The film thickness of asphalt mixtures is critical for determining their performance and aging durability. However, understanding of the appropriate film thickness and its influence on performance and aging behavior for high-content polymer-modified asphalt (HCPMA) mixtures is still limited. This research aims to examine the relationship between film thickness, performance, and aging behavior of HCPMA mixtures in order to establish an optimal film thickness that ensures satisfactory performance and aging durability. HCPMA specimens with film thicknesses ranging from 6.9 μm to 17 μm were prepared using a 7.5% SBS-content-modified bitumen. Various tests, including Cantabro, SCB, SCB fatigue, and Hamburg wheel-tracking tests, were conducted to evaluate raveling, cracking, fatigue, and rutting resistance before and after aging. The key findings indicate that insufficient film thickness negatively affects aggregate bonding and performance, while excessive thickness reduces mixture stiffness and resistance to cracking and fatigue. A parabolic relationship between the aging index and film thickness was observed, suggesting that increasing film thickness improves aging durability up to a point, beyond which excessive thickness adversely impacts aging durability. The optimal film thickness for HCPMA mixtures, considering performance before and after aging and aging durability, falls within the 12.9 to 14.9 µm range. This range ensures the best balance between performance and aging durability, offering valuable insights for the pavement industry in designing and utilizing HCPMA mixtures.@en

High-Content SBS Polymer Modified Asphalt Mixtures (HCPMA) combined with fibers have gained popularity in porous pavement construction due to their superior performance. Although the aging behavior of HCPMA has been extensively studied, the impact of fibers on performance and aging susceptibility remains unclear. This research investigates the influence of two representative fibers (lignin and polyester) on the raveling, cracking, fatigue, and rutting resistance of HCPMA before and after aging using Cantabro loss tests, SCB strength tests, SCB fatigue tests, and Hamburg Wheel-Tracking tests. The results indicate that in the original state, polyester fiber slightly enhances HCPMA performance, while lignin fiber shows limited or even adverse effects on cracking, raveling, fatigue, and rutting resistance. However, both fibers exhibit a more pronounced enhancement effect after short- and long-term aging. FTIR analysis reveals that fiber addition does not significantly impact bitumen oxidation and polymer degradation. The excellent properties of High-Content SBS Polymer Modified Bitumen (HCPMB) in the original state create a "masking" effect that conceals the enhancement effect of fibers, which becomes more evident after
long-term aging. Consequently, it is recommended that the performance evaluation and design of open-graded asphalt mixtures containing HCPMB be based on post-aging performance. @en

This study aims to comprehensively investigate the rejuvenation efficiency of various self-developed compound rejuvenators on the physical, mechanical, and aging properties of aged bitumen, asphalt mortar, and mixture. The results revealed that the restoration capacity of vacuum distilled-oil rejuvenators on high-and-low temperature performance-grade of aged bitumen is more significant. In contrast, an aromatic-oil based rejuvenator is good at enhancing low-temperature grade and aging resistance. Moreover, the temperature and time of the curing conditions for mixing recycling of asphalt mixture were optimized as 150 °C and 120 min. Furthermore, the sufficient anti-rutting, structural stability, and moisture resistance of recycled asphalt mixture affirmed the rejuvenation efficiency of compound rejuvenators. @en

Temperature sensors that can operate in high-temperature and harsh environments are highly desired. However, this is a great challenge for sensing materials to operate under extreme working conditions because of oxidation and/or corrosion at high temperature. In this study, polymer-derived SiAlCN ceramics were prepared as sensing materials to overcome the abovementioned issues. A SiAlCN ceramic temperature sensor was designed and fabricated, and it performed excellent temperature-sensing properties with high accuracy, high stability, and high repeatability up to 1000 °C. Compared with traditional thermocouples, the SiAlCN ceramic sensor exhibited a faster response rate (a shorter response time). These results showed that SiAlCN ceramic is a promising sensor material for temperature measurement in high-temperature and harsh environments.

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Lignin, as a major waste from biofuel and paper industries, could be utilized as a modifier to enhance the relevant performance of bitumen. However, the effects of lignin on the thermodynamics properties and molecular structure of bitumen are rarely studied. Meanwhile, the potential modification mechanism of lignin modified bitumen is still unclear. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and laboratory experimental methods are combined to explore the influence of lignin on the thermodynamics characteristics, rheological properties as well as the molecular structure of bitumen. The lignin modified bitumen with different dosages of lignin (10, 20 and 30 wt%) were prepared. DSR results from a macroscale view reveal that lignin could significantly improve the modulus, elastic recovery and rutting resistance of bitumen, but it adversely affects the fatigue performance. Meanwhile, the MD simulation results from a microscale perspective show that lignin could increase the density, cohesive energy density, shear viscosity, modulus and adhesive strength of bitumen. However, the free volume, diffusion coefficient and self-healing ability of lignin modified bitumen are weakened with the increase of lignin dosage. The MD simulations results are consistent with the experimental data. Furthermore, the correlations between the microscale and macroscale properties of lignin modified bitumen indicate that the physical and rheological properties of bitumen both depend on the molecular structure dramatically. The findings of this research can provide insights for an in-depth understanding of the effect of lignin on bitumen.@en

This Special Issue "Sustainable Designed Pavement Materials" has been proposed and organized as a means to present recent developments in the field of environmentally-friendly designed pavement materials. For this reason, articles included in this special issue relate to different aspects of pavement materials, from industry solid waste recycling to pavement materials recycling, from pavement materials modification to asphalt performance characterization, from pavement defect detection to pavement maintenance, and from asphalt pavement to cement concrete pavement, as highlighted in this editorial.

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It is well known that crumb rubber (CR) and styrene–butadienestyrene (SBS) composite modified asphalt has better rheological and engineering performance. However, it always presents very poor compatibility and storage stability. Meanwhile, Trans-polyoctenamer (TOR) can effectively improve the compatibility and thermal stability of rubber asphalt. Thus, this study aims to investigate the effectiveness of TOR on rheological properties, microstructure and thermal stability of CR/SBS modified asphalt. The results show that TOR has a significant influence on strengthening anti-rutting and temperature sensitivity of CR/SBS modified asphalt. However, TOR has a slightly negative influence on the anti-cracking ability for CR/SBS modified asphalt, which still maintains the critical low temperature requirement. Furthermore, TOR could be able to promote the conformation of cross-linked structure between polymer and asphalt, resulting in a significant enhancement in rheological properties and thermal stability of CR/SBS modified asphalt. Lastly, the effects of TOR on viscoelastic performance for modified asphalt markedly depend on the component of neat asphalt, and high asphaltene content is beneficial for improving the rheological behavior effects of TOR.

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Noise produced from the tyre-road surface interface is one of the most important contributions to the overall traffic noise and there is an increasing requirement for predicting the tyre-road noise levels prior to road construction in the Netherlands. In practice, a model with a simple structure as well as a high accuracy is applicable in road engineering. Also, material properties are preferred to be used as input variables of the prediction model, which will facilitate the pavement design. Based on these considerations, models are developed for evaluating the tyre-road noise from the asphalt mixture compositions and road surface characteristics. They are statistical models developed from the measurements on thin layer surfacings in the Netherlands. Different regression methods, model types and input variable combinations are taken into account. The selection of the model is due to the fitness of the prediction and validation by using measurement data from in service road sections. Two models, which evaluate the tyre-road noise level from the surface characteristics and from material properties, respectively, are finally selected. By using these models, only a small number of input variables are required and reliable predictions can be provided. The models achieved in this study can be used for predicting the tyre-road noise generation in road engineering and investigating the influence of surface characteristics and material properties on tyre- road noise levels.

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