Asphalt

Asphalt is a dark brown to black, highly viscous, hydrocarbon produced from petroleum
distillation residue. This distillation can occur naturally, resulting in asphalt lakes, or occur in a
petroleum refinery using crude oil. In 2001, the U.S. produced almost 35 million tons of asphalt
at a rough value of around $6 billion. Roads and highways constitute the largest single use of
asphalt at 85 percent of the total (Asphalt Institute, 2002[1]). In HMA, asphalt functions as a
waterproof, thermoplastic, viscoelastic adhesive. By weight, asphalt generally accounts for
between 4 and 8 percent of HMA and makes up about 25 30 percent of the cost of an HMA
pavement structure depending upon the type and quantity. The paving industry also uses asphalt
emulsions, asphalt cutbacks and foamed asphalt.

Figure 1: Trinidad Lake Asphalt

Figure 2: Chevron Hawai'i Refinery

Asphalt cement refers to asphalt that has been prepared for use in HMA and other paving
applications. This section uses the generic term, asphalt binder, to represent the principal
binding agent in HMA because asphalt binder includes asphalt cement as well as any material
added to modify the original asphalt cement properties.
Why Should You Maintain Asphalt Surfaces Regularly?
The weather (heavy rain, snow, and extreme temperatures), heavy loads, and harmful substances
such as oil, gas, grease, and more are the biggest enemies of any asphalt surface. Keeping your
asphalt pavement clean at all times goes a very long way in stretching the lifetime of the asphalt

surface. Frequent asphalt maintenance has to include the proper cleaning of the asphalt surface.
Removing oil stains, dirt, and other destructive substances have to be a vital part of your
maintenance plan.
Furthermore, you have to remove all water buildups after a rainstorm, snow, and even weeds that
grow in and around the pavement. All of these typically cause small surface cracks that lead to
more serious damage if they are not taken care of in time. During your asphalt maintenance, it is
crucial to identify areas on the pavement where potential damage could appear because of the
aforementioned substances and/or conditions.
If surface cracks start to appear, it is crucial to stop them from spreading and increasing in size.
Water can effortlessly gain access to your asphalt pavements underlying layers and create
structural havoc. Serious damage to the structures foundation could mean that your asphalt
surface
has
to
be
re-laid,
which
will
cost
an
arm
and
a
leg.
ASPHALT PAVEMENT: WHY IT IS THE PRIMARY CHOICE
Asphalt is deemed as a sustainable constituent for building pavements. Because the surface is
very smooth, vehicles tend to guzzle less fuel and generate lower emissions. At the same time,
you will notice that the asphalt pavement does not generate as much noise when you drive on it.
This moreover means that expensive noise walls do not have to be constructed.
Asphalt pavements are also safe, offering remarkable gripping power. If you choose to use
asphalt for your pavement, you do not have to worry about having it replaced or removed, as it is
very durable. A professionally installed asphalt pavement could last in excess of 30 years if it is
maintained properly over time.
What Is Asphalt Made From?
Asphalt is made from gravel, stones, and sand, which is mixed perfectly and is then held tightly
together by asphalt cement. Most houses and apartments in the United States continue to choose
asphalt, because of its many benefits. One of the main advantages of using asphalt pavement is
that it is exceedingly affordable compared to other materials used to construct roads, driveways
or other pavements.
The following are some fun facts about asphalt pavements:
It is a known fact that asphalt can be a long-lasting pavement, because it is an eternal material.
Compared to concrete, asphalt is 100% renewable and not only reserved for single-driven
vehicles.

Porous asphalt pavement is deemed as an eco-friendly tool for storm management.

Why maintain the material?
Depending on the weather in your state or city, asphalt driveways that are not maintained can last
up to 3 years. In due course, imperative oils in the material can seep away, and make the top coat
even more susceptible to splintering and cracking.
There are numerous things that can cause breakage and loss of those oils. Cold weather,
precipitation, heat from the sun, and heavy traffic play a huge part in the breakage of asphalt.
Given that it is constantly exposed to all the aforementioned elements, it is crucial to acquire
asphalt maintenance.
Even though maintaining asphalt is a lot of work, it is better than replacing your surface. In some
cases, contractors take about a month to complete the replacement, because it involves a number
of steps:
- A complete removal of the previous asphalt
- Packing and preparing the entire surface
- Adding the new asphalt (this is sometimes conducted one coat at a time)
- The final sealing and pressing
- Drying or bonding time
Thus, a replacement involves a lengthy process and lots of money in comparison to asphalt
maintenance. For this reason, if you are working around a tight budget and do not have a lot of
time to waste, consider calling a reputable asphalt contractor to help you with the maintenance.
Types of Maintenance

Crack Seal The material cracks over time, because it becomes brittle. After cracks appear, the
seal tends to break, and this allows moisture to seep through easily. Obtain a yearly crack seal to
avoid this.
Patch Repairs After one section fails, perhaps the only permanent solution is cutting out all
the failed areas. Thereafter the contractor will re-compact the driveway before installing new
asphalt.
Sealcoating This is the best asphalt maintenance option, particularly if you own a building
with several parking lot levels.

