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Application of Polymer Materials in Pavement Design: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 February 2025) | Viewed by 8388

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Key Laboratory for Special Area Highway Engineering of Ministry of Education, Chang'an University, South 2nd Ring Road Middle Section, Xi'an 710064, China
Interests: asphalt materials; eco-friendly road material; functional road materials; intelligent road materials
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Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
Interests: pavement maintenance; asphalt concrete; self-healing; multi-cavity capsules
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Guest Editor
Materials and Manufacturing Research Institute, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Bay Campus, Swansea SA1 8EN, UK
Interests: construction materials; self-healing bituminous materials; waste valorisation
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Guest Editor
Institute for Transport Studies (ITS), University of Leeds, 34–40 University Road, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
Interests: life cycle assessment; pavement design and recycling; road safety
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the continuous development of the social economy, the construction of the transportation field has also ushered in new developments and challenges. However, due to the influence of traffic load and environmental factors, the road performance of pavements is likely to deteriorate rapidly; therefore, improvements in their durability and road performance represent an important research direction, especially since society also proclaims a high demand for green pavement environmental protection and intelligent wisdom, as well as traditional pavement materials incapable of meeting societal needs. In recent years, the compelling advantages of new materials for improving road performance have attracted extensive attention, as well as polymer materials with a high thermal stability, mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and chemical resistance, which are widely used in important fields of the national economy, such as aerospace, biomedicine, transportation, electronic information, etc. With the development of material science and technology, polymer materials show a great application potential in the field of roads.

SBS, SBR, PE, EP, PU, anti-rutting agents, and other polymer materials can be used to modify asphalt and improve its performance, with the application of polymer admixtures in cement and concrete being capable of improving the hydration properties of cement and the strength and durability of concrete. Polymer materials are also widely used in pavement maintenance and disease treatment and are able to quickly restore road function and prolong the road’s service life. In addition, the application of functional polymer materials in the field of road performance will not only meet the durability and stability of pavements, but will also realize their green environmental protection and intelligent functions, a topic falling within the scope of this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Wei Jiang
Prof. Dr. Quantao Liu
Dr. Jose Norambuena-Contreras
Dr. Yue Huang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • asphalt pavement
  • concrete pavement
  • functional pavement
  • environmentally friendly pavement
  • pavement materials
  • polymer materials
  • functional materials
  • polymer-modified asphalt
  • cement additive

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

31 pages, 4116 KiB  
Article
Proposal for a New Method for Evaluating Polymer-Modified Bitumen Fatigue and Self-Restoration Performances Considering the Whole Damage Characteristic Curve
by Songtao Lv, Dongdong Ge, Shihao Cao, Dingyuan Liu, Wenhui Zhang, Cheng-Hui Li and Milkos Borges Cabrera
Polymers 2024, 16(19), 2782; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16192782 - 30 Sep 2024
Viewed by 990
Abstract
Fatigue performance and self-repairing activity of asphalt binders are two properties that highly influence the fatigue cracking response of asphalt pavement. There are still numerous gaps in knowledge to fill linked with these two characteristics. For instance, current parameters fail to accommodate these [...] Read more.
Fatigue performance and self-repairing activity of asphalt binders are two properties that highly influence the fatigue cracking response of asphalt pavement. There are still numerous gaps in knowledge to fill linked with these two characteristics. For instance, current parameters fail to accommodate these two bitumen phenomena fully. This study aims to propose a new procedure to address this issue utilizing the linear amplitude sweep (LAS) test, LAS with rest period (RP) (LASH) test, and simplified viscoelastic continuum damage (S-VECD) model. This research work used four different types of asphalt binders: neat asphalt (NA), self-healing thermoplastic polyurethane (STPU)-modified bitumen (STPB), self-healing poly (dimethyl siloxane) crosslinked with urea bond (IPA1w)-modified bitumen (IPAB), and styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS)-modified bitumen (SBSB). Before the testing process, all the materials were subjected to short-term and long-term aging. The new procedure showed a superior capacity to analyze and accommodate all bitumen fatigue performances and self-repairing activities compared to the current method. Another finding proved that asphalt binders with a higher self-restoration behavior failed to show a better fatigue performance. Moreover, the higher fatigue performance increments produced by STPU and IPA1w in NA concerning the control bitumen were 123.7% and 143.7%, respectively. Those values were obtained with 1.0% STPU and 0.5% IPA1w in NA. A breakthrough finding demonstrated that asphalt binder fatigue response is augmented when the RP was applied at a higher damage intensity (S) value. STPB and IPAB reached their highest increments of fatigue response, containing 1.0% of STPU and 0.5% of IPA1w, respectively. Those augmentations were 207.54% and 232.64%, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Polymer Materials in Pavement Design: 2nd Edition)
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19 pages, 4468 KiB  
Article
The Production of Porous Asphalt Mixtures with Damping Noise Reduction and Self-Healing Properties through the Addition of Rubber Granules and Steel Wool Fibers
by Nian Chen, Huan Wang, Quantao Liu, Jose Norambuena-Contreras and Shaopeng Wu
Polymers 2024, 16(17), 2408; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16172408 - 24 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1469
Abstract
Conventional asphalt roads are noisy. Currently, there are two main types of mainstream noise-reducing pavements: pore acoustic absorption and damping noise reduction. However, a single noise reduction method has limited noise reduction capability, and porous noise-reducing pavements have a shorter service life. Therefore, [...] Read more.
