Zhigang Zhou

Dr. Zhigang Zhou


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

4Years (2023-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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14 January 2023 in Materials
Verified
Journal Article
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SYShuyaoi Yang
Shuyaoi Yang
ZZZhigang Zhou
Zhigang Zhou
KLKai Li
Kai Li
In engineering practice, fiber addition is a frequently used method to improve the tensile property of asphalt mixture. However, the optimum fiber type and dosage have not been determined by direct tensile tests. In this paper, monotonic tensile tests were conducted on three kinds of stone mastic asphalt (SMA13) mixtures, that is, granular-lignin-fiber-reinforced SMA (GFSMA), flocculent-lignin-fiber-reinforced SMA (FFSMA), and basalt-fiber-reinforced SMA (BFSMA) at different fiber dosages to probe the influence of fiber dosage on their tensile mechanical indexes (tensile strength, ultimate strain, elastic modulus, and strain energy density) and to determine the optimum dosage of each kind of fiber. The results showed that with the elevation of fiber dosage, the tensile strength, elastic modulus, and strain energy density of all three kinds of asphalt mixtures increased first and then decreased, while the ultimate strain increased constantly. The optimum dosage was 0.50 wt%, 0.45 wt%, and 0.50 wt% for granular lignin fiber, flocculent lignin fiber, and basalt fiber, respectively. On this basis, strain-controlled direct tensile fatigue tests were conducted on the three kinds of asphalt mixtures at the corresponding optimum fiber dosage. The results indicated that asphalt mixture reinforced with 0.50 wt% granular lignin fiber exhibited ideal direct tensile fatigue performance with respect to fatigue life and accumulative dissipated energy. Therefore, granular lignin fiber is recommended as the favorable fiber type, and its optimum dosage is 0.50 wt%. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) demonstrated that the essence of the impact of fiber dosage and type on the tensile property of SMA is whether the reinforcement effect on the mixture matrix outweighs the negative effect of the defects between fiber and mixture matrix, or whether the reverse applies.

25 July 2023 in Applied Sciences
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Journal Article
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SYShuyaoi Yang
Shuyaoi Yang
ZZZhigang Zhou
Zhigang Zhou
KLKai Li
Kai Li
The cracking resistance of asphalt mixture is a non-negligible issue. However, the cracking resistance evolution law, motivated by two factors (thermos-oxidative aging degree and test temperature), is not yet well understood. The aim of this investigation is to gain more insight into the effect of thermos-oxidative aging and test temperature on the cracking resistance of asphalt mixture. Asphalt mixture (AC-13) and stone mastic asphalt mixture (SMA-13) were selected and exposed to different thermo-oxidative aging degrees (unaging (UA); short-term thermo-oxidative aging (STOA); long-term thermo-oxidative aging for 2/5/8 days (LTOA2d/LTOA5d/LTOA8d)). A direct tension test at different test temperatures (10 °C, 20 °C, 30 °C, 40 °C) was adopted to obtain their stress–strain curves and evaluation indexes (tensile strength, ultimate strain, pre-peak strain energy density, and post-peak strain energy density). The comprehensive index-cracking resistance index (CRI) was established by the entropy weight method combined with the technique to order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method and the corresponding aging coefficient was determined. The results showed that STOA can increase the aging coefficient of asphalt mixture, thereby boosting the cracking resistance. Additionally, the effect can be weakened by elevations in the test temperature. Meanwhile, LTOA can decrease the aging coefficient and thereby weaken the cracking resistance. This effect becomes more prominent with elevations in the test temperature. SMA-13 possesses a superior cracking resistance to AC-13, with a gap in CRI value of 3–69%, regardless of the aging degree and test temperature. A good relationship exists between the aging coefficient and the two factors (aging degree and test temperature).

18 June 2024 in Materials
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Journal Article
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XYXin Yan
Xin Yan
ZZZhigang Zhou
Zhigang Zhou
ZLZhiren Liu
Zhiren Liu
YZYang Zhou
Yang Zhou
In order to provide a basis for the structural analysis, design and maintenance of permeable asphalt pavements, and to promote their engineering promotion and application, this study investigated the dynamic viscoelastic properties of permeable asphalt mixtures (PAC-13) under complex stress states. A Simple Performance Tester (SPT) system was used to measure the dynamic modulus of the mix under complex stress states. The displacement factor and principal dynamic modulus curves were formed by fitting Sigmoidal functions and using 1stOpt (first optimization) software, the phase angle principal curves were further determined, and the dynamic modulus was predicted for the ambient phase (15–25 °C) using the Hirsch model. The results showed that the dynamic modulus of the mixtures decreases with an increasing temperature, and the maximum decrease in the dynamic modulus is 93% when the confining pressure is 100 kPa and the loading frequency is 10 Hz. The dynamic modulus increases with an increasing confining pressure and loading frequency, the maximum increase with an increasing confining pressure is 26.1% when the temperature is 25 °C and the loading frequency is 10 Hz, and the maximum increase with an increasing loading frequency is 411% when the temperature is 25 °C and the confining pressure is 100 Hz. The dynamic modulus has a strong frequency dependence at low temperatures, while it is stress-dependent at high temperatures. Meanwhile, based on the Hirsch model, a new modified prediction model was developed, which can well predict the dynamic modulus of permeable asphalt mixtures at room temperature.

