Moisture damage in asphalt mixtures: Advances, gaps and future directions

By Silvia Caro on 09/17/2026 from 2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m. in 1611 Titan Dr., Rantoul, IL 61866

Join Silvia Caro, professor at Universidad de los Andes, as she presents via Zoom at the Fall 2026 Kent Seminar Series on Thursday, September 17, from 2:00-2:50 p.m. (CT).

The Fall 2026 Kent Seminar will explore advances in transportation engineering modeling. The 13-speaker series will begin August 27 and end November 19. 

Pizza and soft drinks will be provided beginning at 1:30 p.m. in the ICT Classroom. 

All presentations will be held on Zoom, but some speakers will present in person at ICT.

Join Zoom Webinar:
https://illinois.zoom.us/j/81698798883?pwd=dlHgbqirs442ZcdQJoP4bhbeE1mqOq.1

Webinar ID: 816 9879 8883
Passcode: 664625

Abstract and Bio

Moisture damage remains a major challenge to the durability of asphalt mixtures. Over the past several decades, significant progress has been made in understanding its mechanisms and developing ways to prevent and reduce its effects. However, new trends in asphalt mixtures, including the use of recycled materials, new additives and other technologies aimed at improving sustainability, are creating new challenges. This seminar will review key fundamentals of moisture damage and present recent findings that may help address this damage mechanism in new types of asphalt mixtures.

Caro holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Universidad de los Andes in Colombia and a doctorate from Texas A&M University. She is a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Universidad de los Andes and currently serves as vice president for academic affairs at the university. Her research focuses on advanced experimental characterization and computational modeling of asphalt materials and pavement structures, sustainability and the coupled climate-mechanical behavior of bituminous materials.