Conventional asphalt roads are noisy. Currently, there are two main types of mainstream noise-reducing pavements: pore acoustic absorption and damping noise reduction. However, a single noise reduction method has limited noise reduction capability, and porous noise-reducing pavements have a shorter service life. Therefore, this paper aimed to improve the noise-damping performance of porous asphalt mixture by adding rubber granules and extending its service life using electromagnetic induction heating self-healing technology. Porosity and permeability coefficient test, Cantabro test, immersion Marshall stability test, freeze–thaw splitting test, a low-temperature three-point bending experiment, and Hamburg wheel-tracking test were conducted to investigate the pavement performance and water permeability coefficients of the mixtures. A tire drop test and the standing-wave tube method were conducted to explore their noise reduction performance. Induction heating installation was carried out to study the heating rate and healing performance. The results indicated that the road performance of the porous asphalt mixture tends to reduce with an increasing dosage of rubber granules. The road performance is not up to the required standard when the dosage of rubber granules reaches 3%. The mixture’s performance of damping and noise tends to increase with the increase of rubber granule dosage. Asphalt mixtures with different rubber granule dosages have different noise absorption properties, and the mixture with 2% rubber granules has the best overall performance (a vibration attenuation coefficient of 7.752 and an average absorption factor of 0.457). The optimum healing temperature of the porous asphalt mixture containing rubber granules and steel wool fibers is 120 °C and the healing rate is 74.8% at a 2% rubber granule dosage. This paper provides valuable insights for improving the noise reduction performance and service life of porous asphalt pavements while meeting road performance standards. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Polymer Materials in Pavement Design: 2nd Edition)
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20 pages, 4580 KiB  
Article
Enhancing High-Temperature Performance of Flexible Pavement with Plastic-Modified Asphalt
by Salamat Ullah, Ali Qabur, Ansar Ullah, Khaled Aati and Mahmoud Abdelrahim Abdelgiom
Polymers 2024, 16(17), 2399; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16172399 - 24 Aug 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2020
Abstract
Previous studies indicate that traditional asphalt mixtures lack the ability to withstand the stresses caused by heavy traffic volumes under high temperatures. To enhance the rutting resistance of flexible pavement under high levels of temperature and loading, extensive laboratory experiments were carried out. [...] Read more.
