Composite Material in Road Pavement: A Review of Experimental, Numerical and Machine Learning Approaches

Composite Material in Road Pavement: A Review of Experimental, Numerical and Machine Learning Approaches

Mazlan RAFIDAH, Mohd Khairul Afzan Mohd LAZI, Fauzan Mohd JAKARNI, Yusra Aulia SARI, Mohamad Saifullah SAMSUDIN, Rosmawati MAMAT, Ekarizan SHAFFIE, Dylan Tay WANG AN, Nurul Najihah MAD ROSNI, Ikhwanul IHSAN

Abstract. Fiber-reinforced asphalt is increasingly used to improve pavement durability and sustainability. Experimental studies show that synthetic, natural, and recycled fibers can enhance rutting resistance, cracking resistance, fatigue life, moisture durability, and binder stability. Finite element and discrete element modelling provide complementary insight into pavement-scale response and fiber-matrix mechanisms, while machine learning (ML) supports rapid performance prediction and mix optimisation. This review compares the principal fiber types and integrates experimental, numerical, and data-driven approaches. Key remaining challenges are optimum fiber selection and dosage, long-term ageing and moisture durability, natural-fiber degradation, dataset limitations, and field-scale validation. An integrated experimental-numerical-ML framework is recommended for performance-based design of durable and sustainable fiber-reinforced asphalt pavements.

Keywords
Composite, Pavement, Numerical, Machine Learning

Published online 11/15/2026, 8 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA

Citation: Mazlan RAFIDAH, Mohd Khairul Afzan Mohd LAZI, Fauzan Mohd JAKARNI, Yusra Aulia SARI, Mohamad Saifullah SAMSUDIN, Rosmawati MAMAT, Ekarizan SHAFFIE, Dylan Tay WANG AN, Nurul Najihah MAD ROSNI, Ikhwanul IHSAN, Composite Material in Road Pavement: A Review of Experimental, Numerical and Machine Learning Approaches, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 74, pp 165-172, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904473-21

The article was published as article 21 of the book Composite Science and Technology

Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.

