Mechanical Behavior and Failure Mechanism of Recycled Semi-flexible Pavement Material

The mechanical behavior and failure mechanism of recycled semi-flexible pavement material were investigated by different scales method. The macroscopic mechanical behavior of samples was studied by static and dynamic splitting tensile tests on mechanics testing system(MTS). The mechanical analysis in micro scale was carried out by material image analysis method and finite element analysis system. The strains of recycled semi-flexible pavement material on samples surface and in each phase materials were obtained. The test results reveal that the performance of recovered asphalt binder was the major determinant on the structural stability of recycled semi-flexible pavement material. The asphalt binder with high viscoelasticity could delay the initial cracking time and reduce the residual strain under cyclic loading conditions. The failure possibility order of each phase in recycled semi-flexible pavement material was asphalt binder, reclaimed aggregate, cement paste and virgin aggregate.

The Influential Factors of Semi-Flexible Pavement Cracking Performance

The cracking performance of semi-flexible pavement(SFP) was investigated by using the semi-circular bending(SCB) test in this paper. Thirteen grouting slurries were prepared. The compressive strength of these materials ranges from 3 to 100 MPa. The relationship between the compressive strength of the grouting slurry and the cracking property of SFP was obtained at different loading rates and different temperatures. The peak load, fracture energy(E), flexible index(FI), and cracking resistance index(CRI) were calculated to determine the material performance. The results show that the compressive strength of the grout influences the cracking behavior. With a higher comprehensive strength grouting slurry, the FI value of SFP decreased initially and then increased slightly at 25 ℃ in 50 mm/min. The CRI value decreased at the same time. E values changed just according to the test temperature and loading rate. The damage paths of SFP are different. The damage path of the SFP sample appears as diffuse damage at 1 mm/min at 60 ℃ or clean damage at 50 mm/min at 25 ℃. These findings indicate that there is a correlation between the compressive strength of grouting slurry and SFP cracking behavior. The cracking form is influenced by loading rate and temperature.

Investigation of material composition,design,and performance of open-graded asphalt mixtures for semi-flexible pavement:A comprehensive experimental study

The primary goal of this study is the design and construction of semi-flexible pavement(SFP)mixture in accordance with the engineering and mechanical criteria.This study involves the use of a range of gradation curves,air void contents,cellulose and synthesized fibers,and neat and modified asphalt binders to prepare the open-graded asphalt(OGA)mixtures.To analyze the characteristics of these mixtures,a variety of test,namely binder drainage,semi-circular bending(SCB),Cantabro,wheel tracking,indirect tensile strength(ITS),and permeability tests were conducted.Additionally,to analyze the prepared grouting material,flexural strength,compressive strength,and fluidity tests were conducted.In the final stage,SFP was compared to HMA in terms of engineering characteristics and performance.According to the results,SFP was more resistant to skid,rutting,fire,and moisture damage,while HMA had a better performance in fracture tests,including SCB test.According to the results of the mechanical performance tests conducted on OGA mixtures,the highest and lowest values for air void content to achieve the highest mechanical performance level were 30%-35%and 25%,respectively.Also,based on the laboratory results,it was determined that the required void ratio for constructing OGA mixtures was 24%-26%based on the bitumen type and fibers amount in the mixture.Finally,SFP mixture can be regarded as a viable alternative to common pavements thanks to its high resistance to rutting and moisture damage,long freezing-thawing fatigue life,and adequate fire and skid resistance.

An investigation on failure behavior of semi-flexible composite mixture at different temperatures

Semi-flexible composite mixture(SFCM)is a kind of pavement material formed by pouring cement-based grout material into a porous asphalt mixture with air voids from 20%to 30%.SFCM is widely used for its outstanding anti-rutting performance.Its mechanical performance is complicated due to its heterogeneity and interlocking structure.According to the present study,asphalt deforms at different temperatures,whereas cement-based grout has no similar characteristics.Rare research focuses on the temperature-based performance of SFCM.Therefore,the study was on the thermal performance of SFCM by seven open-graded asphalt mixture skeletons with different porosities and two types of grouts with early strength(ES)and high strength(HS).The test temperatures ranged from 10℃to 60℃.The mechanical investigation was performed using the semi-circular-bending(SCB)and beam bending tests.The strain sensor was used for analyzing the thermal performance of SFCM.The results show that the temperature significantly affected the SFCM's performance.The porosity was selected for three sections based on the trend of fracture energy(Gf)curves at 25℃.The turning points were the porosity values of 20%and 26%.The initiation slope during elastic deformation increases with the porosity increase.This trend was more evident at intermediate temperature.The shrink strain of SFCM was lower than that of the usual asphalt mixture(AC).The thermal stress of the SFCM filled with HS(HS-SFCM)was higher than that of the SFCM filled with ES(ES-SFCM)at 10℃.Moreover,the thermal failure characteristics of SFCM were influenced by porosity.

Predicting the International Roughness Index of JPCP and CRCP Rigid Pavement:A Random Forest(RF)Model Hybridized with Modified Beetle Antennae Search(MBAS)for Higher Accuracy

To improve the prediction accuracy of the International Roughness Index(IRI)of Jointed PlainConcrete Pavements(JPCP)and Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavements(CRCP),a machine learning approach is developed in this study for the modelling,combining an improved Beetle Antennae Search(MBAS)algorithm and Random Forest(RF)model.The 10-fold cross-validation was applied to verify the reliability and accuracy of the model proposed in this study.The importance scores of all input variables on the IRI of JPCP and CRCP were analysed as well.The results by the comparative analysis showed the prediction accuracy of the IRI of the newly developed MBAS and RF hybrid machine learning model(RF-MBAS)in this study is higher,indicated by the RMSE and R values of 0.2732 and 0.9476 for the JPCP as well as the RMSE and R values of 0.1863 and 0.9182 for the CRCP.The accuracy of this obtained result far exceeds that of the IRI prediction model used in the traditional Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide(MEPDG),indicating the great potential of this developed model.The importance analysis showed that the IRI of JPCP and CRCP was proportional to the corresponding input variables in this study,including the total joint faulting cumulated per KM(TFAULT),percent subgrade material passing the 0.075-mm Sieve(P_(200))and pavement surface area with flexible and rigid patching(all Severities)(PATCH)which scored higher.

Review on dynamic analysis of road pavements under moving vehicles and plane strain conditions

This paper reviews works on the dynamic analysis of flexible and rigid pavements under moving vehicles on the basis of continuum-based plane strain models and linear theories.The purpose of this review is to provide in-formation about the existing works on the subject,critically discuss them and make suggestions for further research.The reviewed papers are presented on the basis of the various models for pavement-vehicle systems and the various methods for dynamically analyzing these systems.Flexible pavements are modeled by a homogeneous or layered half-plane with isotropic or anisotropic and linear elastic,viscoelastic or poroelastic material behavior.Rigid pavements are modeled by a beam or plate on a homogeneous or layered half-plane with material properties like the ones for flexible pavements.The vehicles are modeled as concentrated or distributed over a finite area loads moving with constant or time dependent speed.The above pavement-vehicle models are dynamically analyzed by analytical,analytical/numerical or purely numerical methods working in the time or frequency domain.Representative examples are presented to illustrate the models and methods of analysis,demonstrate their merits and assess the effects of the various parameters on pavement response.The paper closes with con-clusions and suggestions for further research in the area.The significance of this research effort has to do with the presentation of the existing literature on the subject in a critical and easy to understand way with the aid of representative examples and the identification of new research areas.

Analysis of Historic Pavement and Bridge Conditions and Alternative Funding Levels for the Michigan Department of Transportation

In 1997 the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) established an ambitious set of condition targets for its pavements and bridges, and the Department received increased revenue from a 4-cent-per-gallon increase in the state motor fuels tax to help meet its targets. However, over time, actual revenue was less than both what was initially estimated as needed to meet the targets and what was projected from the tax increase. Consequently, actual conditions were projected to fall short of the target levels, so the department issued bonds to address the shortfall through 2012. To support deliberations on future funding, in 2013 MDOT performed an analysis of historic conditions to determine what additional fuel tax revenues would have been required beginning in 1997 to: replace bond revenues used to fund pavement and bridge projects from 1997 to 2012;and enable MDOT to meet its condition targets. The analysis was performed using data on actual pavement and bridge funding and conditions;as well as predicted funding and conditions for different hypothetical increases in fuel taxes. The analysis concluded that, in addition to the actual increase of 4 cents per gallon, a fuel tax increase of another 10 cents per gallon would have been required in 1997 to replace bond revenue used for pavement and bridges and allow MDOT to meet its condition targets. The analysis results were used to help inform the discussion of Michigan’s target asset conditions and funding, and demonstrate application of MDOT’s pavement and bridge management systems for performing historic analyses.

