents);
  • Pavement and mixture design, mechanical properties, and performance prediction for advanced or sustainable pavement materials;
  • Pavement evaluation, maintenance, and rehabilitation strategies (such as non-destructive tests, in situ instrumentations, or distress detection).

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Shihui Shen
Guest Editor

Dr. Cheng Zhang
Guest Editor Assistant

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. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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

  • road material
  • pavement structure
  • binder
  • asphalt mixture
  • cement concrete
  • pavement design
  • pavement performance
  • construction
  • pavement maintenance
  • rehabilitation

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 21297 KiB  
Article
Comparative Laboratory Tests of Thermal Conductivity of Road Materials Using Two Measurement Methods
by Jarosław Górszczyk and Konrad Malicki
Materials 2025, 18(9), 1970; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18091970 - 26 Apr 2025
Viewed by 388
Abstract
The fundamental material parameter used in the thermal analysis of road pavement structures is the thermal conductivity. This parameter can be determined using various methods. The main objective of this paper is to compare and evaluate the thermal conductivity test results obtained using [...] Read more.
The fundamental material parameter used in the thermal analysis of road pavement structures is the thermal conductivity. This parameter can be determined using various methods. The main objective of this paper is to compare and evaluate the thermal conductivity test results obtained using two different measurement methods. Thermal conductivity was determined using the steady-state and transient methods. The transient method is more cost-effective and faster but tends to produce a higher dispersion of results. In contrast, the steady-state method is more challenging to apply, particularly when testing large and heavy specimens of heterogeneous materials such as road pavement materials. For this reason, it is essential to assess the differences in results obtained by these two methods when applied to road materials. Two types of materials were tested in this study: an asphalt mixture and a cement concrete. The obtained results show statistically significant differences (α = 0.05), taking into account the two methods considered. The average difference can be estimated at 10% and 11% for asphalt mixtures and cement concretes, respectively. The obtained results are important for quantifying material parameters used in thermal and coupled thermal/structural analysis of pavement structures. This is particularly relevant in areas affected by urban heat islands and in road sections used as solar collectors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Road Materials and Pavement Engineering: Design, Structure, Performance and Characterization)
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22 pages, 14652 KiB  
Article
Chitosan Shrinking Fibers for Curing-Initiated Stressing to Enhance Concrete Durability
by Dryver Huston, Mandar M. Dewoolkar, Diarmuid Gregory, Mohammad Abdul Qader and Bismark Yeboah
Materials 2025, 18(7), 1574; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18071574 - 31 Mar 2025
Viewed by 263
Abstract
Concrete, a widely used construction material, faces environmental concerns and limited durability. This study aimed to enhance concrete durability and long-term resilience by incorporating shrinking chitosan-based fibers. Two types of fibers were used: active fibers, which shrink upon initiation of the curing cycle [...] Read more.
Concrete, a widely used construction material, faces environmental concerns and limited durability. This study aimed to enhance concrete durability and long-term resilience by incorporating shrinking chitosan-based fibers. Two types of fibers were used: active fibers, which shrink upon initiation of the curing cycle in concrete, and passive fibers, which served as experimental controls and were pre-shrunk before being added. Two types of durability tests were conducted: freeze-thaw and chloride penetration. Fiber ratios of 0.5 wt%, 1 wt%, and 2 wt%, along with a 0 wt% control, were used for freeze-thaw testing, while ratios of 0.24 wt%, 0.36 wt%, 0.5 wt%, 1 wt%, and 2 wt% were used for chloride penetration. Results demonstrated significant durability improvements with active fibers. Active fiber-reinforced concrete exhibited over 200% greater freeze-thaw durability than passive fibers and over 500% compared to non-reinforced concrete. Chloride penetration testing revealed reduced penetration rates in active fiber concrete. After saltwater exposure, active fiber-reinforced concrete showed up to 59% higher resistance than passive fibers and 249% compared to the control group. These findings highlight the potential of chitosan fibers to significantly enhance concrete durability, paving the way for more sustainable construction practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Road Materials and Pavement Engineering: Design, Structure, Performance and Characterization)
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Graphical abstract

24 pages, 11388 KiB  
Article
Damage Evolution and Lifetime Prediction of Cement Asphalt Mortar Under High-Speed Train Frequency and Temperature Gradient Load
by Mingjie Zhou, Shenghua Zhong, Yiping Liu, Zejia Liu, Bao Yang, Zhenyu Jiang, Licheng Zhou and Liqun Tang
Materials 2025, 18(5), 1011; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18051011 - 25 Feb 2025
Viewed by 362
Abstract
Severe damage to cement asphalt mortar (CA mortar) can compromise the stability and safety of high-speed railway operations due to various complex factors during service. The loads from high-speed trains and temperature gradients within the ballastless track structure are significant contributors to this [...] Read more.
Severe damage to cement asphalt mortar (CA mortar) can compromise the stability and safety of high-speed railway operations due to various complex factors during service. The loads from high-speed trains and temperature gradients within the ballastless track structure are significant contributors to this damage. However, most previous studies have focused on laboratory tests or numerical simulations under simple loading conditions, while few have investigated the damage evolution of CA mortar when both train loads and temperature gradients are considered simultaneously. In this paper, a finite element model of the CRTS II ballast track and a high-speed railway train dynamics model based on the damage constitutive model of CA mortar was established. The damage evolution of CA mortar through long-term cyclic numerical simulations under the combined effects of train load and temperature gradient load were investigated. By integrating the maintenance criteria for high-speed railways, the lifetime of CA mortar using the criteria of crack length and off-seam width was predicted. In addition, the material and structural properties of CA mortar were also optimized, considering the relationship between its elastic modulus and density, to enhance its lifetime. The conclusions reached are more realistic. The results indicate that the combined load causes deformation in the ballast track structure, leading to gradual damage progression from the edge to the interior of the CA mortar layer. The lifetime of CA mortar is determined by the number of days it takes for the crack length to reach the maintenance criteria. The lifetime of CA mortar under different temperature gradients ranges from 1 to 2 years. Increasing the elastic modulus and thickness of the CA mortar layer improves its lifespan. An elastic modulus of 9000 MPa and a thickness of 50 mm for the CA mortar were recommended. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Road Materials and Pavement Engineering: Design, Structure, Performance and Characterization)
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22 pages, 18682 KiB  
Article
Experimental Investigation on Macroscopic and Microscopic Mechanical Properties of Geopolymer-Stabilized Macadam
by Hancheng Dan, Shenglong Ma, Mengjin Li, Jiawei Tan and Haoran Zhang
Materials 2025, 18(2), 454; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18020454 - 20 Jan 2025
Viewed by 880
Abstract
Geopolymer, as a promising inorganic binding material, holds potential for use in constructing base layers for highway pavements. This study aims to evaluate the mechanical properties of geopolymer-stabilized macadam (GSM) at both the micro- and macro-scale by a series of tests, demonstrating that [...] Read more.
Geopolymer, as a promising inorganic binding material, holds potential for use in constructing base layers for highway pavements. This study aims to evaluate the mechanical properties of geopolymer-stabilized macadam (GSM) at both the micro- and macro-scale by a series of tests, demonstrating that high-Ca GSM is a high-quality material for pavement base layers. The results demonstrated that GSM exhibits outstanding mechanical and fatigue properties, significantly surpassing those of cement-stabilized macadam (CSM). Performance improvements were particularly notable with higher binder-to-aggregate ratios. GSM derived from a high-Ca precursor achieved a relatively higher fatigue life and resistance to permanent deformation under cyclic loading, outperforming CSM. Furthermore, relationship models developed from the indirect tensile fatigue test results provide a valuable framework for evaluating GSM’s long-term road performance. Microstructural analyses revealed that geopolymer features a reticulated gel structure and a denser, more continuous internal matrix, which contribute to its superior properties. The interface products of GSM, including C–A–S–H gel and C(N)–A–S–H gel, enhance mechanical interlocking and promote early strength development, accounting for its exceptional mechanical strength and fatigue resistance. These findings offer valuable insights and technical guidance for employing geopolymer as a sustainable and effective alternative to cement-stabilized macadam in base layer construction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Road Materials and Pavement Engineering: Design, Structure, Performance and Characterization)
