Research & Development

Innovation at the frontier of
sustainable infrastructure

Pioneering next-generation green infrastructure and sustainable transport through rigorous system thinking and scientific inquiry — addressing three levels: System & Policy, Innovation, and Technical Solution.

SDG Alignment 7 Affordable & Clean Energy 9 Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure 11 Sustainable Cities & Communities
15+
Research topics across pavement, railway, transport & energy
10+
University research partners across Asia & Europe
3+
International Patent + Technology Disclosures
5+
Countries of R&D and applied project footprint

R&D Portfolio (selected)

Spanning pavement engineering, renewable energy integration, AI monitoring, and electromobility.

Study of Electrified Roadway Design with Wireless Power Transfer for Electric Vehicles

Precast Ultra-thin Whitetopping (PUTW) using ECC was developed for rapid retrofitting of existing road infrastructure into electrified roadways, enabling wireless inductive EV charging without steel reinforcement interference.

Concept of Electrified Roadway Design with Wireless Power Transfer for EV Concept of Electrified Roadway Design with WPT for EV
Research Partner(s): Technical University of Munich  ·  Nanyang Technological University
Electrified RoadwayWireless Power TransferElectric VehicleECCPrecastElectromobility

Structural & Functional Performance of Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) Pavement

Corundum-integrated ECC (ECC-Cor) achieves BPN >70 and excellent durability over 100,000 load cycles. Supplementary cementitious materials (fly ash, slag) advance sustainability. Grooved surface treatment further improves skid resistance to BPN >90.

Structural and Functional Performance of Improved ECC Structural (left) and Functional Performance BPN (right) of Improved ECC
Research Partner(s): Technical University of Munich  ·  Nanyang Technological University
PavementFly AshSlagSCMSustainabilityStructural PerformanceFunctional Performance

Asphalt Pavement Analysis with 3D FEM Model Using Actual Tire Pavement Contact Stresses

Using a Tekscan I-Scan pressure mapping system with MATLAB and ANSYS, actual tire-pavement contact stresses were captured. Results show non-uniform stress distributions significantly influenced by load and tire inflation pressure, challenging conventional circular contact assumptions.

Shear stress analysis — uniform vs non-uniform contact area Shear stress: uniform (a–c) vs non-uniform contact (d–f)
Research Partner(s): Technical University of Munich
PavementOverloadingFinite ElementStructural PerformanceContact StressANSYS

Feasibility Study of Energy Harvesting by Solar PV for Ballasted & Ballastless Railway Tracks

A PV system adapted to Singapore's MRT network leverages 200,000 m² of track area, achieving at least 18 MWp capacity producing 22.56 GWh/year — saving over 261,600 tonnes of CO₂ per year, supporting Singapore's 2050 net-zero target.

Concept Design Solar PV Utilization for Railway Tracks Concept Design Solar PV Utilization for Railway Tracks
Research Partner(s): Technical University of Munich  ·  NUS SERIS
Renewable EnergyCO₂PhotovoltaicsMRTBallasted TrackEnergy HarvestingNet Zero

Study of Photovoltaics Noise Barrier (PVNB) Implementation on Railway Tracks

Integrating PV panels into railway noise barriers addresses both Singapore's land-scarcity and rail noise concerns simultaneously. A T-shaped barrier design with full PV cladding generates ~157.6 GWh annually, equivalent to ~0.58% of national electricity demand while advancing noise reduction goals.

Noise assessment for PVNB concept Noise assessment — PVNB concept along Singapore rail corridors
Research Partner(s): Technical University of Munich  ·  NUS SERIS
PhotovoltaicsNoise BarrierPVNBMRTRailwayCO₂Renewable Energy

Electrified Aisle Concept for E-Forklift in Warehouse Operation Optimisation

An ECC floor embedded with WPT modules enables continuous e-forklift operation, eliminating battery downtime. 3D FEM confirms ECC slabs can be 31% thinner than concrete. Lifecycle analysis shows +9.1% material handling capacity at nearly half the cost with significant CO₂ reductions.

Concept Design Electrified Aisle in Warehouses Concept Design Electrified Aisle in Warehouses
Research Partner(s): Technical University of Munich
Electrified RoadwayEVCO₂FEMWireless PowerE-ForkliftLogisticsWPT

Numerical Modelling 3D FEM Dynamic Simulation — Skid Resistance Pavement Performance

3D FEM model development for analyzing and evaluating texturing methods to improve skid resistance for ECC pavement. The model was validated against laboratory British Pendulum Number (BPN) results with differences below 5%, confirming a highly accurate predictive model.

