Awuah, Frank Kofi Asamoah
(2025)
Materials and machine techniques for automated repair of bituminous pavements.
PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.
Abstract
Research has been conducted to evaluate the feasibility of automating crack and pothole repairs in bituminous pavements within a laboratory setting. Traditional manual methods, while effective, are labour-intensive, time-consuming, and prone to variability, underscoring the urgent need for automation to enhance efficiency, precision, scalability, and safety. To address these limitations, machines requiring minimal human input were developed alongside asphalt mixtures tailored for automated applications. A comprehensive review identified 3D printing as an optimal, economical, and user-friendly technology for creating repair machines. Accordingly, a RepRap 3D printer was modified for repair tasks, with parameters such as filling speed and extrusion temperature systematically optimised to improve repair quality.
The research investigated the effects of bitumen type, crack width, irregularity, and hot bitumen flow on the performance of automated crack filling. Results revealed that bitumen flow rate, filling speed, and crack geometry significantly affect fill quality. Specifically, lower temperatures resulted in incomplete filling, while higher temperatures and suboptimal speeds led to overfilling. These findings highlight the critical importance of precisely controlling temperature, flow rate, and filling speed to optimise performance in future fully autonomous robotic systems.
A novel digital methodology, developed using physics engine software with aggregate geometry as a key input, enabled the design of asphalt mixtures tailored to performance requirements such as extrudability, stability, and flow. Validated through independent tests at the Czech Technical University in Prague, the method achieved 78% accuracy in predicting the properties of real mixtures with highly variable compositions. It offers a reliable, performance-based alternative to traditional trial-and-error methods and lays the groundwork for automating asphalt design in road repair operations.
The digital method was further applied to produce asphalt repair cartridges for a screw-extrusion-based automated pothole filling machine, which achieved 86% of the rutting resistance observed in manual techniques. In a transitional phase, this machine could be mounted on trucks for in-situ pothole repairs, providing an immediate and cost-effective solution for practitioners. Over the long term, it has the potential to evolve into advanced, fully autonomous robotic systems, paving the way for more efficient, self-operating road maintenance.
| Item Type: |
Thesis (University of Nottingham only)
(PhD)
|
| Supervisors: |
Thom, Nicholas
Sreeram, Anand |
| Keywords: |
Pavements, Asphalt mixtures, Bitumen, Aggregates, Automation, Crack filling, Pothole repair, 3D printing, Digital design, Physics engine simulation, Robotic systems, Performance-based design |
| Subjects: |
T Technology > TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) |
| Faculties/Schools: |
UK Campuses > Faculty of Engineering > Department of Civil Engineering |
| Item ID: |
80265 |
| Depositing User: |
AWUAH, FRANK
|
| Date Deposited: |
31 Jul 2025 04:40 |
| Last Modified: |
31 Jul 2025 04:40 |
| URI: |
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/80265 |
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