A review on the influencing factors of pavement surface temperature

Pavement surface temperature is of great significance to pavement performance and pavement design, as well as the development of cool pavements. The variation of a pavement surface temperature is complicated as it is jointly affected by various factors, including air temperature, solar irradiance, wind speed, and pavement texture. This study overviews the internal and external factors that affect the pavement surface temperature in the field. It is found that air temperature is the main external climatic factor affecting the pavement surface temperature during the course of a day. Although solar radiation dictates the thermal partition at the pavement surface, it mainly influences daytime pavement temperature but vanishes at night. Pavements in calm weather can be 3-10 °C hotter than those in windy weather, depending on the time of the day and the season. Other external factors such as passing vehicles also influence the pavement surface temperature at a degree 1-3 °C. Also, the shading effect of urban trees can affect pavement surface temperature and urban microclimate. Internal factors that vary pavement surface temperature include albedo, thermal conductivity, heat capacity, and emissivity. Among them, albedo controls the pavement surface temperature while other factors play a secondary role. The results of this review provide a scope of research for developing sustainable and advanced solutions for future municipal pavement construction and urban heat island (UHI) mitigation.