Date Approved

7-6-2026

Embargo Period

7-6-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering

Department

Civil and Environmental Engineering

College

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering

Advisor

Yusuf Mehta, Ph.D.

Committee Member 1

Mohamed H. Elshaer, Ph.D.

Committee Member 2

Sadie Casillas, Ph.D.

Disciplines

Civil and Environmental Engineering | Civil Engineering | Engineering

Abstract

Fatigue cracking is one of the primary distress mechanisms affecting asphalt pavement durability under repeated traffic loading and environmental aging. Although asphalt binders possess an inherent ability to heal micro-damage during rest periods, this healing capacity is often insufficient to fully counter progressive fatigue damage under field conditions. This thesis investigates the fatigue and self-healing behavior of asphalt binders and mixtures modified with nanomaterials and advanced polymer-based systems. Nanomodified binders were evaluated using Linear Amplitude Sweep (LAS) and Linear Amplitude Sweep with Healing (LASH) tests within the VECD framework to quantify fatigue resistance and healing behavior under different rest periods and damage levels. Results showed that nanomodification improved fatigue resistance and healing potential through enhanced molecular interactions and stress redistribution, although performance depended on nanoparticle type and dosage. At the mixture level, nanomodified mixtures demonstrated improved fatigue life and reduced cumulative damage during mechanistic–empirical simulations. Additionally, highly polymer-modified asphalt (HPMA) binders and highly elastic binders (HEBs) exhibited enhanced elastic recovery, molecular mobility, and healing performance due to SBS modification and softening agents. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive framework for evaluating self-healing mechanisms in modified asphalt systems to support the development of more durable and resilient pavements.

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