New Developments in Asphalt Pavement: Enhancing Durability, Sustainability, and Cost-Effectiveness

Asphalt pavement is the most widely used high-grade form of pavement in road construction. Due to its excellent mechanical properties, anti-slip performance, convenient construction, good economic durability, and ease of recycling, it is widely used in the construction of urban roads, highways, airport runways, and other roads. However, asphalt pavement also has some drawbacks, such as poor durability and high maintenance costs, which require corresponding maintenance measures to be taken. Firstly, due to the inherent temperature sensitivity of asphalt materials, they are prone to softening and deformation at high temperatures and brittle cracking at low temperatures, which can lead to a decrease in the bearing capacity of the road surface and then damage. In addition, asphalt pavement is also susceptible to erosion by chemicals and pollutants, further shortening the service life of the pavement. Secondly, the maintenance costs of asphalt pavement are relatively high. Due to the relatively short service life of asphalt pavement, regular repairs and maintenance are required to ensure the normal use of the pavement. These maintenance tasks, including filling potholes, repairing cracks, and clearing road surface water, require a significant amount of manpower and financial resources. Therefore, in recent years, scholars have conducted extensive research on improving the durability, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness of asphalt pavement.

To improve the durability of asphalt pavement, scholars are working to develop new high-performance materials, such as fiber-modified asphalt pavement, rubber-modified pavement, and high-modulus asphalt pavement. These new materials have better anti-aging, crack resistance, and fatigue resistance properties, which can effectively extend the service life of the pavement. To enhance sustainability, recycled asphalt technology is being widely applied. This includes the use of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP), recycled asphalt shingles (RAS), and warm mix asphalt (WMA) technology. These technologies involve the recycling and reuse of old asphalt pavement materials, which can not only reduce the demand for new materials but also significantly reduce the environmental impact related to manufacturing and disposal. The advancement of sensor technology and the concept of intelligent road surfaces have attracted people’s attention. By integrating sensors and other intelligent devices, engineers are working to develop intelligent road systems that can monitor road conditions in real-time and alert the relevant parties to potential problems. Such technologies can provide real-time data on different road conditions, enabling more efficient and proactive maintenance strategies, improving maintenance efficiency, extending road service life, and reducing overall costs. In the design and construction of asphalt pavement, advanced modeling and simulation tools can be used to more accurately predict the performance of asphalt pavement and optimize accompanying design and construction plans. Following this method can help us to better understand how various factors (such as material selection, thickness design, traffic flow, etc.) affect the durability, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness of road surfaces. The preventive maintenance strategy for asphalt pavement focuses on maintenance before problems occur to extend the service life of the pavement and reduce maintenance costs. This includes the use of technologies such as micro surfaces and thin layer coverings, as well as regular road condition assessments and maintenance planning.

The papers brought together as a part of this Special Issue entitled “Asphalt Pavement: Materials, Design, and Characterization” describe the new developments in asphalt pavement from the perspective of enhancing durability, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness. The first example is represented by the article entitled “Panoramic UAV Image mosaic method and its application in pavement paving temperature monitoring” [1]. In this paper, by utilizing the low altitude technology of an unmanned aerial vehicle infrared detection system to monitor the paving temperature during the construction process of asphalt pavement, the uniformity control of temperature during this construction process can be achieved. This is a new form of technology used in the construction and paving of asphalt pavement. A second example of asphalt pavement is described in the article entitled “Laboratory investigation of the water damage resistance of tuff asphalt mixture modified with additives” [2]. In this case, to improve the water damage resistance of a tuff asphalt mixture, cement and liquid anti-stripping agents were added to the aforementioned tuff asphalt mixture, and limestone and tuff mixtures without additives were used as comparison samples. The modification effects of different types and contents of additives on the water damage resistance of the tuff mixtures were evaluated through the use of improved boiling tests and water stability tests before and after aging to obtain appropriate types and contents of additives.

These new developments highlighted above not only improve the performance of asphalt pavement but also focus on environmental friendliness and economic benefits, providing more sustainable solutions for future road construction and maintenance.