References
[1] J. Li, L. Yang, L. He, R. Guo, X. Li, Y. Chen, Y. Muhammad, Y. Liu, Research progresses of fibers in asphalt and cement materials: a review, Journal of Road Engineering 3 (2023) 35-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jreng.2022.09.002
[2] R. Muniandy, A. Selim, H. Omar, Laboratory Evaluation of Malaysian Cellulose Oil Palm Fiber for Use in Stone Mastic Asphalt Mixes, Int J Pavements 1 (2002) 13–21.
[3] S. Nizamuddin, Y.J. Boom, F. Giustozzi, Sustainable polymers from recycled waste plastics and their virgin counterparts as bitumen modifiers: A comprehensive review, Polymers (Basel) 13 (2021) 3242. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13193242
[4] E. Slezák, F. Ronkay, K. Bocz, Development of an Engineering Material with Increased Impact Strength and Heat Resistance from Recycled PET, Journal of Polymers and the Environment 31 (2023) 5296–5308. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-023-02945-4
[5] A. Qabur, H. Baaj, M.A. El-Hakim, Laboratory Study on Enhancing Asphalt Mixture Properties through Dry Mixing with High-Dose Multilayer Plastic Packaging Pellet Additives, Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering 37 (2025) 04025049. https://doi.org/10.1061/jmcee7.mteng-19101
[6] Y. Hui, G. Men, P. Xiao, Q. Tang, F. Han, A. Kang, Z. Wu, Recent Advances in Basalt Fiber Reinforced Asphalt Mixture for Pavement Applications, Materials (Basel) 15 (2022) 6826. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15196826
[7] M. Fahad, R. Nagy, Finite Element Modeling and Laboratory Performance Evaluation of Lignin, Basalt and Polyester Fiber-Reinforced Asphalt Mixtures, Applied Sciences 15 (2025) 3953. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15073953
[8] A.N. Aina, M.A.M. Rizal, M.F.A. Rased, R.A. Majid, D.D. Chin Vui Sheng, S.A. Hassan, Experimental investigations on performance and failure mechanisms of glass fiber-reinforced acrylonitrile butadiene styrene composites considering mesh density effect, Polymer Composites 46 (2025) 12278-12295. https://doi.org/10.1002/pc.29744
[9] R. Tanzadeh, J. Tanzadeh, M. Honarmand, S.A. Tahami, Experimental study on the effect of basalt and glass fibers on behavior of open-graded friction course asphalt modified with nano-silica, Construction and building materials 212 (2019) 467–475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.04.010
[10] S.S. Saliani, P. Tavassoti, H. Baaj, A. Carter, Characterization of asphalt mixtures produced with short Pulp Aramid fiber (PAF), Construction and building materials 280 (2021) 122554. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.122554
[11] N.S. Aliyu Yaro, Z, Ngubane, S. Abdulrahman, A. Usman, N. Khan, A. Mohammed A, B.P. Khuzwayo, J.A. Adedeji, Scientometric and Systematic Review with SWOT Analysis of the Application and Performance of Synthetic and Composite Textile Waste-Derived Materials in Flexible Pavements, Sustainability 18 (2026) 5249. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18115249
[12] H. Yao, Y. Wang, J. Liu, M. Xu, P. Ma, J. Ji, Z. You, Review on Applications of Lignin in Pavement Engineering: A Recent Survey, Front Mater 8 (2022) 803524. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmats.2021.803524
[13] M.R.M. Asyraf, A. Syamsir, H. Bathich, Z. Itam, A.B.M. Supian, S. Norhisham, N.M. Nurazzi, T. Khan, M.Z.A. Rashid, Effect of Fibre Layering Sequences on Flexural Creep Properties of Kenaf Fibre-reinforced Unsaturated Polyester Composite for Structural Applications, Fibers Polym 23 (2022) 3232–3240. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12221-022-4386-7
[14] H. Wu, P. Xiao, Z. Fei, A. Kang, X. Wu, Evaluation of SMA-13 Asphalt Mixture Reinforced by Different Types of Fiber Additives. Materials (Basel) 17 (2024) 5468. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17225468
[15] R.A. Ilyas, S.M. Sapuan, M.M. Harussani, M.Y.A.Y. Hakimi, M.Z.M. Haziq, M.S.N. Atikah, M.R.M. Asyraf, M.R. Ishak, M.R. Razman, N.M. Nurazzi, M.N.F. Norrrahim, Polylactic Acid (PLA) Biocomposite: Processing, Additive Manufacturing and Advanced Applications, Polymers (Basel) 12 (2021) 1326. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13081326
[16] N. Agha, A. Hussain, A.S. Ali, Y. Qiu, Performance Evaluation of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) Containing Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Using Wet and Dry Mixing Techniques, Polymers (Basel) 15 (2023) 1211. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15051211
[17] Z. Dehghan, A. Modarres, Evaluating the fatigue properties of hot mix asphalt reinforced by recycled PET fibers using 4-point bending test. Construction and Building Materials 139 (2017) 384–393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.02.082
[18] L. Lugeiyamu, M. Kunlin, E.S.K. Mensahn, A. Faraz, Utilization of waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as partial replacement of bitumen in stone mastic asphalt, Construction and Building Materials 309 (2021) 125176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.125176
[19] L. Kong, J. Xu, H. Yang, P. Wu, X. Li, D. Ma, Z. Wang, D. Ren, C. Ai, Enhancing crack resistance in basalt fiber asphalt mixtures: a full-field time-domain investigation of stress distribution and pore structure optimisation, Int J Pavement Eng 26 (2025) 2460746. https://doi.org/10.1080/10298436.2025.2460746
[20] S. Laib, Z. Nafa, A. Merdas, Y. Chetbani, B.A. Tayeh, Y. Tang, Experimental and Statistical Evaluations of Recycled Waste Materials and Polyester Fibers in Enhancing Asphalt Concrete Performance, Buildings 15 (2025) 2747. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15152747
[21] W.A. Laftah, W.A. Wan Abdul Rahman, A comprehensive review of tire recycling technologies and applications, Mater Adv 6 (2025) 4992–5010. https://doi.org/10.1039/d5ma00463b
[22] W. Zhen, Z, Li, Simulation Analysis on Temperature Field and Temperature Stress of Flexible Pavement in Cold Areas, J Appl Math Phys 9 (2021) 606–16. https://doi.org/10.4236/jamp.2021.94044
[23] C. Zhou, W. Meng, M. Cao, C. Peng, Multiscale finite element computational model and microscopic stress analysis of asphalt pavement structures, Mech Adv Mater Struct 33 (2026) 2476198. https://doi.org/10.1080/15376494.2025.2476198
[24] A. Alubeid, Z. Yousafzai, Enhancing Diagnosis of Balance Disorders Using Machine Learning: Sensor data analysis to improve diagnostic accuracy and efficiency in clinical settings (2024).
[25] M. Al-Ammari, R. Dong, M. Nasser, A. Al-Maswari, Innovative Machine Learning Approaches for Predicting the Asphalt Content During Marshall Design of Asphalt Mixtures, Materials (Basel) 18 (2025) 1474. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18071474
[26] J.M. Gorriz, R. Martin-Clemente, F. Segovia, J. Ramirez, A. Ortiz, J. Suckling, Is K-fold cross validation the best model selection method for machine learning? Inf Fusion 135 (2026) 104404. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inffus.2026.104404
[27] S.B. Murthy, K.P. Biligiri, V. Pandurangan, Carbon and glass fibre composite waste-modified asphalt binders: compatibility assessment, dosage optimisation, and performance evaluation, Road Mater Pavement Des 18 (2025) 1-36. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680629.2025.2599472