Adrian Markari
My PhD project aims to enhance the long-term performance of asphalt material by optimizing its self-healing capacity. For this, multi-scale experimental method such as neutron imaging techniques and numerical method such as Finite Element simulations will be used to: (i) characterize the mobility parameters of bitumen from different crude sources, (ii) develop and calibrate a numerical model able simulate the self-healing of asphalt depending of the mobility observations, and (iii) optimize the self-healing capacity of bitumen towards a high performing asphalt.
By working on this project, I will be: (i) establishing a catalogue of mobility properties depending on the crude source and on the environmental conditioning such as oxygen, moisture and UV, (ii) developing a multi-scale numerical model able to simulate the self-healing of asphalt material in function of the mobility changes observed experimentally, (iii) optimizing the asphalt material to maximize its self-healing capacity in order to enhance its durability, and (iv) simulate the long-term performance at the continuum scale in order to evaluate the benefit on pavement structure under varying traffic and environmental conditions.
The project is a close collaboration between the Pavement Material Engineering group at KTH and the Neutron Imaging and Activation Group of the Paul Scherrer Institute (Switzerland) and the Research Department of the Nynas AB (Sweden).

University: KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Thesis title: Investigation on the self-healing capabilties of asphaltic materials using neutron imaging