What You Should Know About Rubber-Modified Asphalt
In recent years there has been a proliferation of new techniques in the world of asphalt technology. Yet many people still fail to appreciate—or capitalize on—these fresh developments. If you would like to learn more about one of the most exciting new asphalt techniques, read on. This article will help catch you up with everything you should know about rubber-modified asphalt.
Rubber-Modified Asphalt
All asphalts on the market today contain additives or modifiers. From manganese salts to fiberglass and cellulose, such modifiers help to increase things like stability, spreadability, and durability. As its name would imply, rubber-modified asphalt—often referred to simply as RMA—contains rubber as one of its additives.
This rubber comes in the form of so-called micronized rubber powder, a substance commonly derived from recycled car tires. Before they can be used in asphalt, such tires must go through a rigorous processing phase. This involves cleaning, stripping out internal reinforcing wire, and then grinding the tires down into a powder. Finally, this rubber is mixed into the asphalt during production.
Decreased Rut Formation
As far as paving materials go, asphalt tends to be somewhat on the soft side. That means that, especially when subject to heavy traffic, asphalt is more liable to be compressed and form ruts as time goes on. If allowed to grow deep enough, such ruts can cause serious problems. Not only do they represent a danger to passing vehicles, but they also make the asphalt more susceptible to degradation as the result of pooling water.
One of the most important properties of RMA is its increased resistance to rut formation. This is the direct result of the micronized rubber powder, which results in a stiffer binding material. This helps to keep the aggregate locked in place, thus better resisting the compression caused by passing vehicles, even after years and years of use.
Improved Skid Resistance
To one degree or another, skidding is a potential danger on all icy or wet roadways. Yet roads constructed out of rubber-modified asphalt exhibit a much greater degree of traction. In a way, this makes perfect sense, since the role of an automobile tire is itself to provide the maximum degree of traction when traveling at high speeds. Thus it is no surprise to find that asphalt modified with rubber presents a similar benefit. In fact, studies have shown that, in icy conditions, stopping distance can be reduced by at least 25% when traveling on a road constructed using RMA.
Talk to a company like ACPLM for more information.