Applications of Self-Sensing Composites in Pavement Infrastructure

Pavement systems are critical infrastructure assets subject to continuous degradation from mechanical loads and environmental factors. Conventional monitoring methods are often reactive and labor-intensive, failing to capture early-stage damage. Self-sensing composites (SSCs) offer a transformative solution by embedding piezoresistive sensing capabilities directly into the pavement structure, enabling simultaneous load-bearing and in-situ monitoring. This is achieved by incorporating conductive fillers, such as carbon fibers, nanotubes, or graphite, into cementitious or asphalt matrices, allowing the pavement to sense stress, strain, and damage by measuring changes in electrical resistivity. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the current state of SSC technology for pavement infrastructure. It systematically compiles and analyzes peer-reviewed studies on the mechanical and electrical properties of these functional materials. Key applications, including structural health monitoring (SHM), traffic detection, and weigh-in-motion (WIM), are discussed. Finally, the review identifies significant technical challenges, most notably signal interference from moisture and temperature, as well as high-level integration hurdles. Persisting research gaps are highlighted, and future directions are proposed, emphasizing the need for material optimization and the integration of artificial intelligence to bridge the gap from laboratory potential to full-scale field deployment.