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Road Pavements for Reduction of Climate and Safety Risks

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A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Surface Characterization, Deposition and Modification".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 34268

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Valeria Vignali

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Guest Editor

Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
Interests: road safety; road maintenance and construction materials; reduction techniques for the environmental impact of road pavements

Dr. Claudio Lantieri

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Co-Guest Editor

Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
Interests: road maintenance; safety; road materials; skid resistance and surface characteristics of road pavement
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Nicola Baldo

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Co-Guest Editor

Università degli Studi di Udine, Udine, Italy
Interests: pavement engineering; highway engineering; road safety

Prof. Dr. Zhuangzhuang Liu

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Co-Guest Editor

School of Highway, Chang’an University, Xi’an, China
Interests: road material behavior and engineering resilience; smart road materials and pavements; roadway resource evaluation; environment & traffic monitoring
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

Traffic safety depends on the complex relationship between various components: the driver, the vehicle, the environment, and the road infrastructure. According to the statistics, the driver’s behavior would appear to be the most important component, since it is responsible for the majority of accidents.

Any time human behavior is a factor, predicting how drivers will respond to road conditions is difficult at best. Variables such as roadway geometry, visibility issues, pavement surface conditions, weather, and the like, further make it difficult to quantify the safety of a particular roadway.

While we cannot control human response to road conditions, we can control the properties of pavement surfaces to help the reduction of crash probability.

The condition of the pavement surface affects deeply the road safety. Texture and roughness play an important role in providing an acceptable and ideal pavement condition. The frictional properties of the surface course affect its resistance to tires, helping to keep vehicles on the road when brakes are applied. This is particularly important in wet conditions, when a thin water film on the roadway decreases contact between tire and pavement. In this condition, the texture and porosity of the surface course help to provide a path to channel water away from tires and to reduce the hydroplaning phenomenon as well as the splash and spray effect.

The condition of the pavement surface is greatly affected by climate change, which has the potential to impact both long and short term road pavement performance. Therefore, to maintain pavements within the same serviceability as before, their maintenance strategies need to be re-assessed and, if necessary, changed. Hence, it is an urgent task to incorporate climate resilience into pavements design and management.

This Special Issue will present the most recent research advances in this field, to evaluate how these results can improve functional and structural performances of pavement surface coatings in response to climate and safety risks.

In particular, the topics of interest include, but are not limited to the following:

Methods and techniques for road pavement design, construction, maintenance, rehabilitation, and management;
Use of innovative and/or recycled materials in road surface treatments for road maintenance and safety;
Pavement surface characteristics and performances;
Characterization of the pavement surface using innovative techniques;
Pavement-vehicle interaction and safety issues;
Methods and techniques for the study of climate change adaptation for road pavements.

Keywords

road safety
road pavement surface
road pavement maintenance
skid resistance
road accidents reduction
climate change adaptation
climate resilience

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 5340 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable and Resistant Road Infrastructures: The Role of the Envision Framework as a Guide to a New Design Approach

by Francesco Censorii, Luca Cotignoli, Valeria Vignali and Alberto Bartoli

Coatings 2022, 12(2), 236; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12020236 - 11 Feb 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2732

Abstract

In Italy, resilience and sustainability concepts are generally applied to road infrastructures (mainly in terms of pavements) in order to minimize the environmental impacts of their construction and maintenance. In this paper the Envision framework has been adopted to evaluate the sustainability of a road project, optimizing its resilience for both short-term and long-term impacts. The rating approach has been applied considering not only pavements analysis but also the complete project process. The authors have upgraded the original Envision framework to road infrastructures, in compliance with the Italian regulatory framework. Four scenarios have been considered. The first allowed us to understand which credits can be evaluated with the available project documentation. The second represents a snapshot of the state of the project. The third evaluates the effect of the improvement in the performance level obtained by analyzing the potential increases. Finally, the last considers also for “pending” credits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Road Pavements for Reduction of Climate and Safety Risks)

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12 pages, 2571 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Urban Mid-Block Bicycle Crossings: The Effects of Red Colored Pavement and Portal Overhead Bicycle Crossing Sign

by Navid Ghasemi, Ennia Mariapaola Acerra, Claudio Lantieri, Andrea Simone, Federico Rupi and Valeria Vignali

Coatings 2022, 12(2), 150; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12020150 - 26 Jan 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2829

