Dr. Yuqing Zhang is Senior Lecturer in highway engineering at Aston Institute of Materials Research (AIMR) of Aston University in Birmingham. He leads the infrastructural material research group focusing on
- Performance modelling of pavement structures and materials
- Renewable construction materials for sustainable road infrastructures
- Intelligent and non-destructive technologies for future cities.
Funded by EU H2020, Royal Society, Royal Academy of Engineering and asphalt industries, Dr Zhang’s on-going research projects have covered topics including ageing and healing performance predictions of asphalt pavements, waste plastics and biomass derived bitumen and multiscale modelling of adhesion and cracking behaviour in bituminous materials. The advanced material characterisation laboratory at the AIMR has been equipped a comprehensive material chemical, rheological and mechanical testing instruments, as follows.
Bitumen and Asphalt Testing
- RTFO and PAV aging devices and ovens
- Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR)
- Dynamic Mechanical Analyser (DMA)
- Contact Angle Optical Tensiometer
- Roughness 3D Topography (for mineral surfaces)
- Universal Testing Machine (UTM, for all types of mechanical tests)
- Triaxial Cell and IDT devices
- Penetration, Softening Point Tester, High Shear Mixer, etc.
Material and Chemical Characterisation
- Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)
- Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC)
- Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) Spectroscopy
- Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC)
- Nano-Indentation Tester (NIT)
- High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)- LCMS
- Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy
- Raman Spectroscopy
- Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEMs)
- Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA)