Advances in the Engineering Properties of Stabilized Geomaterials for Sustainable Pavement Applications

The performance and sustainability of modern pavements increasingly depend on the effective utilization and stabilization of geomaterials, including soils, aggregates, and industrial by-products. Stabilization enhances the engineering properties of these materials, improving strength, stiffness, durability, and resistance to environmental degradation, thereby enabling cost-effective and long-lasting pavement structures. Recent advances have focused on conventional binders such as cement, lime, and bitumen, as well as emerging techniques involving polymers, fibers, and nano-enhanced additives. These innovations optimize stress-dependent behavior, resilient modulus, permanent deformation resistance, and fatigue performance under repeated traffic loading and variable environmental conditions. Laboratory characterization methods, including repeated load triaxial, cyclic simple shear, and microstructural analysis (SEM, XRD, micro-CT), provide critical insights into material behavior, while in-situ validation using falling-weight deflectometer (FWD) testing, embedded sensors, and instrumented pavements ensures correlation with field performance. The integration of mechanistic–empirical modeling, cumulative damage analysis, and probabilistic reliability frameworks enables predictive assessment of long-term performance, informing design optimization and maintenance strategies. Sustainable stabilization approaches, including the use of industrial by-products (fly ash, slag), recycled aggregates, and bio-based additives, contribute to reduced carbon footprint, resource efficiency, and environmental compliance. Advances in digital technologies, such as digital twins, machine learning, and sensor-based monitoring, further enhance predictive capabilities and adaptive pavement management. Despite these developments, challenges remain in addressing material variability, long-term durability, and the standardization of testing protocols for novel stabilizers. Future research directions include the development of hybrid and green stabilization techniques, long-term field validation, and integration with smart infrastructure for resilient and sustainable pavement networks.