The steel bridge deck undergoes significant temperature changes during the high-temperature paving of asphalt pavement, and the non-uniform thermal field distribution herein affects the performance of pavement composite system. In this paper, the thermal field characteristic of the steel bridge deck during asphalt pavement paving was presented based on in-situ monitoring of the Tongling Yangtze River Bridge (TL Bridge) and numerical simulation. Firstly, the monitoring schemes were proposed to monitor the temperature changes of the steel bridge deck during the paving process, and the 3-D temperature distribution of the steel bridge deck was summarized. Secondly, a thermal field model of steel box girder was established according to the transient temperature field theory, and the element deletion method was used to simulate the process of paving construction. Subsequently, the thermal field model was validated by the monitoring results. Thirdly, the validated thermal field model was used to evaluate the sensitive factors that could affect the temperature distribution of the steel bridge deck during asphalt pavement paving. Finally, the critical temperature load formula was fitted, in which the sensitive factors were considered by introducing sensitive parameters.

In this research, the effect of high-temperature asphalt concrete paving on the interlaminar shear behaviour between the steel bridge deck pavement (SBDP) and the orthotropic steel bridge deck (OSBD) is the main objective. A thermal field model of steel box-girder was established based on the transient thermal field theory, and the element deletion method was used to simulate the dynamic paving process of gussasphalt mixture (GAM). The thermal field model was validated by the field monitoring data of Taizhou Yangtze River Highway Bridge in China, and the temperature variations in OSBD during the paving was summarised. Applying the most unfavourable temperature load during GAM paving to the steel box-girder mechanical model, the interlaminar shear stress distribution was calculated, and combined with the shear strength variation of waterproof bonding material during GAM paving, the interlaminar thermal effect of SBDP was evaluated. Results show that the thermal field of steel bridge presents temporal and spatial variation characteristic. The interlaminar shear stress during GAM paving in the low-temperature season is much larger than that in the high-temperature season, but the interlaminar thermal effect is more severe in the high-temperature construction season due to the more inferior shear performance of waterproof bonding material.

Construction and demolition waste material is of great potential for use in pavement engineering. This paper aims to investigate the feasibility of ceramic waste aggregate (CA) used in cooling asphalt pavement through a series of test methods and simulation techniques. Stone mastic asphalt (SMA) containing 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% coarse ceramic waste aggregate (CASMAs) was first designed using the Marshall method. Afterward, the road performance and thermal insulation performance of the five different CASMAs were assessed by a comprehensive lab test, including a wheel rutting test, moisture susceptibility test, bending beam test, fatigue beam test, and indoor thermal insulation test. Finally, a 2D finite-element (FE) model was developed to investigate the transient thermal field and rutting deformation response of the cooling asphalt pavement with CASMAs. Results show that CASMAs experienced degradation of rutting resistance, moisture susceptibility, and anti-cracking performance while still meeting technical requirements with CA content of up to 40%. On the other hand, CASMAs can cool the pavement’s temperature by 11.5 °C at the bottom of asphalt layers. The permanent rutting deformation of cooling asphalt pavement was 45.36% smaller than that of conventional asphalt pavement without CASMAs. Based on the test results and numerical simulation results, the optimum content of ceramic waste aggregate in stone mastic asphalt was recommended as 40%.

Gussasphalt concrete (GAC) is increasingly used in long-span steel bridge deck pavements because of its impermeability and compliance. However, the paving temperature of GAC is very high, inducing a significant nonuniform temperature distribution in the bridge during paving, and this has an adverse effect on the serviceability of bridge. In this study, the temperature behavior and stability of orthotropic steel bridge deck (OSBD) during the GAC paving were investigated. First, the temperature distribution of a steel bridge during the GAC paving was studied using field monitoring and numerical simulation. Second, the temperature stress and deformation of the OSBD during GAC paving were calculated. Third, the effect of the temperature deformation of OSBD on pavement unevenness was examined. Last, a submodel and eigenbuckling analysis method was used to evaluate the stability of the U ribs during the GAC paving. The results show that uplift and expanded deformation occur in the steel bridge deck during the GAC paving, and this deformation could cause a nonuniform thickness distribution of pavement. The temperature load during paving could reduce the ultimate bearing capacity of the U ribs in the paving area, and there is a hidden danger of instability in the OSBD during the GAC paving.