Sulfur-extended asphalt concrete with assessing the surface temperature of roads affecting urban heat island

Abstract

The Urban Heat Island (UHI) is a phenomenon that affects many millions of people worldwide. The higher temperatures experienced in urban areas compared to the surrounding countryside has enormous consequences for the health and wellbeing of people living in cities. The paper studies the temperature dependence of the surface of the asphalt concrete on the air temperature of Hanoi city with a view to determine the road surface temperature compared to the comfort threshold of Vietnamese people. Research data on microclimate of Hanoi city was taken from hydro-meteorological station in the period 2010yr – 2015yr. The paper selects two most famous methods of calculating the surface temperature of asphalt concrete: The Method of Kovalev Y.N (Russia) and the method of “Superpave” method (USA). This review article outlines the contribution that pavements make to the urban heat island (UHI) effect and analyses localized and citywide mitigation strategies against the UHI. Asphalt concrete is one of the most common pavements surfacing materials and is a significant contributor to the UHI effect. Dense asphalt concrete has low albedo and high volumetric heat capacity, which results in surface temperatures reaching upwards to 60°C on hot summer days. Application of sulfur-extended asphalt concrete with advanced properties instead of asphalt concrete reduces the urban heat island effect and increase the quality and life of roads in Hanoi (Vietnam).