Piezoresistive mechanism of asphalt mixtures with carbon fibers

The adoption of emerging sensing technologies to automate pavement management is crucial for developing Digital Twin solutions aimed at extending infrastructure lifespan, optimizing resource allocation, reducing rehabilitation costs, and ensuring road user safety. Incorporating carbon fibers can transform conventional asphalt mixtures into piezoresistive materials with self-sensing capabilities. However, the piezoresistive mechanisms and the capability to predict the viscoelastic behavior of carbon fibers asphalt mixtures remain uncertain. This study investigates the piezoresistive response of carbon fibers asphalt mixtures under dynamic loading conditions for self-sensing applications. Asphalt mixture specimens with varying carbon fibers contents were tested in the laboratory to assess the impact of carbon fibers content, loading frequency, and strain level on piezoresistive behavior. Results showed that the electrical response reflects the strain behavior of the mixtures, providing insight into both resilient and plastic strain components. This study contributes to advancing the development of materials with intrinsic sensing capabilities for monitoring asphalt pavement condition. • CF asphalt mixtures show piezoresistive behavior under dynamic loading. • Electrical response replicates viscoelastic strain (resilient and plastic). • Resilient component exhibits excellent linearity (R² from 0.923 to 0.994). • 0.5% CF content provides optimal sensitivity and frequency independence. • Technology enables real-time pavement monitoring via Digital Twin systems.