Roads play a vital rolein the UAE, facilitating the movement of goods and passengers within and between the seven emirates, and linking the UAE with neighboring countries. With future traffic demand predicted to grow, road infrastructure is anticipated to experience significant pressure, accelerating the damage of roads. The majority of roads in the UAE are surfaced withhot mix asphalt (HMA), and the performance of the surface layer largely determinesthe overall performance of the asphalt pavement structure. In hot regions, achieving the desired performance of HMA has often been a challenge, with road surfaces sometimes failing within a few months of construction and rarely lasting as long as designed.

Materials Science & Engineering is a venerable scientific discipline that provides cutting-edge solutions by investigating and implementing new technologies to produce more durable and stable paving materials. Nano-materials are an emerging technology currently being investigated to enhance the performance of HMA and roadways. The main objective of this research proposal is to investigate the influence of two nano-materials (Fe-Cu intermetallic compound and graphene) on the properties of local asphalt concrete mixtures using a novel experimental-mechanical method based on a multiscale analysis and modeling approach.

Six laboratory experiments will be executed: synthesis of nano-materials, characterization of nano-materials, characterization of asphalt binder, characterization of mastic, characterization of the fine aggregate matrix (FAM), and characterization of the asphalt concrete (AC) mixture. The FAM experiment will be conducted at Arizona State University (ASU), while the remaining experiments will be carried out at the University of Sharjah (UoS).