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Novel Materials in Highway Engineering

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 December 2025 | Viewed by 220

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Civil Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
Interests: assembly design and application of high-performance engineering materials; utilization of industrial solid waste; road disaster prevention and maintenance; long-life asphalt pavement
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Guest Editor
School of Electric Power, Civil Engineering and Architecture, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
Interests: polymer rejuvenation; polymer chemistry; polymer-modified asphalt; rejuvenation of rubberized asphalt aging evaluation of polymer materials; low-carbon smart pavement
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
Interests: functional pavement; self-healing materials; sustainable pavement design; waste recycling and utilization; asphalt aging and rejuvenation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Materials are one of the most basic and important elements in highway engineering, which are directly related to the performance and service of highway engineering. In recent years, some additional functions are required for highway engineering, such as more green, environmental protection and intelligence, less carbon emissions, etc. Based on this, the primary aim of this Special Issue is to collect and spread the recent progress and novel trends in the theory and application of advanced materials in road engineering. We invite authors to contribute original research, theoretical and experimental work, case studies, and comprehensive review papers that contribute to the advanced technologies and application of materials in highway engineering. Relevant topics to this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following subjects: design and application of multifunctional material; waste materials utilization; low-carbon emission materials; long-life materials; green environmental protection material; and novel characterization of materials.

Dr. Canlin Zhang
Dr. Xiaobin Han
Dr. Shi Xu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • design and application of multifunctional material
  • waste materials utilization
  • low-carbon emission materials
  • long-life materials
  • green environmental protection material
  • novel characterization of materials

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 3009 KiB  
Article
Toughening Effect of Micro-Cracks on Low-Temperature Crack Propagation in Asphalt Concrete
by Jianhuan Du, Xianxing Dai, Qingyang Liu and Zhu Fu
Materials 2025, 18(11), 2429; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18112429 - 22 May 2025
Viewed by 83
Abstract
Asphalt concrete has a unique low-temperature fracture mechanism due to the complex interaction between macro- and micro-cracks. This study investigated the toughening effect of micro-cracks on the crack propagation behavior of asphalt concrete at low temperatures. The Taylor model was applied to establish [...] Read more.
Asphalt concrete has a unique low-temperature fracture mechanism due to the complex interaction between macro- and micro-cracks. This study investigated the toughening effect of micro-cracks on the crack propagation behavior of asphalt concrete at low temperatures. The Taylor model was applied to establish a modulus damage model of asphalt concrete. In combination with the discrete element method (DEM), a 2D microstructure damage model of asphalt concrete with heterogeneity (aggregate, mortar, and voids) and multi-level (aggregate gradation) characteristics was constructed. A virtual semi-circular bending (SCB) test was performed to reveal the toughening effect of the micro-cracks in terms of macroscopic and microscopic parameters, such as the modulus damage variable, dynamic parameters associated with the main crack propagation, and stress field distribution, laying a foundation for predicting the propagation behavior and path of macroscopic cracks in asphalt concrete. The results showed that (1) the proposed modulus damage model based on the Taylor model produced results that were in good agreement with the numerical simulation (virtual SCB test) results. With an increase in the micro-crack density, the influence of the main cracks on the modulus damage of asphalt concrete gradually reduced, indicating that the micro-cracks exhibited a toughening effect on the main crack propagation; (2) At the meso-scale, the toughening effect of the micro-cracks extended the duration of the crack propagation stage and macro-crack formation stage; that is, the toughening effect of the micro-cracks had a shielding effect on the main crack propagation; (3) The toughening effect could inhibit the shear stress field, contributing to preventing the deterioration in the modulus of asphalt concrete. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Materials in Highway Engineering)
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