Description
Increased understanding of demand for transport energy and how to improve road pavement materials would enable decision makers to make environmental, financial, and other positive changes in future planning and design of roads, bridges, and other important transportation structures. This research comprises three studies focused on pavement materials and a fourth study that examines energy demand within the road transportation sector. These studies are as follows:
1. A techno-economic study of ground tire rubber as an asphalt modifier;
2. A computational fluid dynamics analysis comparing the urban heat island effect of two different pavement materials – asphalt and Portland Cement Concrete;
3. A new approach that modifies the surface of ground tire rubber using low-cost chemicals and treatment methods to be used in asphalt applications; and
4. Analysis of road transport energy demand in California and the United States.
The findings of these studies include that 1. GTR is an effective and economically suitable additive for modified asphalt, 2. the suitability of PCC pavements in urban settings should be reexamined, 3. Surface modification of GTR materials can improve compatibilization of particles for the manufacture of asphalt materials, and 4. gasoline sales are generally price inelastic in both the U.S. and California. Ultimately, these four studies improve understanding of road pavement materials and transport energy demand. They lay out important information about the future of the relationship between materials and design in the transportation industry. These findings may be used by engineers, policymakers, and others in the industry to better consider implications of decisions involved in design, creation, and modification of structures using pavement and concrete, including roads, bridges, etc.
Publication Date
2-2020
Publication Type
Report
Topic
Transportation Engineering
Digital Object Identifier
10.31979/mti.2019.1858
MTI Project
1858
Mineta Transportation Institute URL
https://transweb.sjsu.edu/transweb.sjsu.edu/research/1858-New-Materials-Pavement
Keywords
Pavements, Asphalt pavements, Ground tire rubber, Portland cement, Energy demand
Disciplines
Construction Engineering and Management | Growth and Development | Industrial Organization | Transportation Engineering
Recommended Citation
Alan Fuchs, Tathagata Acharya, Luis Cabrales, Jesse Bergkamp, and Nyakundi Michieka. "A New Materials and Design Approach for Roads, Bridges, Pavement, and Concrete" Mineta Transportation Institute (2020). https://doi.org/10.31979/mti.2019.1858
Research Brief
Included in
Construction Engineering and Management Commons, Growth and Development Commons, Industrial Organization Commons, Transportation Engineering Commons
