A non-destructive testing method suitable for network-level pavement structural evaluation is the traffic speed deflectometer (TSD) test. However, the analysis of TSD measurements still needs a proper parameter back-calculation procedure, which requires an accurate and efficient forward calculation model. As a first step to solving this issue, a nonlinear spectral element model which can simulate TSD tests of asphalt pavements is developed. The model is used to investigate the characteristics and parameter sensitivity of the response of asphalt pavements caused by the TSD loading. The results indicate that the vertical deflection curve along the direction of movement observed on the asphalt pavement surface is slightly asymmetric, and the maximum deflection appears behind the centre of the loading area. In addition, the slope curve of vertical deflection is highly sensitive to the magnitude of the applied force, the moduli of the base layer and subgrade, and the thicknesses of the asphalt layer and base layer. Furthermore, the slope curve is relatively sensitive to the glassy modulus of the asphalt layer. Because of its good predictive capability and high computational efficiency, the proposed model has the desired characteristics to be used as the computational kernel for parameter back-calculation procedures of TSD measurements.@en

In the context of climate change and global warming, the attention on the environmental cost of pavements is increasing. To scientifically quantify the environmental cost of pavements, accurate prediction of rolling resistance and fuel consumption is important. In this paper, a comprehensive review on rolling resistance of asphalt pavements and its environmental impact was presented. At first, the commonly used definitions of rolling resistance and texture characterisation methods of pavement surface were introduced. Then, the influence of different factors on rolling resistance was discussed. Next, the measuring and modelling approaches of rolling resistance were reviewed. At last, methods which can be used to predict fuel consumption and environmental impact were presented. It was found that an ideal approach for texture characterisation of pavement surface is to make use of the entire wavelength spectrum of road profiles and consider the enveloping curve of tire treads. Furthermore, the fact that rolling resistance can be influenced by different factors introduces difficulties in accurate measurement and modelling of rolling resistance. Moreover, testing methods and conditions have a significant effect on the empirical modelling of rolling resistance, while it is difficult and time-consuming to consider all the energy loss in the computational modelling of rolling resistance. In addition, the prediction of fuel consumption and environmental impact highly depends on the formulating methods and measuring conditions. The work presented in this paper will help to gain more insight into rolling resistance and its environmental impact, which ultimately promotes the construction of environmentally friendly pavements.@en

The chemical and rheological properties of polymer modified bitumen incorporating bio-oil derived from waste cooking oil (WCO) were investigated in this paper. At first, the chemical composition and mixing mechanism of the experimental materials were analysed from the perspective of functional group, and the influence of bio-oil on the activation energy was also researched. Then, the effect of bio-oil on the rotational viscosities of polymer modified bitumen and construction temperatures of corresponding mixtures was studied. Finally, the shear and bending rheological properties of polymer modified bitumen containing bio-oil were investigated. The results show that the bio-oil and styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS) modified bitumen is mainly physically mixed, the addition of bio-oil decreases the activation energy of SBS modified bitumen. Additionally, the SBS modified bitumen containing bio-oil has lower viscosity values, and corresponding mixtures also have lower construction temperatures. Furthermore, the addition of bio-oil in SBS modified bitumen reduces the shear modulus and increases the bending creep compliance, which means bio-oil has positive effect on the low-temperature thermal cracking resistance performance while sacrificing the high-temperature rutting resistance performance to some extent. Therefore, the incorporation of WCO-based bio-oil in polymer modified bitumen is a promising technique to be used in cold regions where the low-temperature problems are more crucial.@en

The structural evaluation of existing pavements forms the basis for formulating cost-effective maintenance and rehabilitation strategies. A promising tool for pavement structural evaluation at network level is the Traffic Speed Deflectometer (TSD) test. However, the application of the TSD test is hindered by the lack of a robust and efficient parameter identification technique. To solve this problem, a theoretical model for the TSD test is first formulated. Then, a minimisation algorithm which works best with the theoretical TSD model for parameter identification is selected. Finally, the performance of this combination in processing field TSD measurements is studied. The results show that the modified Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm using all the 9 detection points is most suitable to be combined with the theoretical TSD model for parameter identification, which gives a promising parameter identification technique for TSD tests of pavements. The presented work contributes to the development of technologies for pavement structural evaluation.@en

In order to design high-performance roadways, a robust tool which can compute the structural response caused by moving vehicles is necessary. Therefore, this paper proposes a spectral element method-based model to accurately and effectively predict the 3D dynamic response of layered systems under a moving load. A layer spectral element and a semi-infinite spectral element are developed to respectively model a layer and a half-space, and the combinations of these two elements can simulate layered systems. The detailed mathematical derivation and numerical validation of the proposed model are included. Additionally, this model is used to investigate the dynamic characteristics of a pavement structure under a moving harmonic rectangular load. The results show that the proposed model can accurately predict the dynamic response of layered systems caused by a moving load. It is also found that the vertical displacement amplitude curves of surface points caused by a moving harmonic load are asymmetric along the moving direction, and this property is more dominant at higher velocities. In addition, the amplitudes of these vertical displacements are smaller if the loading frequency is higher or the loss factor is bigger. Finally, the loading area and Poisson's ratio only have effect on the displacement amplitudes of points in the close vicinity of the loading area. The proposed model is beneficial to the development of engineering methods for pavement design and is a promising parameter back-calculation engine for pavement quality evaluation.@en

