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Are all asphalt rubber binders created alike? |
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Written by Szabolcs Biro
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 The correct answer is definitely NO!
At ECOPATH we know the importance of both raw ingredients and the processes behind the development of a successful asphalt rubber binder. Due to our experience in the field we have come across a number of state specifications requiring various additives, crumb rubber types, reaction times, crumb rubber gradations and reaction procedures.
This experience allows us to better design the appropriate modified binder for our clients as we are aware of the specific requirements of each individual market, as well as the state binder specifications, and the need to balance these with the appropriate engineering properties.
For this reason, we do not advocate a "one solution fits all" model. Instead, we perform an analysis of the pavement site to determine what properties that pavement will require for the best performance. Simlilarly, we balance the economic considerations to develop the best binder design for that particular location.
By following different state requirements, our research team investigated and showed the differences behind the different practices.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 07 July 2009 18:07 )
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Written by Carl Thodesen
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 The benefits of asphalt rubber are comparable to the benefits witnessed earlier by the concrete industry with the advent of chemical and mineral admixtures. Modifiers allow the designer to customize the final product (the asphalt) with specific performance parameters in mind. Following years of research at both university and federal labs, the properties by which safer, quieter, smoother, and longer lasting pavements are created have been identified.
AR is defined by the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) D8-88 as:
"A blend of asphalt cement, reclaimed tires and certain additives in which the rubber component is at least 15% by weight of the total blend and has reacted in the hot asphalt cement to cause the swelling of rubber particles."
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 07 July 2009 18:05 )
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 What makes it last longer?The high carbon black content of the vulcanized rubber that retard aging and provides antioxidation effect; this prevents the pavement from becoming brittle and cracking. When rubber is blended with asphalt, it creates a flexible AR pavement that resists and reduces rutting, reflective and thermal cracking, thus not allowing water into the sub-surfaces, which create pot-holes and deteriorate the road surface.
Will AR wear more quickly than regular asphalt and add to the pollution problem?
AR has twice the life span of conventional asphalt. Experts have learned that when the AR begins to deteriorate, it breaks up into pieces that are too large to become airborne and add to the air pollution problem. There is no evidence to indicate that AR will add to air pollution. |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 30 June 2009 18:36 )
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