Analysis of Roadbed Pavement Designs for Highway Reconstruction and Upgrading

This paper focuses on the route and roadbed pavement design in highway reconstruction and upgrading projects.It discusses the importance of project design for highway reconstruction and upgrading,highlighting key aspects of route design and roadbed pavement design.The analysis reveals that the main design considerations in these projects include controlling factors of route reconstruction,expansion,and upgrading,as well as route plan design and longitudinal section design combined with roadbed pavement.In roadbed pavement design,it is crucial for designers to thoroughly collect existing data and make reasonable use of the current roadbed and pavement to develop a comprehensive design scheme.This analysis aims to provide a reference for the reasonable design of such projects.

Study on Air-Purifying Performance of Semi-Flexible Asphalt Samples Coated with Titanium Dioxide Using Different Methods

Titanium dioxide(TiO_(2))was recently employed to apply onto road surfaces to degrade the harmful compounds from vehicle emissions.However,it remains a challenging task to find a highly compatible pavement type for TiO_(2)application to achieve durable and efficient air-purifying performance.This study proposed to coat TiO_(2)particles onto semi-flexible pavement surface and tried to investigate an optimum coating method.Three coating methods,including direct mixing TiO_(2)(MT)with asphalt mixture,spraying dry TiO_(2)(ST)coating and watersolution-based TiO_(2)(WT)coating on semi-flexible pavement surface.To achieve this objective,semi-flexible samples were prepared to evaluate and compare the performances of three coating methods by employing resistance to wearing,NO removal efficiency tests and residual texture depth tests.It was found that the ST method not only provided better NO degrading efficiency but also improved the resistance to wearing than the other two methods.

Miscibility of Semi-flexible Thermotropic Liquid Crystalline Copolyesteramide with Polyamide 66

Liquid crystalline polymer-polyamide 66 (LCP/PA66) blends were compounded by using a Brabender mixing followed by compression moulding. The LCP employed was a semi-flexible liquid crystalline copolyesteramide based on 30% (molar fraction ) of p-amino benzoic acid (ABA ) and 70% (molar fraction) of poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET). The LCP/PA66 blends were investigated in terms of the thermal and dynamic mechanical properties. It was found that PA66 and LCP components of the blends are miscible in the molten state, but are partially miscible in the solid state. The inclusion of the semi-flexible LCP into PA66 retards the crystallization rate of PA66. Furthermore, the melting temperature and the degree of crystallinity of PA66 are reduced considerably due to the LCP addition.

Simulation of the Critical Adsorption of Semi-Flexible Polymers

The critical adsorption of semi-flexible pol.ymer chains on attractive surfaces is studied using Monte Carlo simulations.The results reveal that the critical adsorption point of a free polymer chain is the same as that of an end-grafted one.For the end-grafted polymer,we find that the finite-size scaling relation and the maximum fluctuation of adsorbed monomers are equivalent in estimating the critical adsorption point.The effect of chain stiffness on the critical adsorption is also investigated.The surface attraction strength for the critical adsorption of semi-flexible polymer chain decreases exponentially with an increase in the chain stiffness;In other words,lower adsorption energy is needed to adsorb a stiffer polymer chain.The result is explained from the viewpoint of the free energy profile for the adsorption.

Pavement Cracks Coupled With Shadows:A New Shadow-Crack Dataset and A Shadow-Removal-Oriented Crack Detection Approach

Automatic pavement crack detection is a critical task for maintaining the pavement stability and driving safety.The task is challenging because the shadows on the pavement may have similar intensity with the crack,which interfere with the crack detection performance.Till to the present,there still lacks efficient algorithm models and training datasets to deal with the interference brought by the shadows.To fill in the gap,we made several contributions as follows.First,we proposed a new pavement shadow and crack dataset,which contains a variety of shadow and pavement pixel size combinations.It also covers all common cracks(linear cracks and network cracks),placing higher demands on crack detection methods.Second,we designed a two-step shadow-removal-oriented crack detection approach:SROCD,which improves the performance of the algorithm by first removing the shadow and then detecting it.In addition to shadows,the method can cope with other noise disturbances.Third,we explored the mechanism of how shadows affect crack detection.Based on this mechanism,we propose a data augmentation method based on the difference in brightness values,which can adapt to brightness changes caused by seasonal and weather changes.Finally,we introduced a residual feature augmentation algorithm to detect small cracks that can predict sudden disasters,and the algorithm improves the performance of the model overall.We compare our method with the state-of-the-art methods on existing pavement crack datasets and the shadow-crack dataset,and the experimental results demonstrate the superiority of our method.

