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Abstract: In recent years, the excellent mechanical properties of asphalt modified with graphene nano-platelets (GNPs) have attracted a growing number of researchers investigating their actual performance enhancement in pavements. First, the authors analyzed an original thin layer of graphene-modified asphalt (GMTL) aimed at restoring the binder layer of road pave-ment through laboratory and trial section tests. The laboratory results demonstrate improvements in indirect tensile resistance, an increase in the modulus of elasticity of the binder, and a reduction in material deformation, consistent with findings from other international investigations. However, there is a lack of known studies on test sections or specific research involv-ing thin layers with added GNPs. This paper particularly focuses on as-sessing, through FWD equipment, the reduction in deflection and the in-crease in modulus within a real pavement. The investigated GMTL (1.0 cm thick) exhibits an average reduction of 9.5% in maximum FWD deflections and 14.9% in HMA deformability. Moreover, the back-calculation indicates improved stiffness modulus of the pavement foundation (+37%) and the cement-treated base layer (+68%) in pavements covered with GMTL. Fur-ther, comparative studies regarding strength, thermal susceptibility, and service life will be necessary to enhance our understanding of GMTL.
