Pavement surface texture features are one of key factors affecting the skid resistance of pavement. In this study, a set of stable and reliable texture measurement equipment was firstly assembled by using the linear laser ranging sensor, control system and data acquisition system. Secondly, the equipment was calibrated, and the superposition error of sensor and control system was tested by making a standard gauge block. Thirdly, four different kinds of asphalt mixture were designed, and their surface texture features were obtained by leveraging a three-dimensional laser scanner. Therefore, the surface texture features were characterized as one-dimensional profile features and three-dimensional surface features. At the end of this study, a multi-scale texture feature characterization method was proposed. Results demonstrate that the measurement accuracy of the laser scanning system in the x-axis direction can be controlled ranging from −0.01 mm to 0.01 mm, the resolution in the XY plane is 0.05 mm, and the reconstructed surface model of surface texture features can achieve a good visualization effect. They also show that the root mean square deviation of surface profiles of different asphalt pavements fluctuates greatly, which is mainly affected by the nominal particle size of asphalt mixture and the proportion of coarse aggregate, and the non-uniformity of pavement texture distribution makes it difficult to characterize the roughness of asphalt pavement effectively by a single pavement surface profile. This study proposed a texture section method to describe the 3D distribution of road surface texture at different depths. The macrotexture of the road surface gradually changes from sparse to dense starting from the shallow layer. The actual asphalt pavement texture can be characterized by a simplified combination model of “cone + sphere + column”. By calculating the surface area distribution of macro and microtextures of different asphalt pavements, it was concluded that the surface area of asphalt pavement under micro scale is about 1.8–2.2 times of the cutting area, and the surface area of macrotexture is about 1.4 times of the cutting area. Moreover, this study proposed texture distribution density to characterize the roughness of asphalt pavement texture at different scales. The S_MA index can represent the macroscopic structure level of different asphalt pavements to a certain extent, and the S_MI index can well represent the friction level of different asphalt pavements.

The size, shape, gradation and appearance of aggregate have a significant impact on the road performance of asphalt mixtures, which is directly related to the deformation characteristics and fatigue resistance of asphalt mixtures. In order to be able to design a long-life asphalt pavement, the aggregate must have reasonable morphology and morphological characteristics. In order to quantitatively analyze the shape characteristics of the road coarse aggregate, a high-precision three-dimensional scanner is used to obtain the characteristic lattice of the aggregate surface, and the solid model of the coarse aggregate particles is established. The two-dimensional and three-dimensional morphological indicators of the aggregate are analyzed and discussed. Meanwhile, aggregates processed by typical quarries in Guangdong Province are collected, and the influence of different processing techniques on the morphology of aggregates are analyzed. The results show that the difference between the perimeter and projected area of the aggregate contour under different viewing angles is relatively large, which is closely related to the flatness index of the aggregate. It can better characterize the three-dimensional shape of the aggregate. The closer the aggregate is to the cubic state, the greater the sphericity value; the ellipsoid index calculated based on the three-dimensional circumscribed ellipsoid can better characterize the angularity of the aggregate. The worse the angularity of the aggregate, the larger the corresponding ellipsoid value. The sphericity of the aggregate processed by counter-breaking is lower, and the angularity is better. The sphericity of the aggregate processed by the shaping process is the best, but the angularity is lower. According to actual needs, different processing techniques can be combined and blended to obtain aggregate finished products with a more balanced grain shape and angularity. The richer the angularity of the coarse aggregate, the better the high-temperature stability and fatigue resistance of the asphalt mixture. However, the stability of performance indicators will become worse. In practical engineering applications, it is recommended to further combine the screening efficiency of the hot material screen of the mixing plant with the stability of the hot material gradation and the uniformity of construction quality to select a suitable aggregate processing technology.

Coarse aggregate is the main component of asphalt mixtures, and differences in its morphology directly impact road performance. The utilization of standard aggregates can benefit the standard design and performance improvement. In this study, 3D printing technology was adopted to prepare artificial aggregates with specific shapes for the purpose of making the properties of artificial aggregates to be similar to the properties of natural aggregates. Through a series of material experiments, the optimal cement-based material ratio for the preparation of high-strength artificial aggregates and corresponding manufacturing procedures have been determined. The performance of the artificial aggregates has been verified by comparing the physical and mechanical properties with those of natural aggregates. Results indicate that using 3D printing technology to generate the standard coarse aggregate is feasible, but its high cost in implementation cannot be ignored. The 3D shape of the artificial aggregate prepared by the grouting molding process has a good consistency with the natural aggregate, and the relative deviation of the overall macro-scale volume index of the artificial aggregate is within 4%. The average Los Angeles abrasion loss of artificial cement-based aggregate is 15.2%, which is higher than that of diabase aggregate, but significantly lower than that of granite aggregate and limestone aggregate. In a nutshell, 3D printed aggregates prepared using the optimized cement-based material ratio and corresponding manufacturing procedures have superior physical and mechanical performance, which provides technical support for the test standardization and engineering application of asphalt pavements.

