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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: EP/M014134/1
Title: Induction heating for closing cracks in asphalt concrete
Principal Investigator: Garcia Hernandez, Dr A
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department: Faculty of Engineering
Organisation: University of Nottingham
Scheme: First Grant - Revised 2009
Starts: 01 January 2015 Ends: 31 December 2016 Value (£): 97,163
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Civil Engineering Materials Pavement Engineering
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Construction Environment
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Panel DatePanel NameOutcome
08 Oct 2014 Engineering Prioritisation Panel Meeting 8th October 2014 Announced
Summary on Grant Application Form
Asphalt pavements are the most commonly road pavements in the UK. Preserving them in a proper state fundamentally affects the economy and quality of life. However, their surveillance and maintenance are cost and time intensive, and asphalt concrete still has to be replaced after 15 years of use. Applying induction heating into the road could make pavements last much longer by stimulating the asphalt`s property of self-healing. Experimental results have found that a crack can be fully induction-healed, for at least 5 times. The efficiency of self-healing, however, depends on the temperature of the material and the temperature should be concentrated in the cracks alone. Thus, the challenge of this research is to discover how to apply energy only locally into the cracks without dispersing energy into undesired spaces. With this purpose, experimental and mathematical models of asphalt concrete self-healing under induction heating will be developed.

This research will serve to understand the relationships between induction heating, the particles used to heat the mixture, the heat flow through asphalt concrete and its effect on asphalt self-healing. We will discover the type of particles, intensities and frequencies of induction heating which are more appropriate for healing, how to concentrate the heat in the damaged areas and the relationship between the amount of energy induced and the healing of asphalt concrete.

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Organisation Website: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk