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Recent Advances in Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) Materials

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2025 | Viewed by 574

Special Issue Editor

School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK
Interests: bitumen-aggregate adhesion; bitumen healing; pavement material characterization; bitumen ageing; bio-binder; recycled asphalt

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue on "Recent Advances in Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) Materials" will provide a comprehensive platform for disseminating innovative research and technological breakthroughs in the field of RAP. We invite original contributions that explore various aspects of RAP, including studies on material properties, performance evaluation, and the influence of RAP content and aggregate types on pavement behavior. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the characterization of RAP materials, advances in recycling and processing techniques, sustainability assessments, and the integration of RAP with new or modified binders to enhance pavement performance. In addition, we welcome research addressing environmental and economic benefits, as well as case studies on the implementation of RAP in road construction projects. This Special Issue will foster dialogue between researchers, practitioners, and industry experts, ultimately advancing the state of knowledge and promoting sustainable practices in pavement engineering.

Dr. Lu Zhou
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • reclaimed asphalt pavement
  • RAP recycling
  • pavement performance
  • sustainability
  • material characterization
  • recycling techniques
  • innovative RAP technologies
  • environmental impact, economic analysis

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 10447 KB  
Article
Multi-Focus Imaging and U-Net Segmentation for Mesoscale Asphalt Film Structure Analysis—Method for Characterizing Asphalt Film Structures in RAP
by Ying Wang, Shuming Li, Weina She, Yichen Cai and Hongchao Zhang
Materials 2025, 18(18), 4363; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18184363 - 18 Sep 2025
Viewed by 349
Abstract
This study presents a high-fidelity image acquisition method for asphalt film structure to address the challenge of capturing mesoscale structures, especially fine mineral filler and asphalt mastic. The method is particularly applied to the analysis of the mortar structure in reclaimed asphalt pavement [...] Read more.
This study presents a high-fidelity image acquisition method for asphalt film structure to address the challenge of capturing mesoscale structures, especially fine mineral filler and asphalt mastic. The method is particularly applied to the analysis of the mortar structure in reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) mixtures. A digital camera combined with image stacking and texture suppression techniques was used to develop a reproducible imaging protocol. The resulting sub-pixel images significantly improved clarity and structural integrity, particularly for particles smaller than 0.075 mm. U-Net-based segmentation identified 588,513 aggregate particles—34 times more than in standard images (17,428). Among them, 95% were smaller than 0.075 mm compared to just 45% in standard images. Furthermore, segmentation accuracy reached 99.3% in high-resolution images, surpassing the 98.1% in standard images. These results confirm the method’s strong capability to preserve microscale features and enhance fine particle recognition, making it more effective than conventional imaging approaches. This study bridges physical and digital workflows in asphalt material analysis, offering a scalable, reproducible pipeline for fine-structure identification. The methodology provides foundational support for data-driven pavement modeling, material optimization, and future integration into digital twin frameworks for intelligent infrastructure systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) Materials)
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