Asphalt Physical Properties

Asphalt can be classified by its chemical composition and physical properties. The pavement
industry typically relies on physical properties for performance characterization although an
asphalts physical properties are a direct result of its chemical composition. Typically, the most
important physical properties are:

Durability. Durability is a measure of how asphalt binder physical properties change with
age (sometimes called age hardening). In general, as an asphalt binder ages, its viscosity
increases and it becomes more stiff and brittle.

Rheology. Rheology is the study of deformation and flow of matter. Deformation and
flow of the asphalt binder in HMA is important in HMA pavement performance. HMA
pavements that deform and flow too much may be susceptible to rutting andbleeding, while those
that are too stiff may be susceptible to fatigue cracking. HMA pavement deformation is closely
related to asphalt binder rheology. Rheological properties of asphalt binder vary with
temperature, so rheological characterization involves two key considerations. First, to fully
characterize an asphalt binder, its rheological properties must be examined over the range of
temperatures that it may encounter during its life. Secondly, to compare different asphalt binders,
their rheological properties must be measured at some common reference temperature.
Safety. Asphalt cement like most other materials, volatilizes (gives off vapor) when
heated. At extremely high temperatures (well above those experienced in the manufacture and
construction of HMA) asphalt cement can release enough vapor to increase the volatile
concentration immediately above the asphalt cement to a point where it will ignite (flash) when
exposed to a spark or open flame. This is called the flash point. For safety reasons, the flash point
of asphalt cement is tested and controlled.

Purity. Asphalt cement, as used in HMA paving, should consist of almost pure bitumen.
Impurities are not active cementing constituents and may be detrimental to asphalt performance.

Other Forms of Asphalt Used in Paving

Besides asphalt cement, three other forms of asphalt are used prominently in the paving industry:

Emulsified asphalt. Emulsified asphalt is a suspension of small asphalt cement globules

in water, which is assisted by an emulsifying agent (such as soap). Emulsions have lower
viscosities than neat (plain) asphalt and can thus be used in low temperature applications. After

an emulsion is applied the water evaporates away and only the asphalt cement is left. Emulsions
are often used as prime coats and tack coats.

Cutback asphalt. A cutback asphalt is a combination of asphalt cement and petroleum

solvent. Like emulsions, cutbacks are used because their viscosity is lower than that of neat
asphalt and can thus be used in low temperature applications. After a cutback is applied the
solvent evaporates away and only the asphalt cement is left. Cutbacks are much less common
today because the petroleum solvent is more expensive than water and can be an environmental
concern. Cutbacks are typically used as prime coats and tack coats.

Foamed asphalt. Foamed asphalt is formed by combining hot asphalt binder with small
amounts of cold water. When the cold water comes in contact with the hot asphalt binder it turns
to steam, which becomes trapped in tiny asphalt binder bubbles (World Highways, 2001). The
result is a thin-film, high volume asphalt foam. This high volume foam state only lasts for a few
minutes, after which the asphalt binder resumes its original properties. Foamed asphalt can be
used as a binder in soil or base course stabilization, and is often used as the stabilizing agent in
cold in-place recycling (CIPR).

Emulsified Asphalt
Emulsified asphalt is simply a suspension of small asphalt cement globules in water, which is
assisted by an emulsifying agent (such as soap). The emulsifying agent assists by imparting an
electrical charge to the surface of the asphalt cement globules so that they do not coalesce
(Roberts et al., 1996[1]). Emulsions are used because they effectively reduce asphalt viscosity for
lower temperature uses (tack coats, fog seals, slurry seals, bituminous surface treatments (BST),
stabilization material). Emulsions are typically either anionic (asphalt droplets are negatively
charged) or cationic (asphalt particles are positively charged).
Generally, emulsions appear as a thick brown liquid when initially applied (Figure 1). When the
asphalt cement starts to adhere to the surrounding material (aggregate, existing surface,
subgrade, etc.) the color changes from brown to black (Figure 2) and the emulsion is said to have
broken (Figure 3). As water begins to evaporate, the emulsion begins to behave more and more
like pure asphalt cement. Once all the water has evaporated, the emulsion is said to have set.
The time required to break and set depends upon the type of emulsion, the application rate, the
temperature of the surface onto which it is applied and environmental conditions (TRB, 2000 [2]).
Under most circumstances, an emulsion will set in about 1 to 2 hours (TRB, 2000 [2]). ASTM D
3628 contains guidance on selection and use of emulsified asphalt.

Figure 1. Freshly placed emulsion tack coat. Figure 2. Same tack coat after 23 minutes. The
The brown color indicates that it has not yet brown color now appears in splotches
broken.
indicating it is beginning to break.

Figure 4. Freshly placed asphalt emulsion for a

Figure 3. Thin tack coat application using an bituminous surface treatement; notice that the
asphalt emulsion. It has turned a black color application rate is higher than that for a tack
indicating it has broken.
coat.