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the effectiveness of some mid-block bicycle crossing elements by analyzing the drivers’ behavior, when approaching the bicycle crossings in a real road experiments with 18 participants. The eye-tracking instrument has been used to monitor the driver’s visual behavior during the test in an instrumented vehicle with GPS (global positioning system) and an inertial measurement unit (IMU). In particular, the drivers’ gaze was investigated frame by frame while approaching the mid-block bicycle crossings. The results showed that the red colored pavement increased the visibility of the mid-block crossing zone to 65.3% with respect to zebra crossing 59.6%. The drivers’ visual field was also narrowed by the portal overhead bicycle crossing sign and, consequently, drivers reduced their velocity and looked more to the vertical signs by 28%. The drivers’ speed reduction helped drivers to see the mid-block crossing elements from a greater distance with a higher fixation duration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Road Pavements for Reduction of Climate and Safety Risks)

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20 pages, 4169 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Stiffness Data of High-Modulus Asphalt Concretes for Road Pavements: Predictive Modeling by Machine-Learning

by Nicola Baldo, Matteo Miani, Fabio Rondinella, Jan Valentin, Pavla Vackcová and Evangelos Manthos

Coatings 2022, 12(1), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12010054 - 3 Jan 2022

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2969

Abstract

This paper presents a study about a Machine Learning approach for modeling the stiffness of different high-modulus asphalt concretes (HMAC) prepared in the laboratory with harder paving grades or polymer-modified bitumen which were designed with or without reclaimed asphalt (RA) content. Notably, the mixtures considered in this study are not part of purposeful experimentation in support of modeling, but practical solutions developed in actual mix design processes. Since Machine Learning models require a careful definition of the network hyperparameters, a Bayesian optimization process was used to identify the neural topology, as well as the transfer function, optimal for the type of modeling needed. By employing different performance metrics, it was possible to compare the optimal models obtained by diversifying the type of inputs. Using variables related to the mix composition, namely bitumen content, air voids, maximum and average bulk density, along with a categorical variable that distinguishes the bitumen type and RAP percentages, successful predictions of the Stiffness have been obtained, with a determination coefficient (R²) value equal to 0.9909. Nevertheless, the use of additional input, namely the Marshall stability or quotient, allows the Stiffness prediction to be further improved, with R² values equal to 0.9938 or 0.9922, respectively. However, the cost and time involved in the Marshall test may not justify such a slight prediction improvement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Road Pavements for Reduction of Climate and Safety Risks)

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13 pages, 3408 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Variable Gap Sealing Technology of a Hydraulic Cylinder Based on Magnetic Shape Memory Alloy

by Xiaolan Chen, Fuquan Tu, Feng Gao, Heming Cheng and Shixiong Xing

Coatings 2021, 11(8), 950; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11080950 - 9 Aug 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4418

Abstract

The synergistic control of resistance reduction and sealing poses challenges to enhancing the rapid dynamic response ability of servo hydraulic cylinders; the key to solving this problem is effectively controlling the sealing gap value. In this study, a micro-variation between the hydraulic cylinder and the piston based on the disadvantage of conventional seals, constant gap seals, and lip gap seals was constructed; MSMA assist support blocks were designed on the piston to form a gap seal strip; then, the sealing gap value could be changed by controlling the magnetic field intensity. Simultaneously, the effects of magnetic field strength, parts-manufacturing precision, temperature, and hysteresis on the micro-variation in the MSMA were analyzed, and effective solutions were proposed. Finally, experiments on the magnetic field, temperature, and hysteresis were conducted by the measurement system. The results showed that the variable value of the sealing gap with the MSMA is feasible under ideal conditions, and can effectively change the amount of MSMA expansion by controlling the magnetic field strength, temperature, preload, etc., and then change the amount of the sealing gap of the hydraulic cylinder. This is the key to achieving friction and sealing control, which plays a crucial and active role in improving the efficiency of hydraulic systems. However, the impact of hysteresis effects cannot be ignored, which will be the main problem to be solved in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Road Pavements for Reduction of Climate and Safety Risks)

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13 pages, 2568 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Introduction of a New Parameter to Quantify the Fatigue Damage in Asphalt Mastics and Asphalt Binder

by Mohit Chaudhary, Nikhil Saboo and Ankit Gupta

Coatings 2021, 11(7), 828; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11070828 - 9 Jul 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2657

