Polymers (Journal)

Description

Dear Colleagues,

Bituminous materials used for asphalt pavements are a kind of multiphase composite with complex heterogeneities at different scales (i.e., nano, micro, and macro). Various forms of damage in the bituminous materials are related to multiple physical phenomena such as temperature variation, moisture diffusion, and ageing of materials. Furthermore, polymer materials (e.g., graphene, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), antioxidants, rubber, lignin, epoxy, rejuvenators, biomass, waste plastics, etc.) are increasingly being applied to the traditional mixtures to improve the durability and the recycling of materials, leading to the further complexity of the bituminous materials. Therefore, the extreme complexities of the polymer-based bituminous materials need to be addressed properly for more accurate performance prediction.

Based on the fundamental thermal, chemical, physical, and mechanical properties of the constituent materials and their interactions, the repeated traffic loads, and changeable environmental conditions, multiscale–multiphysics modelling can vastly benefit our understanding of the mechanisms, properties, and performance of the polymer-based bituminous materials. Innovative research in multiscale–multiphysics modelling and characterisation helps civil engineers, researchers, and agencies to identify better underlying views for the selection, design, and evaluation of durable, resilient and sustainable pavement materials.

This Special Issue welcomes submissions with respect to multiscale–multiphysics modelling and characterisation for the polymer-based bituminous materials. The topics of interest include but are not limited to:

Quantum mechanics/chemistry, density functional theory (DFT) calculation, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for understanding the modification mechanisms of polymer-based bitumen;
Chemo-mechanical modelling and microscopic characterisation for polymer-based asphalt recycling;
Micromechanics/composite theory, finite element modelling (FEM) and discrete element modelling (DEM) for evaluating the functional performance of polymer-based asphalt;
Constitutive modelling for viscoelasticity, viscoplasticity, damage, and fracture for predicting the fundamental mechanical performance of polymer-based asphalt;
Multiscale and multiphysics modelling for the durability, resilience and sustainability of polymer-based bituminous materials;
Artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) modelling for the selection and design of novel polymer-based bituminous materials.

Period	10 Aug 2023 → 29 Feb 2024
Type of journal	Journal
ISSN	2073-4360
Degree of Recognition	International