Intrinsic Self-Healing of Asphalt Pavements

Intrinsic self-healing refers to the inherent ability of asphalt materials to autonomously repair micro-cracks and damage, without the need for external interventions or special additives. Healing contributes to a longer service life of pavement, and it is commonly incorporated into the pavement design procedure by using lab-to-field factors. Such an approach is often too simplistic and based on past experiences with traditional materials. Advanced approaches are needed for a better and more reliable assessment of self-healing properties, especially for unconventional and innovative pavement materials. This requires an adequate understanding of healing phenomenon, including the relevant aspects at physic-chemical level and the driving mechanisms acting at different scales. This chapter explores the fundamental principles and recent developments in the study of intrinsic self-healing of asphalt pavements.