Evaluating the performance of asphalt concrete using CT scanning has become an essential area of research due to its potential to revolutionize the way we assess road materials. Traditional methods often require destructive sampling, which can damage infrastructure and offer limited insight into the material's internal structure. In contrast, CT scanning provides a non-destructive, highly detailed analysis of asphalt's internal features, such as air voids, aggregate distribution, and binder coverage, all of which are critical to its durability and performance. Additionally, the ability to create 3D models from CT scans allows for deeper insights into factors like void connectivity and aggregate bonding, which directly affect the lifespan of pavements. By combining CT imaging with advanced data processing techniques, such as deep learning, this research offers more accurate and reliable methods for optimizing asphalt mix designs, ultimately leading to longer-lasting roads, reduced maintenance costs, and more sustainable construction practices.

In the contemporary era, 3D printing technology has become widely utilized across diverse fields, including biomedicine, industrial design, manufacturing, food processing, aerospace, and construction engineering. The inherent advantages of automation, precision, and speed associated with 3D printing have progressively led to its incorporation into road engineering. Asphalt, a temperature-responsive material that softens at high temperatures and solidifies as it cools, presents distinctive challenges and opportunities in this context. For the effective implementation of 3D printing technology in road engineering, 3D printed asphalt (3DPA) must exhibit favorable performance and printability. This requires attributes such as good fluidity, extrudability, and buildability. Furthermore, materials utilizing 3DPA for crack repair should possess high viscosity, elasticity, toughness, superior high-temperature stability, and resistance to low-temperature cracking. These characteristics ultimately contribute to enhancing pavement longevity and ensuring worker safety.

The asphalt concrete industry, accounting for >90% of road pavement, is a crucial contributor to construction waste. This study focuses on the recycling of asphalt concrete recycled aggregates, which currently exhibits a low rate. We investigated the application of these aggregates, combined with hardener and mixing water, in the development of ecofriendly road base materials using circular aggregates. Results revealed that the 13-mm asphalt concrete recycled aggregates met all quality standards. However, the 25-mm aggregates did not conform to the reclaimed asphalt content standard; however, they met other quality standards. Moreover, the experimental results for the hardener and mixing water indicated compliance with all quality standards.

Asphalt concrete(Ascon) is used to repair potholes and cracks. Special truck-mounted cargo boxes transport 200℃ asphalt concrete to repair potholes and cracks. However, long working and transportation hours to repair wide roads decrease the temperature of the asphalt concrete inside the cargo boxes. If the asphalt concrete temperature drops below 170℃, the adhesion with roads that need repair decreases. Therefore, the temperature of the asphalt concrete needs to be maintained for a long time. Conventional asphalt concrete cargo boxes are mostly burner-type models using hot air to prevent the temperature of the asphalt concrete from dropping. However, there are significant temperature differences between the asphalt concrete near and far away from the hot air, so the temperature decreases over time and leads to the disposal of large amounts of asphalt concrete. This causes waste of resources and environmental pollution. Therefore, this study proposed a heat dissipation cut-off type cargo box model to solve this problem and demonstrated its performance over conventional burner-type models through tests and analysis.

PURPOSES : The objective of this study is to quantitatively evaluate the visibility of a mixed-color asphalt pavement. METHODS : The visibility was compared and evaluated using a color pavement specimen, i.e., a pigment was added to the asphalt binder, which was used to fabricate a color pavement specimen, with red aggregate as the coarse aggregate, and the resultant difference in visibility was quantitively evaluated. The color asphalt mixture to which the pigment was added was prepared by varying the amount of pigment added — i.e., 3 %, 5 %, and 7 % of the total weight of the mixture — to confirm the change in visibility according to the amount of pigment added. For the color asphalt mixture with color aggregates, red-colored mudstone coarse aggregates(13mm and 10mm) were used. It is assumed that the surface of the produced specimen simulates the initial performance periods and the cut section of the specimen simulates the state of completion of the performance periods. RESULTS : The initial ΔE for the colored pavement exhibited the best visibility of WC-2-R. However, when considering the value of a in the red color pavement, the visibility of SMA13-R and WC-2-R was assessed as best; this is because SMA13-R exhibits a lower color difference than WC-2-R at the beginning of the performance periods but the red color is better. Upon completion of the colored pavement performance periods, the ΔE of each specimen using the SMA13-0C specimen as the reference specimen was high in SMA13-RC and ΔE using the WC-2-0C specimen as the reference specimen was also high in SMA13-RC. In addition, the a value is also higher than that of other mixtures so it is judged that the visibility of SMA13-RC is best when the performance periods are completed. CONCLUSIONS : The a value tended to increase with the increasing amount of pigment added at the beginning of the performance; however, it was found to decrease rapidly as the performance was completed. However, in the case of using SMA13-RC as the colored aggregate, since the color of the aggregate itself is red, it exhibits a constant value of 5.67 from the performance start to completion. Therefore, it is judged that a constant red color can be expressed during the performance period when the colored pavement using red colored aggregate is applied to the exclusive bus lane.

PURPOSES: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of short-term aging level on the moisture resistance of a dense-graded asphalt mixture by measuring its deformation strength ratio (SDR). METHODS : Three short-term aging (STA) durations (1, 2, and 4 h) at two different temperatures (160℃ and 180℃) were used for the normal dense-graded hot-mix asphalt (HMA) mixtures prepared using PG 64-22 asphalt and 13mm aggregate with and without hydrated lime (HL). The specimens were prepared using a gyratory compactor, after each STA, to achieve a WC-1 gradation as defined by the Korean guide. The SDR was measured after freezing-and-thawing (F-T) conditioning, and submerging the specimen into water at 60℃ for 72 h. RESULTS: The results indicated that the moisture resistance decreased with the increase in STA duration. After STA at 160℃ and 180℃, the SDR values, measured after F-T treatment, or after submerging into 60℃ water for 72 h, decreased with the increase in STA duration. However, when HL was used in the same asphalt mixtures, the SDR improved, for identical STA conditions. Therefore, the moisture resistance of the asphalt mixture was affected by the short-term aging duration, and decreased with the increase in aging duration. However, HL effectively retarded aging, and the moisture resistance, as indicated by the SDR, improved in the HL-added mixes, which had aged lesser than the normal mixes. CONCLUSIONS : It was concluded that the moisture resistance of the asphalt mixture decreased with the increase in aging level, and hydrated lime was effective in preventing the degradation of the moisture resistance by reducing the age-hardening of the binder. However, since this study used a limited range of materials, further studies using more materials are required to reach a more generalized conclusion.