3D FEM Analysis for BPT Test on grooved pavement 3D FEM Analysis for BPT Test on grooved pavement
Research Partner(s): Technical University of Munich
Dynamics ModelSkid ResistanceFEMBPNECCSurface TextureANSYS

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) 3D Model on Surface Drainage Pavement Performance

ANSYS Fluent model simulating rainfall-loading on Singapore highways to optimize pavement surface geometry for drainage. Validated within 5.6% of laboratory results and 3.4% of analytical equations — supporting pavement surface property optimization.

3D CFD Analysis on surface drainage performance 3D CFD Analysis on surface drainage performance
Research Partner(s): Technical University of Munich
Fluid DynamicsSurface DrainageCFDANSYS FluentWater Film ThicknessPavement

Self-Cleaning Photocatalysis Properties for Concrete-Based Pavement in Tunnels

Using carbon-modified TiO₂ (K7000) and white fine aggregates, ECC for tunnel pavement achieves compressive strength >50 MPa, BPN ~80, and lightness value of 90. The material recovers 90% of its reflectance after 4 hours of visible light — enabling self-cleaning and air quality improvement.

Absorption Spectra — TiO2 photocatalysis Absorption Spectra — TiO₂ photocatalytic materials for ECC tunnel pavement
Research Partner(s): Technical University of Munich  ·  Nanyang Technological University
PhotocatalyticSelf-CleaningTiO₂ConcretePavementTunnelECCCarbon

Pavement Pothole Distress Monitoring by Using Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Machine learning object detection mechanisms detect potholes and collect detailed distress information, enabling reliable road maintenance planning. Early detection allows road operators to allocate optimal technical solutions and budget for maintenance and rehabilitation before deterioration escalates.

Visual object detection on pothole in road pavement Visual object detection on pothole in road pavement
Research Partner(s): Technical University of Munich
Pavement PreservationAIPotholePavement Condition IndexMachine LearningObject Detection

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Based Monitoring & Analysis on Highway Pavement Cracks

ML model trained on 7,000+ images identifies longitudinal, transversal, and alligator cracks, measures them, and assesses associated risk. The model achieves mAP50 of 0.863 — enabling automated Pavement Condition Index quantification and informed preservation decision-making.

AI to identify and analyze cracks on highway pavement AI to identify and analyze cracks on highway pavement
Research Partner(s): Technical University of Munich  ·  IIUM Malaysia
Pavement PreservationAICrack DetectionPavement Condition IndexMachine LearningmAP50Highway

Digital Pavement Intelligence — Optimization of Pavement Preservation Management

A scalable AIoT-driven system delivers >85% accuracy in road condition assessment at 30–60 km/h. IoT sensors, data analytics, and ML transform pavement preservation into predictive management of the Pavement Condition Index (PCI), forecasting deterioration and identifying optimal intervention timing.

Illustration Process of Pavement Monitoring, Assessment and Preservation Management Pavement Monitoring, Quality Assessment & Preservation Management
Research Partner(s): Technical University of Munich
Pavement PreservationAIoTPavement Condition IndexIoTMachine LearningAsset ManagementPredictive Analytics

Publications (selected)