Previous studies indicate that traditional asphalt mixtures lack the ability to withstand the stresses caused by heavy traffic volumes under high temperatures. To enhance the rutting resistance of flexible pavement under high levels of temperature and loading, extensive laboratory experiments were carried out. A 60/70 grade bitumen was used as a neat sample for comparison. The study introduced three distinct polymers, polypropylene (PP), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), at varying concentrations by weight into the neat bitumen. Initially, conventional tests were performed to evaluate the conventional properties of both the neat and modified bitumen, while aggregate tests assessed the mechanical properties of the aggregates. Subsequently, a Marshall mix design was performed to determine the optimum bitumen content (OBC) in the asphalt mixture. Finally, wheel-tracking tests were performed under a specific load and temperature to investigate the rutting behavior of the modified asphalt mixtures. The results of this comprehensive study revealed that the modified asphalt mixtures displayed improved resistance to rutting compared to the neat asphalt mixture. Furthermore, it was also observed that the LDPE exhibited a superior performance against rutting, followed by the PP and ABS. At polymer contents of 3%, 5%, and 7%, the LDPE achieved reductions in rut depth of 13%, 24%, and 33%, respectively, outperforming both PP- and ABS-modified asphalt. These findings not only enhance our understanding of asphalt behavior under diverse conditions but also highlight the potential of plastic-modified asphalt as an effective solution for mitigating rutting problems in road pavements. By incorporating plastic modifiers into asphalt mixtures, this approach aligns with the principles of sustainable construction by reducing plastic waste while improving pavement durability and performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Polymer Materials in Pavement Design: 2nd Edition)
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15 pages, 5743 KiB  
Article
Study on the Road Performance and Compaction Characteristics of Fiber-Reinforced High-RAP Plant-Mixed Hot Recycled Asphalt Mixtures
by Chunfeng Zhu, Yongyong Yang, Kai Zhang and Di Yu
Polymers 2024, 16(14), 2016; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16142016 - 15 Jul 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1557
Abstract
Recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) mixtures are widely adopted due to their significant economic and social benefits from utilizing pavement recycling materials. This study incorporates basalt fibers (BF) and polyester fibers (PF) into plant-mixed hot recycled asphalt mixtures to analyze their enhancement effects on [...] Read more.
Recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) mixtures are widely adopted due to their significant economic and social benefits from utilizing pavement recycling materials. This study incorporates basalt fibers (BF) and polyester fibers (PF) into plant-mixed hot recycled asphalt mixtures to analyze their enhancement effects on the high-temperature, low-temperature, and fatigue performance at different RAP content levels. Additionally, the study investigates the impact of fiber and RAP additions on the compaction characteristics of the mixtures using gyratory compaction tests, aiming to increase the RAP content of plant-mixed hot recycled asphalt mixtures. Experimental results demonstrate that at 30% and 50% RAP content levels, basalt fibers exhibit more pronounced enhancement effects on the performance of recycled asphalt mixtures compared to polyester fibers. Incorporating basalt fibers increases the fracture energy of recycled asphalt mixtures by 8.63% and 13.9%, and improves fatigue life by 154% and 135%, respectively. Moreover, the addition of both types of fibers increases compaction difficulty, with polyester fibers showing a more significant influence on the compaction energy index (CEI). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Polymer Materials in Pavement Design: 2nd Edition)
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18 pages, 13651 KiB  
Article
Study on the Long-Term Salt Release Characteristics of Self-Melting Ice Asphalt Mixtures and Their Impact on Pavement Performance
by Chenyang Liu, Dedong Guo, Xupeng Sun, Xiang Li, Meng Xu, Massimo Losa, Chiara Riccardi, Teng Wang and Augusto Cannone Falchetto
Polymers 2024, 16(10), 1379; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16101379 - 12 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1334
Abstract
Self-melting ice asphalt pavement materials inhibit pavement freezing and improve driving safety. This paper aims to study the long-term salt release characteristics of self-melting ice asphalt mixtures and the impact on pavement after complete salt release. Firstly, a method to accelerate the rapid [...] Read more.
Self-melting ice asphalt pavement materials inhibit pavement freezing and improve driving safety. This paper aims to study the long-term salt release characteristics of self-melting ice asphalt mixtures and the impact on pavement after complete salt release. Firstly, a method to accelerate the rapid release of salt based on the Los Angeles abrasion tester. Then, long-term salt release patterns were elucidated under the influence of deicing agent dosage, type of asphalt, and type of gradation. Finally, a quantitative analysis of the pavement performance after complete salt release is conducted. The results indicate that the release efficiency of the Los Angeles abrasion tester method has increased by 91 times compared to the magnetic stirrer immersion flushing method and by 114 times compared to the natural soaking method. The SBS-modified self-melting ice asphalt mixture possesses a longer duration of salt release, but the uniformity of salt release is inferior. Salt release duration is directly proportional to the dosage of deicing agents. SMA-13 self-melting ice asphalt mixture exhibits poorer uniformity in salt release. After complete salt release, high-temperature stability of self-melting ice asphalt mixtures decreased by 31.6%, low-temperature performance decreased by 15.4%, water stability decreased by 26.7%, and fatigue life decreased by 35.9%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Polymer Materials in Pavement Design: 2nd Edition)
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