Maintenance and rehabilitation strategies of pavements are usually made based on the results of performance evaluation. An efficient tool for pavement structural evaluation at network level is the traffic speed deflectometer (TSD) test. In order to deal with TSD measurements, this paper proposes a parameter back-calculation technique. Firstly, the sensitivity of the surface response for an elastic pavement structure with hysteretic damping to different structural parameters is investigated. Then, the ability of the parameter backcalculation technique is verified by conducting a case study. The results show that the proposed technique is able to back-calculate the structural parameters of pavements by analysing TSD measurements. The presented work contributes to the development of parameter back-calculation techniques for the TSD test.@en

Pavements generally demand necessary maintenance and rehabilitation to maintain their service performance in the whole lifespan. The maintenance and rehabilitation strategies are usually formulated based on the results of non-destructive testing, in which the traffic speed deflectometer (TSD) test is an efficient tool for pavement structural evaluation at network level. In this paper, the TSD test on asphalt pavements is simulated by a spectral element method-based theoretical model, which is further combined with a nonlinear minimisation algorithm to achieve parameter identification. After conducting parameter sensitivity analysis, a case study is used to demonstrate the ability of the proposed parameter identification technique. The results show that this technique is able to deal with TSD measurements to effectively identify the structural parameters of asphalt pavements. The presented TSD test-based parameter identification technique is a promising tool for asphalt pavement structural evaluation at network level, which is beneficial to formulate cost-effective maintenance and rehabilitation strategies.@en

Bio-oil produced during the production of biodiesel is a burden to the environment. Recycling and utilization of bio-oil as a substitute for pavement bitumen can help to build an environmentally-friendly and clean infrastructure. In this study, the bio-bitumen was prepared by bio-oil based on free radical polymerization. Different kinds of bio-bitumen products were produced by reacting bio-oil with an initiator and an accelerator solution at different reaction conditions. The orthogonal experimental method was employed to determine the optimal bio-bitumen production process by evaluating the indices of viscosity, rutting factors and fatigue factors. The test results show that the optimal mass proportions of bio-oil:initiator:accelerator solution is 100:1:2. Materials with these mass proportions should react at 100 °C for 2 h to yield the best bio-bitumen product. This kind of bio-bitumen product can be considered as a promising substitute for traditional petroleum bitumen.@en

An elegant approach to evaluate the quality of engineering structures is the Non- Destructive Testing (NDT). In the field of pavement engineering, a promising NDT method for pavement structural evaluation at network level is the Traffic Speed Deflectometer (TSD) test, which can continuously measure the surface response of pavements caused by moving loads at normal driving speeds. However, the wide application of the TSD test has been hindered by the lack of a commonly accepted parameter identification technique to process TSD measurements. To tackle this problem, this dissertation aims to formulate a mechanically correct, numerically accurate, and computationally efficient parameter identification technique specifically for the TSD test of pavements. The developed parameter identification technique is the combination of a theoretical model of the TSD test and a minimisation algorithm. The unknown parameters can be identified by minimising the differences between modelled and measured response of pavements...@en

Road agencies generally use non-destructive tests, such as Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) tests and Rolling Wheel Deflectometer (RWD) tests, to evaluate the structural properties of the roadway network. In the data analysis process, the so-called “Back-calculation” methods are utilized to estimate pavement structure parameters such as bearing capacity, modulus, and thickness. Such parameter identification process needs two components: a forward model which can predict the response of a structure caused by certain load; and a backward model which can predict the parameters of the structure based on the response. However, most of the existing methods are based on an equivalent static “deflection basin” and an elasto-static layered model, so they cannot properly deal with the time dependent response caused by a dynamic load. To overcome this deficiency, a theoretical forward model is proposed based upon the spectral element method, which is accurate and efficient enough to be utilized in iterative back-calculation algorithms for the parameter identification based on RWD tests. The simulated results show that the surface deflection curve along the moving direction decreases more rapidly in front of the loading area, which will be more dominant at higher velocity. Also, the pavement surface vertical displacements are smaller at higher loading frequency, while the amplitudes are slightly affected by the moving velocity. Furthermore, the vertical displacements of the pavement surface are slightly smaller for higher loss factor, while the influence of Poisson’s ratio is very minor.@en

Road agencies generally use non-destructive tests, such as Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) tests and Rolling Wheel Deflectometer (RWD) tests, to evaluate the structural properties of the roadway network. In the data analysis process, the so-called “Back-calculation” methods are utilized to estimate pavement structure parameters such as bearing capacity, modulus, and thickness. Such parameter identification process needs two components: a forward model which can predict the response of a structure caused by certain load; and a backward model which can predict the parameters of the structure based on the response. However, most of the existing methods are based on an equivalent static “deflection basin” and an elasto-static layered model, so they cannot properly deal with the time dependent response caused by a dynamic load. To overcome this deficiency, a theoretical forward model is proposed based upon the spectral element method, which is accurate and efficient enough to be utilized in iterative back-calculation algorithms for the parameter identification based on RWD tests. The simulated results show that the surface deflection curve along the moving direction decreases more rapidly in front of the loading area, which will be more dominant at higher velocity. Also, the pavement surface vertical displacements are smaller at higher loading frequency, while the amplitudes are slightly affected by the moving velocity. Furthermore, the vertical displacements of the pavement surface are slightly smaller for higher loss factor, while the influence of Poisson’s ratio is very minor.@en