26 publications  ·  Citations: 182  ·  h-index: 7  ·  i10-index: 6

1
Sophian, A., Zaki, H. F. M., Bawono, A. A., Embong, A. H., & Ashraf, A. (2024). Assessing the performance of YOLOv5, YOLOv6, and YOLOv7 in road defect detection and classification: a comparative study. Bulletin of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, 13(1), 350–360.
2
Ashraf, A., Sophian, A., & Bawono, A. A. (2024). Crack detection, classification, and segmentation on road pavement material using multi-scale feature aggregation and transformer-based attention mechanisms. Construction Materials, 4(4), 655–675.
3
NguyenDinh, N., Liu, Y., Qiu, J., Bawono, A. A., He, S., Lechner, B., & Yang, E.-H. (2024). Strain-hardening cementitious composites ultra-thin whitetopping (SHCC-PUTW) for rapid asphalt pavement rehabilitation. Construction and Building Materials, 412, 134252.
4
Ashraf, A., Sophian, A., Shafie, A. A., Gunawan, T. S., Ismail, N. N., & Bawono, A. A. (2024). RCD-IIUM: A comprehensive Malaysian road crack dataset for infrastructure analysis. Proceedings of the 2024 9th International Conference on Mechatronics Engineering (ICOM), 200–206.
5
Fuchs, R., Bawono, A. A., Lechner, B., & Rodríguez-Gallegos, C. D. (2024). Solar photovoltaic potential for ballastless and ballasted railway tracks: A Singapore case study. Available at SSRN 4904272.
6
Bawono, A. A., NguyenDinh, N., Thangaraj, J., Ertsey-Bayer, M., Simon, C., Lechner, B., & Yang, E.-H. (2023). Study of tire–pavement noise acoustic performance in resilient road pavement made of strain-hardening cementitious composites. Acoustics, 5(1), 57–71.
7
Ashraf, A., Sophian, A., Shafie, A. A., Gunawan, T. S., Ismail, N. N., & Bawono, A. A. (2023). Efficient pavement crack detection and classification using custom YOLOv7 model. Indonesian Journal of Electrical Engineering and Informatics (IJEEI), 11(1).
8
Rahadian, H., & Bawono, A. A. (2023). Enabling clean and smart mobility in Indonesian road infrastructure to achieve sustainable transport. Prosiding KRTJ HPJI, 16(1), 1–33.
9
Bawono, A. A. (2022). Engineered cementitious composites for electrified roadway in megacities: A comprehensive study on functional performance. Springer.
10
Bawono, A. A. (2022). Electro-mobility solution towards the ultimate public transport system with a case study of Singapore. In Engineered Cementitious Composites for Electrified Roadway in Megacities. Springer.
11
Bawono, A. A. (2022). State of the art: Engineered cementitious composites precast ultra-thin whitetopping (ECC-PUTW). In Engineered Cementitious Composites for Electrified Roadway in Megacities. Springer.
12
Bawono, A. A. (2022). State of the art: Functional performance of pavement. In Engineered Cementitious Composites for Electrified Roadway in Megacities. Springer.
13
NguyenDinh, N., Aguilar, O. A. C. A., Bawono, A. A., & Lechner, B. (2022). Connection assembly, levelling or lifting system, and method of levelling a slab. US Patent App. 17/432,770.
14
Ashraf, A., Sophian, A., Shafie, A. A., Gunawan, T. S., Ismail, N. N., & Bawono, A. A. (2022). Detection of road cracks using convolutional neural networks and threshold segmentation. Journal of Integrated and Advanced Engineering (JIAE), 2(2), 123–134.
15
Azmi, N. H., Sophian, A., & Bawono, A. A. (2022). Deep-learning-based detection of missing road lane markings using YOLOv5 algorithm. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 1244(1), 012021.
16
Bawono, A. A., Lechner, B., Freudenstein, S., & Yang, E.-H. (2021). Multi criteria analysis on surface treatment method for concrete pavement. Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Concrete Pavements (ICCP).
17
Bawono, A. A., Tan, Z. H., Hamdany, A. H., NguyenDinh, N., Qian, S., Lechner, B., & Yang, E.-H. (2020). Bright and slip-proof engineered cementitious composites with visible light activated photo-catalysis property for pavement in tunnels. Cement and Concrete Composites, 114, 103788.
18
Bawono, A. A., von Schumann, C. M., & Lechner, B. (2020). Study of building information modelling implementation on railway infrastructure. International Conference on Computing in Civil and Building Engineering, 372–382.
19
Bawono, A. A. (2020). The functional performance of engineered cementitious composites material for electrified roadway application in Singapore: Skid resistance, surface water drainage, noise. Technische Universität München.
20
Bawono, A. A., Lechner, B., & Yang, E.-H. (2019). Skid resistance and surface water drainage performance of engineered cementitious composites for pavement applications. Cement and Concrete Composites, 104, 103387.
21
Bawono, A. A., Lechner, B., Caliskan, E., & Yang, E.-H. (2019). Multi criteria analysis for the functional performance of surface pavement. In Advances in Engineering Materials, Structures and Systems: Innovations, Mechanics and Applications. CRC Press, Cape Town.
22
Bawono, A. A., NguyenDinh, N., Lechner, B., & Yang, E.-H. (2019). Study of finite element model on skid resistance for pavement made of engineered cementitious composite. In Advances in Engineering Materials, Structures and Systems: Innovations, Mechanics and Applications.
23
Bawono, A. A., Lechner, B., & Alhaz, F. I. (2018). Asphalt pavement analysis with 3-D FEM model using actual tire pavement contact stresses measured with pressure mapping system device. Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Meeting.
24
NguyenDinh, N., Bawono, A. A., Yang, E.-H., & Lechner, B. (2018). Using corundum to improve skid resistance of pavement made of engineered cementitious composite. Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Meeting.
25
Bawono, A. A., Dinh, N. N., Yang, E.-H., & Lechner, B. (2017). Evaluation of highway pavement skid resistance performance made of engineered cementitious composite (ECC). In Bearing Capacity of Roads, Railways and Airfields, 921–928.
26
Bawono, A. A., Aquita, L., & Tamin, O. Z. (2009). Analisis dampak lalu lintas akibat pembangunan Gedung Graha Energi (Medco Tower). Simposium XII FSTPT.

Citations: 182  ·  h-index: 7  ·  i10-index: 6. Full list: Google Scholar.