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12 pages, 8477 KiB  
Article
Study on Water Damage of Asphalt–Aggregate Based on Molecular Dynamics
by Shenghao Wang, Yan Chen, Lihua Wang, Naixin Cui, Chunfeng Li and Shifu Sun
Materials 2025, 18(1), 209; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18010209 - 6 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 738
Abstract
To investigate the water damage at the interface between emulsified asphalt and aggregate under the action of external water infiltration, firstly, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide was used as an emulsifier to prepare emulsified asphalt in the laboratory, and its basic properties were tested. Then, based [...] Read more.
To investigate the water damage at the interface between emulsified asphalt and aggregate under the action of external water infiltration, firstly, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide was used as an emulsifier to prepare emulsified asphalt in the laboratory, and its basic properties were tested. Then, based on molecular dynamics, an emulsified asphalt–aggregate interface model with different water contents was constructed to calculate the adhesion work of the emulsified asphalt–aggregate interface. The results show that the simulated values of emulsified asphalt density, cohesive energy density, and solubility are in good agreement with the experimental values. Under the same water content, the adhesion force between asphalt and three oxides (CaO, Al2O3, SiO2) is arranged in the following order: CaO > Al2O3 > SiO2. The bonding performance of an alkaline aggregate to asphalt is better than that of an acid aggregate. The van der Waals force plays a major role in the adhesion performance of an emulsified asphalt mixture, and electrostatic force plays a secondary role. Under the action of external force, the macroscopic failure mode of the emulsified asphalt–aggregate is as follows: the alkaline oxide-emulsified asphalt system is cohesive failure; the acid and neutral oxide-emulsified asphalt system is adhesive failure; the enrichment of water molecules at the interface is the main factor causing water damage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Road Materials and Pavement Engineering: Design, Structure, Performance and Characterization)
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19 pages, 9734 KiB  
Article
Lime Stabilization of Tropical Soil for Resilient Pavements: Mechanical, Microscopic, and Mineralogical Characteristics
by Bruna Calabria Diniz, William Fedrigo, Thaís Radünz Kleinert, Giovanni dos Santos Batista, Washington Peres Núñez, Bethania Machado Correa and Lélio Antônio Teixeira Brito
Materials 2024, 17(19), 4720; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17194720 - 26 Sep 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1211
Abstract
Lime stabilization is a sustainable technique due to its use of local materials, increased durability, reduced maintenance, and improved resistance to water action. This paper examines the impact of lime stabilization on the mechanical, microscopic, and mineralogical properties of a tropical soil. Two [...] Read more.
Lime stabilization is a sustainable technique due to its use of local materials, increased durability, reduced maintenance, and improved resistance to water action. This paper examines the impact of lime stabilization on the mechanical, microscopic, and mineralogical properties of a tropical soil. Two types of lime, calcitic and dolomitic, were tested at 3% and 5% by weight. Compressive, indirect tensile and flexural test results and statistical analysis revealed that calcitic lime mixtures had higher strength and stiffness, whereas dolomitic lime mixtures exhibited greater deformability with higher tensile strain at break. Scanning electron microscopy indicated that the soil’s porous matrix closed within 7 days for both lime types due to flocculation, with increased matrix interlocking over time. The calcitic lime mixture developed a more closed matrix compared to the dolomitic lime, which showed weaker cementing. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated higher consumption of clay minerals and a notable reduction in calcium hydroxide peaks in the lime-treated soils. The study concludes that calcitic lime provides better pavement performance for stabilizing the soil, enhancing its engineering properties while also being sustainable by reducing the need for raw material extraction and improving resilience to climate-related issues such as floods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Road Materials and Pavement Engineering: Design, Structure, Performance and Characterization)
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