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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
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    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Feasibility Study of Zinc Diethyldithiocarbamate (ZDC) Modified Asphalt Mixture for Enhanced Safety through Improved Aging Resistance in Asphalt Pavement</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2703922</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Pavement surface distresses directly affect ride comfort and indirectly cause distraction to the driver resulting in loss of control of the vehicle, which may lead to injuries or deaths. Thermo-oxidative aging of asphalt binder is a key driver of asphalt pavement performance deterioration and distress development, which directly affect ride quality. As a result, mitigating asphalt aging is essential for maintaining pavement performance and ensuring roadway safety. Zinc diethyldithiocarbamate (ZDC), an emerging antioxidant, has shown stronger anti-aging effectiveness than many conventional antioxidants. However, existing studies have primarily focused on binder-level and mixture-level, while its impact on pavement structural performance remains unclear. This leads to a gap in that the effectiveness of ZDC has not yet been validated in terms of its ultimate objective — improving pavement structural performance and safety. The objective of this proposed study is to address this gap by linking laboratory aging characterization of ZDC-modified materials with pavement performance prediction. Comprehensive laboratory testing will be conducted to characterize the aging resistance and mechanical properties of ZDC-modified materials and to provide the required inputs for pavement performance prediction. The pavement structural analysis tool, FlexPAVE, which integrates the recently developed pavement aging model (PAM) and distress prediction models, will be used to predict pavement performance while explicitly incorporating aging mechanisms. ZDC-modified pavement structures will be simulated under representative U.S. climate zones to evaluate the effectiveness of ZDC under diverse environmental conditions, considering that aging rates and dominant distress modes may change with climate patterns. The results will offer insight into the practical use of ZDC for improving pavement performance and safety.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2026 13:37:20 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Exploring the Use of Antioxidants to Substantially Increase Cracking Life of Asphalt Pavement</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2420092</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Cracking dictates the service life of asphalt pavements. Oxidative aging of the asphalt binder renders the binder brittle and susceptible to cracking. Higher number of high temperature days further exacerbates rate of oxidation and reduction in the service life of an asphalt pavement. Recent coordinated studies by a global consortium of researchers have identified generic chemicals that can act as antioxidants to significantly reduce the oxidative aging of asphalt and increase its cracking resistance and service life. Similarly, commercial additive manufacturers are also exploring the development and deployment of antioxidant additives. In the project, the research teams will review the literature and interface with existing national and international studies to identify the most promising antioxidant(s) for use with asphalt binders as a modifier. The research teams will conduct laboratory studies on asphalt binders and mixtures to evaluate the efficacy of these antioxidants. The research teams will also conduct workshops with stakeholders and conduct cost-benefit analysis to develop plans for pilot test section and facilitate the deployment of such sections with districts and industry partners. Finally the research teams will also present metrics that can be used for specification and quality control purposes by 
Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 23 Aug 2024 11:12:19 GMT</pubDate>
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