Researchers from the Royal College of London and the University of Swanxi (Wales, Great Britain) in collaboration with scientists from Chile, as well as Google Cloud, developed a new type of asphalt, which is able to independently “heal” the resulting cracks, eliminating the need to use manual labor for their repair, reported on the Google blog.
Image source: Google
The reasons for the formation of cracks in the asphalt have not yet been fully studied, but one of the frequent reasons is excessive hardening in connection with the oxidation of bitumen, which is part of the asphalt. Scientists are developing ways to turn this process back to bring asphalt to the previous working condition.
To study organic molecules of substances with a complex chemical composition, such as bitumen, a team of scientists used machine learning. A new model was developed based on the collected data to accelerate atomistic modeling, which made it possible to significantly advance in the study of the processes of oxidation of bitumen and the formation of cracks. This approach is much faster and more economical than traditional computing models, noted on the Google blog.
In cooperation with Google Cloud, scientists worked on the creation of AI tools that allow you to determine chemical properties and create virtual molecules designed for certain purposes, similar to the methods used to open drugs. Computing chemistry expert, Dr. Francisco Martin-Martinez noted the significant contribution of Google Cloud to the creation of AI instruments for quick development of self-healing road surface, emphasizing that imitation of nature in self-healing will extend the life of roads and create more Sustainable and reliable road infrastructure.
Researchers demonstrated in laboratory experiments how the new asphalt material can heal the microcrack in less than an hour. To get bitumen with the ability to eliminate cracks, the researchers added tiny porous spores of plants saturated with processed oils. When the road surface is compressed when transported, disputes are squeezed out, and the oil enters nearby cracks, softening bitumen so much that it can fill cracks.
Researchers believe that in a couple of years they will reach the stage of commercial release of new material for use on the roads of Great Britain.