Sufficient pavement skid resistance is one of the essential factors to ensure traffic safety. The real contact area (Ar) between the tire and road is significant for understanding and improving the skid resistance performance. In this study, the tire–road contact area is measured by squeezing a smooth underside-dyed rubber block into the specimens, using a self-designed fixture mounted on the universal test machine. The three-dimensional (3D) printing technology is used to separate the specimens with multi-scale roughness. Surface texture on 29 AC pavements is obtained by a 3D scanner and qualified by the root-mean-square surface height (Sq), to investigate the impact of pavement texture on the Ar. The skid resistance on 23 AC road sections is measured using the T2GO system, and the pavement texture is recorded, to discuss the influence of the Ar on the skid resistance. The results indicate that the multi-scale roughness rarely affects the measured contact area once the concerned wavelength is less than 0.6 mm. The Ar decreases with the Sq following a power function but has weak correlation with the friction coefficient. This study could provide an in-depth understanding of the tire–road contact and lays a foundation for optimizing the contact-related pavement performance.

The solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation system (PGS) is a viable alternative to fossil fuels for the provision of power for infrastructure and vehicles, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing the sustainability of road transport systems. A highway slope is generally an idle public area with high accessibility, which is the ideal application scenario for a PV PGS. The assessment of PV power generation potential (PGP) is key for the planning and design of PV PGS projects. Previous approaches to potential assessments are mainly based on digital maps and image processing techniques, which do not fully consider the impacts of the highway orientation, the slope geometric characteristics, and the PV panel placement scheme on the evaluation results. Therefore, this study proposes an assessment method for the PV PGP on highway slopes using the design or calculated highway and slope geometric parameters and the solar radiation received by PV panels under the desirable placement scheme. Highway segmentation and geometric parameter calculation methods were established, and the optimal PV array placement schemes for typical slope orientations were determined by simulating the PV power generation in the software PVsyst (version 7.2). Afterwards, the theoretical PGP could be calculated using the received solar radiation and the available slope area. By subtracting the energy loss caused by temperature changes, the operation of inverters, and the PV modules’ performance decay, the actual PV PGP could be obtained. Finally, a case study of the solar PGP assessment of a 1.97 km long highway section is provided, and the feasibility of the proposed method is verified.

The vertical integration of ‘Generation-Grid-Load-Storage’ in microgrids for port areas is a prevailing trend. To comprehensively and accurately assess the operational efficiency of microgrids and develop an effective means for promoting the sustainable and scalable development of microgrids in port areas, an applicable evaluation index system and comprehensive evaluation method are essential. Addressing the issues of subjectivity in quantitative evaluation decision-making for different configuration and allocation schemes in port areas and the lack of a comprehensive evaluation system for microgrids in port areas, this study aims to scientifically and reasonably evaluate and select the most optimal configuration and energy dispatching schemes for microgrids in port areas. In this paper, the performance indicators of microgrids in port areas are hierarchically structured and classified into five dimensions: economic, energy efficiency, environmental, system reliability, and safety. A comprehensive evaluation index system for microgrid systems in port areas is constructed. Furthermore, an evaluation model for microgrid operational efficiency based on improved CRITIC-TOPSIS is proposed. The coefficient of variation is introduced to measure the relative strength and relative variation of indicators among dimensions, reducing the impact of correlation between indicators and improving the accuracy and objectivity of the evaluation results. Then, the TOPSIS method is used to calculate the comprehensive evaluation values and rank the optimal microgrid schemes in port areas. Finally, the feasibility of the evaluation index system and evaluation method for the operational efficiency of microgrids in port areas is verified through case analysis. The results indicate that the evaluation method based on improved CRITIC-TOPSIS can objectively and quantitatively evaluate the operational efficiency of microgrids in different port areas. The proposed method reasonably avoids the strong subjectivity in weight calculation by traditional expert judgment during the planning phase of microgrids in port areas, providing a new and scientifically effective engineering evaluation and analysis method for the evaluation of microgrid operational efficiency in port areas.

This study investigates the establishment and calibration method of the rut depth (RD) prediction model of inverted asphalt pavements (IAPs), based on full-scale accelerated pavement testing (APT), which facilitates the accurate and reliable design or maintenance of IAPs. A power function is adopted for the prediction model construction of the rut progression before the failure stage, based on the typical permanent deformation progression curve of flexible pavements. The APT loading history is divided into units, according to the difference in physical conditions, providing the basis for a cumulative RD analysis and model calibration. The nonlinear incremental recursive (IR) principle is applied in the RD analysis to consider the influence of the nonlinear material property, performance deterioration, and loading history on the RD development. Further, the rut shift function relating prediction models obtained from laboratory tests and full-scale APT is established to introduce the APT data in the calibration process. Accordingly, the mechanistic-empirical RD prediction model calibration method, based on APT and the IR principle, is proposed and applied in a case study of a IAP RD prediction model calibration. Four 3.5 m × 4 m IAP test sections S1–S4 are constructed and instrumented and 700,000- and 900,000-wheel loads are applied on test sections S1–S2 and S3–S4, respectively, using the heavy vehicle simulator. The test data from the different APT load units are utilized for the model calibration, and the resultant prediction errors range from −2.16 mm to 1.18 mm. The calibrated model can also be used for the RD prediction of IAPs with other design schemes, by updating the corresponding material-related coefficients and the finite element model, which is essential for the design and maintenance of IAPs. The proposed calibration method could be a useful reference for the establishment of flexible pavement performance prediction models.

Water reducing agents (WRAs) are usually utilized in cement concretes to reduce the water-cement ration, increasing mechanical strength and improving the durability of concrete structures. As a kind of widely used construction materials in pavement structures, i.e., base or subbase course, cement stabilized aggregates (CSAs) have to face their own problems, e.g., drying shrinkage at early ages. To evaluate the feasibility of water reducing agent in cement stabilized aggregates, and its effects on engineering performance, six groups of cement stabilized aggregates were prepared (water reducing content = 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 wt.%). Engineering performances including density-water relationships, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), tensile splitting strength (TSS), compressive resilience modulus (CRM) and drying shrinkage strain(DSS) were measured. Result indicates that water reducing agents used in this study can significantly benefit the engineering performances of cement stabilized aggregates. The function or role of water reducing agent in cement stabilized aggregates were summarized, which would be beneficial to guide the water reducing agent utilization in cement stabilized aggregates.