WHAT PHYSICS-BASED APPROACHES TO MATERIAL SCIENCE CAN IMPROVE THE DURABILITY OF ROAD SURFACES IN PAKISTAN'S SALT RANGE AREAS, REDUCING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF FREQUENT RECONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE?

Abstract

The study was aimed to find out the physics-based approaches to material science that can improve the durability of road surfaces in Pakistan's salt range areas and how these can reduce the environmental impacts of frequent reconstruction and maintenance. Globally, literature explored that many physics-based approaches can improve the durability of road surfaces. Researcher extracted 17 physics-based approaches from literature that are directly relevant to improving the durability of road surfaces in the challenging environment of Pakistan's salt range based on the four categories of assessment: performance impact, implementation complexity, cost-effectiveness, and technology readiness and develop a Matrix Heatmap Data. On the base of this hypothetical data created a road durability assessment matrix for each of the selected 17 physics-based approaches with the help of R software. The matrix reveals a clear performance gradient from top to bottom, with practical engineering solutions.