Tag Archives: bitumen modification

Bitumen Modification as a Way to Extend the Period Between Road Repairs

Today, asphalt and concrete has been widely applied when paving roads and highways.  Recently, there have appeared a great number of potholes because of the increased number of heavy load-carrying vehicles.  Unfortunately, potholes occur all year round, but more intensively in spring.

In practical terms, road pavement failures are mainly treated in a frost-free season.  Delayed pothole treatment can result in the intensification of the road failure process: not only asphalt and concrete layers, but also pavement layers are destroyed.

All this has a negative impact on the service life of the road pavement and road traffic safety.  It is very troublesome to perform road construction works at low temperature since the road construction materials are characterized by poor adhesion to the road surface.  In such a way, application of cold asphalt concrete and emulsion mixtures will not be efficient when repairing road surfaces.

The statistics show that when applying the technologies described above, the road pavement will need repairing in a year because of the destruction in the junction of the road surface and road patch or defects of the road construction materials.

Cold asphalt concrete mixtures distinguish themselves through the following advantages:

(1)    Long-term storage;

(2)    Long-distance transportation; and

(3)    Road construction projects performed at low temperatures.

Due to the above listed characteristics, this construction material has gained a widespread acceptance in the road construction industry.  Many specialists agree on the point that modified asphalt concrete is a good alternative to hot or mastic asphalt.  Cold asphalt concrete mixtures haven’t enjoyed a wide popularity because of their poor physic and chemical performance characteristics.  High quality and timely repairs and long service life of road surfaces requires operation with liquid bitumen that most corresponds to the current conditions of roadway usage.  Such substances may be obtained by modifying bitumen by adding special substances that improve the durability and other characteristics of cold asphalt concrete.

Technically, bitumen can be effectively modified by the GlobeCore UBV-2 units.

This equipment includes:

(1)    two reactors;

(2)     colloid mill;

(3)     oil heating and bitumen supply blocks;

(4)     cabinet with a control panel;

(5)     polymer supply block;

(6)     controllable bitumen valves; heating system;

(7)     adhesive additive supply block;

(8)    plasticizer supply block; and

(9)    a platform to load polymer.

The UVB-2 modified bitumen units can be serviced either outside or inside an enclosed building with a balanced system of ventilation.

GlobeCore equipment provides for production of modified bitumen and polymer-bitumen binders that improve the quality of road construction projects and extend the period between road repairs.