Charles Djabatey
PhD Researcher,
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Research Summary
My current project is in collaboration with the Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Geo-processes research group at University of Nottingham and the Institute of Theoretical Geophysics at the… read more
Current Research
My current project is in collaboration with the Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Geo-processes research group at University of Nottingham and the Institute of Theoretical Geophysics at the University of Cambridge. Although potholes are a perennial problem in UK roads, the mechanism(s) of their formation is poorly understood. As a result, there is no established experimental method to characterize the pothole resistance of an asphalt mixture or means of specification directly related to this phenomenon. Inspired by recent progress in geophysics, this research will model the potential mechanisms of crack initiation and propagation in asphalt, under the conditions considered to increase the likelihood of this form of deterioration, and develop an experimental test to validate the results. If successful, this will form the first step to developing and specifying asphalt materials that are more resistant to pothole formation.