Improvement Of Pavement Monitoring For More Sustainable Management Of Road Pavements

The sustainable management of road pavements is a global priority, given their essential role in supportingeconomic growth and societal connectivity. However, deterioration caused by heavy traffic loads, environmentalfactors, and inadequate maintenance underscores the critical need for effective pavement monitoring. This researchinvestigates and enhances existing monitoring approaches, with a focus on laboratory testing methodologies usedby Italian road authorities.It identifies limitations in the current practices—specifically, the inability of existing methodologies todistinguish between conventional bituminous and Alternative Paving Materials (APMs). To address these gaps, thisstudy introduces both basic and advanced testing techniques aimed at improving pavement monitoring, enhancingperformance prediction, and promoting more sustainable road infrastructure.A pragmatic approach, incorporating both basic and advanced damage-related characterization methods, wasemployed to evaluate and enhance pavement monitoring. Basic-level tests include the Indirect Tensile AsphaltCracking Test (Ideal-CT) for cracking resistance, the Indirect Tensile Strength Ratio (ITSR) for moisture sensitivity,and High Temperature Indirect Tensile Testing (HT-IDT) for rutting evaluation. Advanced-level methods basedon Simplified Visco-Elastic Continuum Damage Model (SVECD) involve the Asphalt Mixture PerformanceTester (AMPT), used to assess dynamic modulus, cyclic fatigue, and stress sweep rutting performance.In addition, damage models such as the model for stiffness evaluation Model for Stiffness Evaluation (2s2p1D),SVECD, Model to Evaluate the Viscoplastic Behavior of the Asphalt Mixtures (shift), and the Coefficient ofThermal Contraction (CTC) model were applied to evaluate material behavior under realistic service conditions.The findings demonstrate significant improvements in the ability to monitor and predict the performance ofalternative paving materials, including rubberized and reclaimed asphalt mixtures. A comprehensive database ofthe tested materials was also developed to serve as a reference for quality assurance, future pavement managementsystems, and optimized maintenance strategies.Ultimately, this study contributes to the advancement of reliable and sustainable road infrastructure.