The issue of alkali-pumping has emerged in recent years raising concerns on the quality of the newly constructed asphalt pavement. To understand alkali-pumping and its effects, we conducted two-year on-site inspection of a pavement and analysed the mineral composition of alkali-pumping. The water permeability, void characteristics, and water stability of the asphalt pavement with and without alkali-pumping were tested and compared. Then, we preliminary analysed the mechanisms. Furthermore, the probability of the alkali-pumping and its control method. Lastly, 3D ground-penetrating radar was utilised for analysing the relationship between the dielectric constant and the distribution of alkali-pumping. Subsequently, dielectric constant thresholds corresponding to alkali-pumping were established. The results showed that alkali-pumping is caused by the segregation of the pavement and the leakage of alkali elements. Furthermore, the dielectric constants with and without alkali-pumping were significantly different, and their spatial distribution was well correlated with the occurrence of alkali-pumping. Finally, it was determined that asphalt pavements with a dielectric constant smaller than 3.5 are likely to experience alkali-pumping, while those with a dielectric constant between 3.5 and 6.5 are unlikely to experience alkali-pumping, and in those with a dielectric constant greater than 6.5, the probability of alkali-pumping is negligibly small.

In order to solve the equilibrium problem related to compaction degree, structural integrity of skid resistance, and skid resistance of asphalt wearing layer on a concrete bridge deck, the influence of rolling mode on compaction degree, structural integrity of skid resistance, and skid resistance performance was analyzed according to compaction curve characteristics, image processing technology, and laser method from the compaction mechanism and temperature control of rolling equipment. The results showed that the compaction degree and rolling times of an SMA-13 asphalt wearing course on the bridge deck could be characterized by a logarithmic model, and the model parameters had clear physical significance. Compared with the vibratory roller, the oscillation roller could achieve a greater and more stable compaction degree of the mixture and maintain a better density, compaction degree, and void ratio after 5 times of oscillation rolling. The pavement wear characteristics were extracted by a digital image method. The results showed that with the increase in rolling times, the rolling temperature decreased gradually, and the wear rate of surface texture increased significantly. The multiscale evaluation of pavement antiskid performance by a laser method showed that the surface structure gradually decreased and tended to be stable (1.2 mm) with the increase in rolling times of the vibratory roller, the microscopic texture density increased with the increase in rolling times, and the proportion of acute angle (<90°) in the peak angle of the surface texture profile decreased with the increase in rolling times. The SMA-13 asphalt wearing course on the bridge deck was rolled by a vibratory roller for 6 times, so as to achieve the balance of compaction degree, structural integrity, and skid resistance.

Curved texturing is an effective technique to improve the skid-resistance performance of concrete pavements, which relies on the suitable combination of the groove parameters. This study aims to optimize these parameters with the consideration of skid-resistance performance and driving stability. A pressure film was adopted to obtain the contact stress distribution at the tire–pavement interface. The evaluated indicator of the stress concentration coefficient was established, and the calculation method for the stationary steering resistance torque was optimized based on actual tire–pavement contact characteristics. Test samples with various groove parameters were prepared use self-design molds to evaluate the influence degree of each groove parameter at different levels on the skid-resistance performance through orthogonal and abrasion resistance tests. The results showed that the groove depth and groove spacing had the most significant influence on the stress concentration coefficient and stationary steering resistance torque, respectively, with the groove depth having the most significant influence on the texture depth. Moreover, the driving stability and durability of the skid-resistance performance could be balanced by optimizing the width of the groove group. After analyzing and comprehensively comparing the influences of various parameters, it was found the parameter combination with width, depth, spacing, and the groove group width, respectively, in 8 mm, 3 mm, 15 mm, and 50 mm can balance the skid-resistance performance and driving stability. The actual engineering results showed that the R² of the fitting between the stress concentration coefficient and SFC (measured at 60 km/h) was 0.871, which proved the effectiveness of the evaluation index proposed in this paper.