Introduction
In order to enhance the academic, personal, and socializing skills of students as well as promoting national/international collaboration between universities, the SuPAR research group provides the opportunity for students at both bachelor and master levels to conduct their research projects and study in a different cultural and academic environment. This exchange allows students to gain international experience, improve their language skills, and broaden their knowledge and perspectives on various subjects. SuPAR group mainly concentrates on infrastructure-oriented research. To be particular, pavement engineering in general, bituminous materials characterization, health monitoring, and sustainability which play a pivotal role in the economy and development of all countries, are the core expertise of the SuPAR research group. Accordingly, several projects are/were defined by the SuPAR group to promote sustainable/resilient pavements. Some of the recent projects are currently being considered for international collaboration in the forms of internships/bachelor projects (bachelor level) and master projects. The links to these projects with the contact details of the responsible person are listed on the SuPAR website. Please do not hesitate to contact the project’s responsible individual if you are interested to collaborate with our research group.
Basic overview
Infrastructures, particularly the road industry and asphaltic pavements, play a pivotal role in the economy and development of all countries. Most of the roads are constructed using asphaltic materials. Asphalt mixture mainly consists of bitumen (binder), mineral aggregate, and filler. The bitumen glues the aggregate particles together and waterproofs the mixture. The aggregate in the mixture acts as a stone skeleton, which contributes to the mixture's stiffness and stability, whereas the filler fills up the space between the aggregate to avoid displacement and movement in the mixture. Several factors such as an increase in the number and load of vehicles as well as environmental factors (more pronounced when it comes to climate change due to considerable alterations in meteorological conditions such as extreme rainfalls, heat waves, and winter temperatures) have arisen ramifications for asphaltic pavement performance, integrity, resilience, and durability. Several strategies have been proposed to construct climate resilience and sustainable pavements and remedy the abovementioned distresses. For instance, pavement structure is normally designed and divided into different layers including surface, base, and subbase layers that are constructed on the top of the subgrade or terrain to reduce vehicles’ impacts by distributing the wheel load through the entire road’s surface and structure. However, the behavior of bituminous materials, due to their viscoelastic properties, is extremely susceptible to alterations in environmental conditions. The environmental changes can considerably compromise pavements’ performance and deteriorate their lifespan. Moreover, the depletion of non-renewable materials, the impacts of climate change, along with the negative impacts of greenhouse gas emissions urged researchers in the EMIB group to incorporate innovative technologies to construct durable pavements and preserve the environment and natural resources. Keeping these points into consideration, several projects are/were defined by the EMIB group to promote sustainable pavements. Some of the recent projects are currently being considered for international collaboration in the forms of internships (bachelor level) and master projects. The links to these projects with the contact person are listed on the EMIB website. Please do not hesitate to contact the project’s responsible individual if you are interested to collaborate with our group.
