Applications

Pavement preservation covers a wide range of applications to protect engineered roads and extend service life. From filling small cracks and voids to entire thin lift overlays, BASF offers polymer solutions for all types of asphalt paving applications.

The preservation of road surfaces covers a wide range of applications for the protection of asphalt roads and the extension of service life. BASF offers polymer solutions for all types of asphalt, from filling small cracks and cavities to entire thin lift overlays.

Hot Mix Asphalt Pavement (HMA) and Warm Mix Asphalt Pavement (WMA) with improved stability

Hot mix asphalt is a mixture of aggregates like gravel and sand and bitumen that requires heating before installation. Hot mixed asphalt is heated to a temperature of approx. 170-180°C in the production factory before it is loaded and laid on the construction site. Warm mix asphalt is applied at a temperature of around 30 - 40°C lower than an HMA. The warm mixed asphalt is only heated to a temperature of approximately 130-150°C. Both are most useful for large-scale paving applications. The advantages are the durability and the flexibility and malleability, that allow it to shrink and expand during different temperatures without cracking or becoming damaged.

Our Modifiers are especially developed for dosage direct into the pug mill of a Hot Mix Asphalt plant. With more flexibility, less cost and a portfolio of high optimized effective modification you can engineer HMA with exact the properties you need.

Teamwork, Group of workers on a road construction, team of people at work

Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) and Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) with improved stability

Rheology and elasticity modifiers improve the stability and elasticity of asphalt to keep the road surface sufficiently flexible in freezing winter temperatures and to avoid making any traces on the surface on hot summer days.

Our product recommendation:

Butonal^® 5126

HMA with improved amount of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP)

With suitable aggregate compositions, 100% recycled asphalt can be processed. Our rejuvenators are able to re-use recovered bitumen that would no longer be usable in its state.

Our product recommendation:

RheoFalt^® HP-AM

Tack Coats, Bond Coats

Bond coats (also known as tack coats), light and even distributions of a bitumen emulsion, create an adhesive bond between asphalt layers. Polymer modified bond coats improve the adhesive strength and help prevent failures. The emulsions can also be produced at lower temperatures leading to reduced emissions and improved eco-efficiency. In addition, performance can be improved with polymer modifications.

Our product recommendation:

Acronal^® NX 4627

Fog Seal

Fog seal is a cost-effective preventive maintenance application. A diluted emulsion is applied to an asphalt road surface to enhance the road surface, reduce raveling, and extend the surface life of the pavement. Polymer modified fog seals are also used on open-graded friction course pavements to prevent raveling and on existing chip seals to reduce chip loss.

Our product recommendation:

Acronal^® NX 4627

Cold Mix Asphalt (CMA) and Bitumen Emulsions

The areas of application of the bitumen emulsion are road construction as well as building protection. In road construction cold mix asphalt is the most basic of asphalt types. As the name implies, cold mix asphalt does not require heating for application. Cold mix asphalt is most useful for repairs like small cracks and potholes or patches. You can purchase cold mix asphalt in single bags that are the perfect size for small patches. Cold mix asphalt should only be used in temporary situations. It is only designed to last a season or two at most before being replaced by a more permanent fix.

Spray and Sprinkle Chip Seal

Patchworking tool to repair local pavement damages.

Our product recommendations:

Crack Sealing (not only filling)

In most cases, modified anionic bituminous emulsions with fillers are used, which are pasty, quickly hardening and permanently elastic.

Our product recommendation:

Butonal^® NS 175

Slurry Seal

Slurry seals are a preventive maintenance surface treatment made up of emulsified bitumen, dense graded aggregate, additives, and water that seals the asphalt pavement, which improve the texture of the road surface. Slurry seals may be polymer-modified to enhance performance, improve adhesion, and extend application life span. Layer thickness is equal to the largest aggregate (max. 5mm.)

Our product recommendations:

Butonal^® NX 4190

Chip Seal (Surface dressing)

Chip sealing surface treatments extend the service life of existing pavement by filling small cracks and voids to prevent water and air from entering the pavement base and sub-base. The process of chip sealing consists of spraying a liquid asphalt binder onto the existing pavement and covering it with a compatible aggregate. This maintenance application provides protection for the pavement base, sub-base and a satisfactory wearing surface for up to seven years or longer. Chip sealing also improves skid resistance. Chip sealing application requires a bitumen emulsion sprayer, aggregate spreader and rubber tire roller.

Our product recommendations:

Butonal^® NS 198

Micro Surfacing

Micro surfacing surface treatments extend the service life of existing pavement by waterproofing the pavement base and sub-base. Micro surfacing involves the placement of a polymer-modified slurry mixture consisting of dense graded aggregates, bitumen emulsion binder, mineral fillers/cement, additives and water onto existing pavement. Typically, micro surfacing applications have a surface life of up to 10 years or longer. They also help improve skid resistance. Micro surfacing slurry mixtures are mixed and placed by a single machine designed specifically for this purpose. Layer thickness is only approx. 1 cm (=10-30 kg/qm).

Our product recommendation:

Butonal^® NX 4190

Photo from Interstate 485 in Charlotte, NC. Application of BASF Acronal NX 4627 acrylic resin applied on construction site.

The Lift Asphalt Overlay

Thin lift asphalt overlays are utilized in maintenance programs to extend the surface life of existing pavement. Adhering to the asphalt mix design specifications; The paver-placed asphalt mix product is manufactured at a central asphalt mixing plant. Mix designs can be open graded or dense graded. The finished pavement product is generally 2,5 cm or less in thickness. A typical asphalt maintenance overlay has an expected service lift of up to 10 years. Thin lift asphalt maintenance overlays are placed with a conventional asphalt paver and include both steel and rubber tire rollers.

Our product recommendation:

Butonal^® 5126