Multi-objective optimization in highway pavement maintenance and rehabilitation project selection and scheduling:A state-of-the-art review

The motivation for cost-effective management of highway pavements is evidenced not only by the massive expenditures associated with these activities at a national level but also by the consequences of poor pavement condition on road users.This paper presents a state-of-the-art review of multi-objective optimization(MOO)problems that have been formulated and solution techniques that have been used in selecting and scheduling highway pavement rehabilitation and maintenance activities.First,the paper presents a taxonomy and hierarchy for these activities,the role of funding sources,and levels of jurisdiction.The paper then describes how three different decision mechanisms have been used in past research and practice for project selection and scheduling(historical practices,expert opinion,and explicit mathematical optimization)and identifies the pros and cons of each mechanism.The paper then focuses on the optimization mechanism and presents the types of optimization problems,formulations,and objectives that have been used in the literature.Next,the paper examines various solution algorithms and discusses issues related to their implementation.Finally,the paper identifies some barriers to implementing multi-objective optimization in selecting and scheduling highway pavement rehabilitation and maintenance activities,and makes recommendations to overcome some of these barriers.

Toughness improvement mechanism and evaluation of cement concrete for road pavement:A review

Traditional cement concrete has the disadvantages of low tensile strength,poor toughness,and rapid development of cracks while cracking,which causes a significantly negative influence on the safety and durability of concrete road pavement.This paper presents a state-of-the-art review of toughness improvement mechanisms and evaluation methods of cement concrete for road pavement.The review indicates that(i)The performance of concrete material depends on its material composition and internal structure.Aggregate size,cement properties and admixtures are the main factors of concrete toughness.(ii)The incorporation of rubber or fiber in pavement concrete improves the toughness of concrete materials.However,these additions must be maintained within a reasonable range.The amount of rubber and fiber are encouraged not more than 30%of the volume of fine aggregate and 2%of the volume of concrete,respectively.(iii)The toughness of pavement concrete material includes the toughness regarding bending,impact and fracture.The toughness of cement concrete for highway and municipal pavement is generally evaluated by bending and fracture toughness,while the toughness of airfield pavement concrete is more focused on impact toughness.(iv)The toughening measures of cement concrete for road pavement are mainly mixed with rubber or fiber,while these two materials have their defects,and the application of hightoughness cement concrete in the actual road still faces many challenges.For example,the synergistic effect of rubber and fiber,the development and application of new flexible admixtures,and the formulation of the toughness index of pavement cement concrete materials need further research.

Helix-like structure formation of a semi-flexible chain confined in a cylinder channel

Molecular dynamics method is used to study the conformation behavior of a semi-flexible polymer chain confined in a cylinder channel.A novel helix-like structure is found to form during the simulation.Moreover,the detailed characteristic parameters and formation probability of these helix-like structures under moderate conditions are investigated.We find that the structure is not a perfect helix,but a bundle of elliptical turns.In addition,we conduct a statistical analysis for the chain monomer distribution along the radial direction.This research contributes to our understanding of the microscopic conformation of polymer chains in confined environments filled with a solvent.

Thermal Properties Reconstruction and Temperature Fields in Asphalt Pavements: Inverse Problem and Optimisation Algorithms

A two-layer implicit difference scheme is employed in the present study to determine the temperature distribution in an asphalt pavement.The calculation of each layer only needs four iterations to achieve convergence.Furthermore,in order to improve the calculation accuracy a swarm intelligence optimization algorithm is also exploited to inversely analyze the laws by which the thermal physical parameters of the asphalt pavement materials change with temperature.Using the basic cuckoo and the gray wolf algorithms,an adaptive hybrid optimization algorithm is obtained and used to determine the relationship between the thermal diffusivity of two types of asphalt pavement materials and the temperature.As shown by the results,the prediction accuracy achievable with this approach is higher than that of the linear model.

Correlation analysis of longitudinal cracks and vertical deformation within asphalt pavement of cold regions

The asphalt pavement longitudinal crack is a common distress in cold regions,resulting from uneven deformation of the subgrade.Analysis of the correlation law between uneven deformation and crack distress is of positive significance for understanding the mechanism of crack initiation,and putting forward treatment measures.In view of the complexity of longitudinal crack inducement and road surface deformation,the grey relational method was used to analyze this relationship.Through long-term monitoring of the vertical deformation data of typical road sections,the vertical deformation law of the pavement surface and its deformation characteristics under the action of temperature field are analyzed.Parameters such as vertical relative deformation,vertical relative deformation rate and vertical differential deformation VDSr were constructed to describe vertical deformation characteristics.Typical distribution characteristics of longitudinal fractures and their length and distribution characteristics are also described.The grey correlation analysis theory was utilized to analyze the relationship between deformation characteristics of sections,cross sections and monitoring points and longitudinal crack characteristics(length and location).The analysis reveals a linear positive correlation or a high correlation between several indicators.This study can provide a deeper understanding of the occurrence and development mechanism of longitudinal cracks in asphalt pavement of cold areas,and give references for the research of road engineering structure,materials and distress prevention.