Abstract

This study involves the quantification of fatigue damage in asphalt materials by introducing a new fatigue damage parameter denoted as the F parameter. One waste filler, i.e., red mud and an asphalt binder were chosen to blend the asphalt mastics at three filler contents of 10, 20, and 30% respectively with respect to the volume of binder and tested at temperatures of 5, 15, and 25 °C. The proposed parameter incorporates the effect of both peak shear stress as well as the failure strain, and hence, can better represent the fatigue damage. A lower value of F is recommended for a better fatigue resistant material. The F parameter was found increasing with the increment in filler content, which signifies higher degree of damage with a high level of stiffening. On the other hand, it consistently decreased with the increment in temperature. The behavior of the materials under the action of increasing shear strain was clearly justified by using the F parameter corresponding to different filler contents and the testing temperatures. In addition to that, the observations from the F parameter were also complemented by the fatigue diagrams. Hence, the proposed parameter is envisaged to be a promising fatigue damage indicator in future works. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Road Pavements for Reduction of Climate and Safety Risks)

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19 pages, 5329 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Verifying the Mechanical Performance of Cold and Hot Asphalt Mastics Containing Jet Grouting Waste as a Filler

by Francesca Russo, Rosa Veropalumbo, Cristina Oreto, Salvatore Antonio Biancardo, Francesco Abbondati and Nunzio Viscione

Coatings 2021, 11(7), 751; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11070751 - 23 Jun 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2243

Abstract

In the road construction sector, the CO₂ emissions that affect global warming are, in most cases, from the asphalt mixtures production activities that are carried out at high temperature (above 160 °C). The research here presented aims to investigate the physical-mechanical properties of asphalt mastics made up using jet grouting waste (JW) as a filler produced through both cold (40–50 °C) and hot mixing process. The first step focused primarily on examining the effects of optimal blending time and curing time of the mastics. The second step focused on the investigation of the rheological properties using a dynamic shear rheometer and carrying out a frequency sweep test at temperatures ranging from 0 to 50 °C with increments of 10 °C, and a multiple stress creep and recovery (MSCR) test under 0.1 and 3.2 kPa load levels at temperatures of 40 and 50 °C. Four cold asphalt mastic solutions were analyzed and then compared to three hot traditional ones, keeping constant, on the one hand, the binder weight and filler over binder weight ratio (0.5), and, on the other hand, changing the type and amount of filler. The compositions of the hot and cold asphalt mastics were as follows: (a) 33% limestone filler (LF) plus 67% bitumen (concerning the cold mixing process, the bitumen content refers to the amount of bitumen into the bitumen emulsion), (b) 33% JW plus 67% bitumen, (c) 16.5% LF plus 16.5% JW and 67% bitumen. The fourth solution designed only for cold asphalt mastic was made up of 33% Portland cement (PC) plus 67% bitumen (referring to the amount of bitumen in the bitumen emulsion). The main findings showed that the optimal performance was achieved at high test temperature by cold and hot asphalt mastics made up adding LF and JW filler, which showed a pronounced elastic behavior. Moreover, the cold asphalt mastic solution made up of LF and JW filler showed better performance than the mastic made up using PC, reaching over 40% increase of the shear modulus and 30% lower non-recoverable creep compliance values at all test temperatures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Road Pavements for Reduction of Climate and Safety Risks)

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14 pages, 2396 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Laboratory and Statistical Analysis of the Fatigue Response of Self-Healing Asphalt Mixtures Containing Metal By-Products

by Marta Vila-Cortavitarte, Daniel Jato-Espino, Daniel Castro-Fresno and Miguel Á. Calzada-Pérez

Coatings 2021, 11(4), 385; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11040385 - 27 Mar 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2519

Abstract

Fatigue is one of the main forms of deterioration in asphalt mixtures, endangering their service life due to the progressive appearance and expansion of cracks. A sustainable approach to increase the lifetime of asphalt pavement has been found in self-healing technology, especially if boosted with metal by-products due to their economic and environmental interest. Under these circumstances, this research addressed the fatigue behavior of self-healing asphalt mixtures including industrial sand blasting by-products obtained from sieving and aspiration processes. Hence, a uniaxial fatigue test was carried out to determine whether these experimental mixtures can provide a similar response to that of a reference asphalt concrete (AC-16). This analysis was undertaken with the support of descriptive and inferential statistics, whose application proved the absence of significant differences in the fatigue performance of self-healing experimental mixtures with respect to conventional asphalt concrete. These results suggest that designing self-healing mixtures with metal by-products is a sustainable approach to increase the lifetime of asphalt pavements, while contributing to the circular economy through diverse economic and environmental benefits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Road Pavements for Reduction of Climate and Safety Risks)

