ENSURING ASPHALT SUSTAINABILITY & DURABILITY

An Overview of Asphalt Specifications, Laying Techniques, use of Modifiers (Including Plastic Waste) and Recycled Materials

Course Tutor:Jeff Farrington

Jeff is a self-confessed asphalt anorak and offers free, non-legal, e-mail asphalt advice to course delegates for the ensuing two years.

Achieving   Maximum Asphalt Sustainability and Durability

With Sustainability and Global warming safeguards becoming ever more important it is essential that asphalt and bitumen are used in the most effective manner to achieve these aims   This overdue  emphasis on  sustainability including current proposals for the use of plastic and other waste in asphalt throws up interest in what modifiers are safe to use, what to use where and the best ways to achieve maximum asphalt durability.  This course is therefore especially suitable  for those employed by local authorities, civil engineering and building contractors, architects  and others involved  in either  specifying asphalts and/or supervising even occasionally, asphalt paving works.

Part  1 Basic asphalt technology.

Properties of the  bitumens and aggregates used in asphalt production   How production problems and variables including the use of  bitumen modifiers. can drastically affect the performance durability of asphalts  so what to watch out for.   Includes the use of  waste plastic, shredded tyres and glass waste   Numerous examples of asphalt failures identifying particular causes and how they could have been avoided.   Delegates problems are especially welcome in this session.

Part 2  What to use where,  guidance on using different  asphalts

How the compositions and characteristics of Asphalt Concretes, Hot Rolled Asphalts, Stone Mastic Asphalts, Thin Surfacing Systems and Micro-asphalts differ.    Which asphalts to use where in both new works and highways maintenance, very comprehensive guidance.  Recognising the British Standards and Highways England (HE) documents available for the design and maintenance of durable asphalt paving.   .  The essential requirements of HE Specification  Clauses 929 and 942.  What  modified bitumens add to asphalt performance and where they are  best used to gain maximum benefit.

Part 3  Basic asphalt pavement design and surface course design to safeguard against skidding and provide quiet surfaces

Looking at the UK design documents for asphalt pavements, and the relevance of texture depth, micro-texture and the polished stone value of surface course aggregates.  Monitoring the safety of road surfaces and the   corrective works to deal with sub-standard roads.  Which asphalts to use where  quiet road surfaces are essential or desirable.

Part 4  Group exercises for delegates

Exercises using the course content in parts 1 to 3.

Part  5  Sustainable in-situ and ex-situ recycling of old asphalts, and warm and half-warm asphalts

Now extremely important in terms of sustainability and gobal warming, how worn-out asphalts can be re-utilised in new pavement layers, especially useful in dealing with roads containing tar, which is otherwise prohibitedly  expensive to deal with.  The use of hydraulic binders with old asphalt planings to produce very strong road bases.   The use of new, low temperature mixing processes to produce perfectly workable asphalts at temperatures considerably lower than have previously been used.

Part 6  The transportation, laying and compaction of Asphalts.

Even the best asphalt can be completely ruined if best practices are not employed so this is a  comprehensive, fully illustrated  guide to the essential requirements of constructing durable asphalt pavement layers, including what can sometimes go wrong so what to watch out for.  The more  important  parts of  BS 594987 Specification for transport, laying, compaction asphalt for roads and other paved areas and  Clause 903 of the HE specification.

Part 7   Review and Discussion.

Asphalt Training Scoltand, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness, Perth and Aberdeen.

Asphalt Training UK – onsite courses also available.