Fast prediction of the mechanical response for layered pavement under instantaneous large impact based on random forest regression

The layered pavements usually exhibit complicated mechanical properties with the effect of complex material properties under external environment.In some cases,such as launching missiles or rockets,layered pavements are required to bear large impulse load.However,traditional methods cannot non-destructively and quickly detect the internal structural of pavements.Thus,accurate and fast prediction of the mechanical properties of layered pavements is of great importance and necessity.In recent years,machine learning has shown great superiority in solving nonlinear problems.In this work,we present a method of predicting the maximum deflection and damage factor of layered pavements under instantaneous large impact based on random forest regression with the deflection basin parameters obtained from falling weight deflection testing.The regression coefficient R^(2)of testing datasets are above 0.94 in the process of predicting the elastic moduli of structural layers and mechanical responses,which indicates that the prediction results have great consistency with finite element simulation results.This paper provides a novel method for fast and accurate prediction of pavement mechanical responses under instantaneous large impact load using partial structural parameters of pavements,and has application potential in non-destructive evaluation of pavement structure.

Do aeolian deposits and sand encroachment intensity shape patterns of vegetation diversity and plant functional traits in desert pavements?

The effects of sand encroachment on composition,diversity,and functional patterns of vegetation in drylands are rarely studied,and yet addressing these aspects is important to deepen our understanding of the biodiversity conservation.This study aimed to investigate the effect of sand encroachment on plant functional biodiversity of desert pavements(gravel deserts)in the Sahara Desert of Algeria.Plants were sampled and analyzed in three desert pavements with different levels of sand encroachment(LSE)and quantity of aeolian deposits(low,LLSE;medium,MLSE;and high,HLSE).Within the sample-plot area(100 m^(2)),density of every plant species was identified and total vegetation cover was determined.Plant taxonomic and functional diversity were analyzed and compared between LSE.Result showed that 19 plant species in desert pavements were classified into 18 genera and 13 families.Asteraceae and Poaceae were the most important families.The species Anabasis articulata(Forssk)Moq.characterized LLSE desert pavements with 11 species,whereas Thymelaea microphylla Coss.&Durieu ex Meisn.and Calobota saharae(C&D)Boatwr.&van Wyk were dominant species of desert pavements with MLSE(14 species)and HLSE(10 species),respectively.The highest values of species richness and biodiversity were recorded in desert pavements with MLSE,while low values of these ecological parameters were obtained in desert pavements with HLSE.Desert pavements with LLSE were characterized with the highest values of species abundances.Plant communities were dominated by chamaephytes,anemochorous,arido-active,and competitive stress-tolerant plants.The increase in LSE along the gradient from LLSE to HLSE induced significant changes in plant community variables including decreases in plant density,plant rarity,lifeform composition,morphological type,and aridity adaptation.Desert pavements with HLSE favor the degradation of vegetation and trigger biodiversity erosion.

Automated Pavement Crack Detection Using Deep Feature Selection and Whale Optimization Algorithm

Pavement crack detection plays a crucial role in ensuring road safety and reducing maintenance expenses.Recent advancements in deep learning(DL)techniques have shown promising results in detecting pavement cracks;however,the selection of relevant features for classification remains challenging.In this study,we propose a new approach for pavement crack detection that integrates deep learning for feature extraction,the whale optimization algorithm(WOA)for feature selection,and random forest(RF)for classification.The performance of the models was evaluated using accuracy,recall,precision,F1 score,and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC).Our findings reveal that Model 2,which incorporates RF into the ResNet-18 architecture,outperforms baseline Model 1 across all evaluation metrics.Nevertheless,our proposed model,which combines ResNet-18 with both WOA and RF,achieves significantly higher accuracy,recall,precision,and F1 score compared to the other two models.These results underscore the effectiveness of integrating RF and WOA into ResNet-18 for pavement crack detection applications.We applied the proposed approach to a dataset of pavement images,achieving an accuracy of 97.16%and an AUC of 0.984.Our results demonstrate that the proposed approach surpasses existing methods for pavement crack detection,offering a promising solution for the automatic identification of pavement cracks.By leveraging this approach,potential safety hazards can be identified more effectively,enabling timely repairs and maintenance measures.Lastly,the findings of this study also emphasize the potential of integrating RF and WOA with deep learning for pavement crack detection,providing road authorities with the necessary tools to make informed decisions regarding road infrastructure maintenance.