9 May 2024 in Coatings
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Journal Article
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KLKai Li
Kai Li
ZZZhigang Zhou
Zhigang Zhou
YZYinghui Zhang
Yinghui Zhang
YZYinghui Zhang
Yinghui Zhang
To verify the feasibility of applying dry flue gas desulfurization ash (DFGDA) to asphalt pavement materials, the asphalt mastic (filler and asphalt composition) prepared by adding different proportions of DFGDA and LSP (limestone powder) into 70# matrix asphalt was studied experimentally. The asphalt mastics were subjected to the penetration test, the softening point test, and the ductility test. Moreover, the rheological properties of asphalt mastic were evaluated with dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) tests and bending beam rheometer (BBR) tests. An interaction ability index C-value based on the Palierne model was proposed to evaluate the interaction ability between DFGDA and asphalt. The influence of DFGDA asphalt on the interaction ability of matrix asphalt was observed and evaluated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that with the increasing proportion of DFGDA, the penetration of asphalt mastic gradually decreased, the softening point increased, and the ductility slightly decreased. At the same temperature, the dynamic shear modulus G* of the asphalt mortar significantly increased with increasing DFGDA content. The incorporation of DFGDA negatively affected the low-temperature plastic deformation resistance of asphalt, but the impact was weakened with the growing DFGDA amount and the powder mastic ratio. The combination mode of DFGDA and matrix asphalt depends on the physical blending, and their interaction ability mainly depends on the miscibility between DFGDA and matrix asphalt. In conclusion, DFGDA can be utilized as a novel filler in asphalt pavement materials.

10 October 2024 in Materials
Verified
Journal Article
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XYXin Yan
Xin Yan
ZZZhigang Zhou
Zhigang Zhou
YFYingjia Fang
Yingjia Fang
CMChongsen Ma
Chongsen Ma
GYGuangtao Yu
Guangtao Yu
To investigate the effect of hot and humid environmental factors on the mechanical properties of asphalt mixtures research, in this paper, the dynamic modulus of asphalt mixtures under the effects of aging, dry–wet cycling, and coupled effects of aging and dry–wet cycling were measured by the simple performance tester (SPT) system, and the dynamic modulus principal curves were fitted based on the sigmoidal function. The results show that under the aging effect, the dynamic modulus of asphalt mixture increases with the aging degree; the dynamic modulus of short-term aged, medium-term aged, long-term aged, and ultra-long-term aged asphalt mixtures increased by 9.3%, 26.4%, 44.8%, and 57%, respectively, compared to unaged asphalt mixtures at 20 °C and 10 Hz; the high-temperature stability performance is enhanced, and the low temperature cracking resistance performance is enhanced; under the dry–wet cycle, the aging effect of asphalt water is more obvious in the early stage, and dynamic modulus of resilience of the mixture is slightly increased. In the long-term wet–dry cycle process, water on the asphalt and aggregate erosion increased, the structural bearing capacity attenuation, and the dynamic modulus of rebound greatly reduced at 20 °C and 10 Hz. For example, the dynamic modulus of asphalt mixtures with seven wet and dry cycles increased by 3% compared to asphalt mixtures without wet and dry cycles, and the dynamic modulus of asphalt mixtures with 14 cycles of wet and dry cycles and 21 cycles of wet and dry cycles decreased by 10.8% and 16.5%, respectively, compared to asphalt mixtures without wet and dry cycles. The main curve as a whole shifted downward; the high-temperature performance decreased significantly; in the aging wet–dry cycle coupling, the aging asphalt mixture is more susceptible to water erosion, and the first wet–dry cycle after the mix by the degree of water erosion is relatively small, along with the dynamic modulus of rebound. The dynamic modulus of resilience is relatively larger, and the high-temperature performance is relatively better, while the low-temperature performance is worse.

1 September 2025 in Coatings
Verified
Journal Article
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SYShuyaoi Yang
Shuyaoi Yang
ZZZhigang Zhou
Zhigang Zhou
YZYinghui Zhang
Yinghui Zhang
KLKai Li
Kai Li
This study simplifies the local model of the orthotropic steel bridge deck pavement into a two-dimensional composite continuous beam. Based on the Modal Superposition Method and Duhamel Integration, an analytical solution for the dynamic response of the composite continuous beam under moving harmonic loads is derived. Using the UHPC (Ultra-High Performance Concrete)-SMA (Stone Mastic Asphalt) composite pavement as an example, the influence of structural parameters on the analytical results is investigated. The results demonstrate that the natural frequencies of the three-span continuous composite beam obtained from the analytical method exhibit a relative error of less than 10% compared to finite element modal analysis, indicating high consistency. Furthermore, the analytical solutions for four key indicators—deflection, bending stress, interlayer shear stress, and interlayer vertical tensile stress—closely align with finite element simulation results, confirming the reliability of the derived formula. Additionally, increasing the thickness of the steel plate, UHPC layer, or asphalt mixture pavement layer effectively reduces the peak values of all dynamic response indicators.