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15 pages, 15364 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Proposed Cool Coatings with High Near-Infrared Reflectance and Heat Insulation for Asphalt Pavement

by Kui Hu, Yujing Chen, Guixiang Chen, Yuzhou Duan and Caihua Yu

Coatings 2021, 11(1), 85; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11010085 - 13 Jan 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3713

Abstract

In summer, black asphalt pavement can absorb a considerable amount of solar radiation, which causes its temperature to rise. Heated asphalt pavement can aggravate the urban heat island (UHI) effect and transfer heat downward, which may cause the problem of permafrost thawing beneath pavements. The objective of this study was to develop a novel cool coating layer (CCL) with high near-infrared reflectance and heat insulation to make the surface of asphalt pavement cool. A self-developed test device and method was established to evaluate cooling effects. Based on the experimental results, the optimal coating can cool asphalt pavement by 11.21 °C when the radiation striking the sample surface is 650 W/m². This coating, called the composite cool coating layer (CCCL), is composed of the following materials: polyurethane resin, rutile TiO₂ of 18%, hollow glass microspheres of 12%, and copper chromite black spinel of 0.7%. Silicon carbide particles of 1 kg/m² can help the CCCL achieve satisfactory antiskid performance. In conclusion, CCCL can effectively inhibit the absorption of solar radiation and reduce the flow of thermal energy downward without sacrificing skid resistance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Road Pavements for Reduction of Climate and Safety Risks)

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18 pages, 7018 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Performance Evaluation of Road Pavement Green Concrete: An Application of Advance Decision-Making Approach before Life Cycle Assessment

by Hatem Alhazmi, Syyed Adnan Raheel Shah and Muhammad Aamir Basheer

Coatings 2021, 11(1), 74; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11010074 - 11 Jan 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3097

Abstract

Rigid pavement structures are one of the costly components of the infrastructure development process. It consumes a huge quantity of ingredients necessary for concrete development. Hence, a newly introduced concept of circular economy in combination with waste management was introduced to solve this problem. In this study, three waste products (rice husk ash (RHA), wood sawdust (WSD), and processes waste tea (PWT)) was utilized to develop the concrete for rigid pavement structures by replacing the sand, i.e., a filler material at different percentages. During the testing procedure of compressive (CS), tensile (TS), and flexural strength (FS) properties, RHA and WSD at 5% replacement were found to be a good replacement of sand to develop required concrete. This study will help in the production of eco-friendly rigid pavement structures and a pathway of life cycle assessment in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Road Pavements for Reduction of Climate and Safety Risks)

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19 pages, 4735 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing of the Road Pavement Roughness by Means of LiDAR Technology

by Maria Rosaria De Blasiis, Alessandro Di Benedetto, Margherita Fiani and Marco Garozzo

Coatings 2021, 11(1), 17; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11010017 - 25 Dec 2020

Cited by 26 | Viewed by 5179

Abstract

The assessment of the road roughness conditions plays an important role to ensure the required performances related to road safety and ride comfort, furthermore providing a tool for pavement maintenance and rehabilitation planning. In this work, the authors compared the roughness index (International Roughness Index, IRI) derived from high speed inertial profilometer with two other roughness indices, one dynamic and one geometric computed on a digital elevation model (DEM) built by using mobile laser scanner (MLS) data. The MLS data were acquired on an extra-urban road section and interpolated on the nodes of a DEM with a curvilinear abscissa, coinciding with the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) track of the profilometer. To estimate the grid cell elevation, we applied two interpolation methods, ordinary kriging (OK) and inverse distance weighting (IDW), over the same data. The roughness values computed on the surface of the DEM showed a similar trend and a high correlation with those acquired by the profilometer, higher for the dynamic index than for the geometric index. The differences between the IRI values by profilometer and those computed on the DEM were small enough not to significantly affect the judgments on the analyzed sections. Moreover, the road sub-sections derived from profilometer measure that were classified as critical coincided with those derived from light detection and ranging (LiDAR) surveys. The proposed method can be used to perform a network-level analysis. In addition, to evaluate the effects of vibrations on human comfort, we input the DEMs into a dynamic simulation software in order to compute the vertical accelerations, as specified in the UNI ISO 2631 standard. The values obtained were in line and correlated with those inferred from the standard methodology for profilometer measures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Road Pavements for Reduction of Climate and Safety Risks)

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