Innovative research into 3D printed asphalt is resulting in unforeseen findings of potentially considerable significance to highways surfacing maintenance. Development of a system that detects cracks in road surfaces autonomously and then repairs them to forestall the formation of potholes is – in essence – a principal element of the fascinating Self-Repairing Cities (S-RC) project. Led by Leeds University, and now three years into a five-year programme, S-RC’s research into road surfacing maintenance has focused on drones and 3D printing. The other partners on the project are University College London (UCL) and the Universities of Southampton and Birmingham. While Leeds is concentrating hard on the robotics and autonomous control systems, UCL is developing a 3D printing system and the asphalt that will be extruded by them. Surprisingly, the ductility and toughness of the material that is produced in the printing process is being found to be much higher than […]

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