Semi-rigid bases are widely used in road construction due to their excellent properties, high rigidity, and frost resistance, and they have been in service for many years. However, as the service life increases, the maintenance demands also grow, with traditional maintenance methods still being the primary approach. Based on a typical case using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) technology, this study explores the issue of cracks in semi-rigid bases and their impact on overlay layers. The findings indicate that the overlay layer at semi-rigid base cracks struggles to withstand significant tensile and shear stresses, leading to reflective cracking and reducing pavement durability. To address this problem, this paper investigates the application potential of crushing technology in maintaining semi-rigid bases. Crushing technology has been widely employed in the maintenance of cement concrete panels, effectively eliminating reflective cracks and extending the service life of overlays. Given that semi-rigid bases share similar high-strength characteristics with cement concrete panels, crushing technology shows considerable applicability in semi-rigid base maintenance. This study employs a finite element analysis method to establish a semi-rigid base model under the impact load of multi-hammer equipment. It examines its dynamic mechanical response and evaluates the feasibility and effectiveness of crushing technology for semi-rigid base maintenance. Additionally, this study investigates the influence of the crushed layer’s modulus and thickness on key mechanical design indicators of the overlay and proposes recommendations for optimal design parameters. The research results provide valuable references for the design of the thickness and modulus in maintaining and repairing semi-rigid bases, contributing to improving pavement performance and durability.
With the aging of China’s expressway network, the number of maintenance projects continues to increase, and issues such as construction safety, driving risk, and traffic efficiency have become increasingly prominent. This paper systematically reviews relevant research progress from four aspects: safety characteristics, traffic capacity, work-zone layout, and speed limit management. The review indicates that Western scholars have made extensive use of rich data resources—such as traffic parameters and accident records from expressway maintenance road sections—and have developed relatively systematic and well-established research frameworks in theoretical analysis, practical application, and evaluation methods. In contrast, Chinese studies have mainly relied on specific maintenance projects, commonly employing on-site investigations and traffic simulations to address particular problems, with limited systematization and generalization. Looking forward, it is essential to further strengthen the standardized collection and statistical analysis of traffic data (including accident data) for expressway maintenance road sections. Meanwhile, for complex scenarios such as multi-lane segments, special road sections, reconstruction and expansion sections, as well as extreme climatic conditions and nighttime operations, comprehensive research should be conducted by leveraging new-generation driving simulation, big data analytics, and artificial intelligence technologies, thereby providing scientific support and methodological foundations for building a systematic theoretical framework for traffic safety in expressway maintenance road sections.
Filling-type large-size cement-stabilized macadam (F-LSBC) is a promising base material for mitigating reflection cracking in semi-rigid pavements. However, its engineering application is hindered by the challenge of balancing strength, crack resistance, and construction adaptability. More fundamentally, the relationship between micromechanical features—especially the interfacial transition zone (ITZ)—and the macroscopic behavior of filling-type cement-stabilized composites remains insufficiently understood. This study used conventional cement-stabilized macadam (CSM) as a reference and combined nanoindentation with macro-scale mechanical, fatigue, and drying shrinkage tests to clarify the micro–macro mechanisms of F-LSBC. Results show that the ITZ in F-LSBC exhibits substantially lower elastic modulus (reduced by 60–75%) and hardness (reduced by 55%), along with greater porosity and phase volume fraction than CSM. Cluster analysis revealed a thicker ITZ (55–90 μm vs. 40 μm), indicating notable interfacial weakening. These microstructural features lead to reduced strength and fatigue life. Nevertheless, due to its high coarse aggregate content and weak-interface-induced “crack-without-displacement” mechanism, F-LSBC demonstrates enhanced shrinkage resistance, with drying shrinkage reduced to 81.36% of that of CSM at 180 days. The findings emphasize the key role of ITZ characteristics in determining performance and suggest that improved interface engineering could enhance durability and shrinkage control in pavement bases.