Asphalt Concrete

commonly called asphalt, blacktop,

or pavement in North America,

and tarmac or bitumen macadam in UK

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Asphalt Concrete

A composite material of asphalt binder and

mineral aggregate mixed together then laid
down in layers and compacted

Used mostly in road construction

Mixed in a Batch plant or Drum plant

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 Batch Plant
Batch Tower
Secondary Primary
Collector Collector

Storage
Silos
Asphalt
Storage
Tanks

Cold Feed Bins

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 Drum – Mix Plant
Secondary Slat Conveyor
Collectors

Storage
Silos
Asphalt
Storage
Tanks

RAP Bin

Cold Feed Bins

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Method of Mixing

Hot mix asphalt concrete (HMAC or HMA)

Warm mix asphalt concrete (WMA)

Cold mix asphalt concrete

Cut-back asphalt concrete

Mastic asphalt concrete

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•Hot mix asphalt concrete (HMAC or HMA) is produced
by heating the asphalt binder to decrease its viscosity, and
drying the aggregate to remove moisture from it prior to
mixing. Mixing is generally performed with the aggregate
at about 150 °C for virgin asphalt and 95 °C for asphalt
cement. Paving and compaction must be performed while
the asphalt is sufficiently hot.

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•Warm mix asphalt concrete (WMA) is produced by
adding either zeolites, waxes, asphalt emulsions, or
sometimes even water to the asphalt binder prior to
mixing. This allows significantly lower mixing and laying
temperatures. Not only are working conditions improved,
but the lower laying-temperature also leads to more rapid
availability of the surface for use, which is important for
construction sites with critical time schedules.

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•Cold mix asphalt concrete is produced by emulsifying
the asphalt in water with (essentially) soap prior to mixing
with the aggregate. While in its emulsified state the
asphalt is less viscous and the mixture is easy to work and
compact. The emulsion will break after enough water
evaporates and the cold mix will, ideally, take on the
properties of cold HMAC. Cold mix is commonly used as a
patching material and on lesser trafficked service roads.

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•Cut-back asphalt concrete is produced by dissolving
the binder in kerosene or another lighter fraction
of petroleum prior to mixing with the aggregate. While in
its dissolved state the asphalt is less viscous and the mix
is easy to work and compact. After the mix is laid down
the lighter fraction evaporates. Because of concerns with
pollution from the volatile compounds, cut-back asphalt
has been largely replaced by asphalt emulsion.

•Mixing with petroleum solvents to form "cutbacks" with

reduced melting point, or mixtures with water to turn the
asphalt/bitumen into an emulsion.

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•Mastic asphalt concrete or sheet asphalt (blown
asphalt) is produced by heating hard grade blown
bitumen (oxidation) in a cooker (mixer) until it has
become a viscous liquid after which the aggregate
mix is then added.

•Mastic asphalt is heated to a temperature of 210 °C

and is spread in layers to form an impervious barrier
about 20 millimeters thick. This thermoplastic
substance is widely used in the building industry for
waterproofing flat roofs and tanking underground.

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 PAVEMENT STRUCTURE (Basic Elements)

A
B
C A. Pavers
B. Paver base
C. Base course
D D. Subbase
E. Subgrade

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PAVEMENT STRUCTURE (Basic Elements)

Asphalt
Concrete
Base (ACB)

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FULL DEPTH ASPHALT PAVEMENT

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ASPHALT PAVEMENT WITH UNTREATED BASE (AND
SUBBASE)

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 ASPHALT PAVEMENT WITH CONCRETE
OR COMBINED CONCRETE AND ASPHALT BASE

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Pavement Elements

Subgrade

Foundation soil or a layer of stabilized soil

on which the road is supported

Either prepared or in its natural state

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Pavement Elements

Base or Base course

Main structural element in the pavement

To spread the concentrated loads from

traffic onto an area of the sub-grade large
enough to sustain the loads

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Pavement Elements
Base course

Usually consists of graded aggregates

About twice as thick as wearing course

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Pavement Elements

Wearing course

Most expensive and highest quality of

materials contained in pavement

Should ideally be stiff, stable, very durable,

with good skid resistance

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Pavement Elements

Wearing course ….

Hot-rolled asphalt concrete

Heavy-duty dense road surfacing

For city streets and heavily trafficked roads

Machine-laid, very durable, almost completely

impermeable, with few voids
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Pavement Elements

Wearing course …

Hot-rolled asphalt concrete

Requires good non-flexible support

May contain coarse aggregates or just

asphaltic mortar

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 Wearing
Course

Laying
of
Wearing
Course
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Asphalt in Road Construction

Asphalt Concrete

Highways, streets, parking lots, driveways

Penetration Treatment

Spray application of liquid asphalt on

untreated granular roadway to form light
duty wearing course 23
Asphalt in Road Construction

Dust Palliative

Light application of asphalt to bind fine

surface particles together to minimize their
displacement by wind or traffic

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Asphalt in Road Construction

Prime Coat

Spray of low viscosity asphalt on an

untreated base before pavement
construction

Provides as a transition from granular base

to asphalt pavement
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Asphalt in Road Construction

Tack Coat

Light spray of asphalt on an existing paved

surface for bond between two pavement
courses

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Asphalt in Road Construction

Fog Seal

Light spray of emulsified asphalt

Enrich the surface of a dried-out pavement

Seal small cracks of old pavements

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 No Fog Seal
Fog Seal

Application of Fog Seal 30

Asphalt in Road Construction

Slurry Seal

Mixture of emulsified asphalt, fine

aggregate, and mineral filler to produce
slurry consistency

Used to fill in bigger cracks of old

pavements
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Laying of Slurry Seal

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Asphalt in Road Construction

Sand Seal

Light spray of asphalt with a cover of sand

Chip Seal

Light spray of asphalt with rock chips

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Sand Seal

Sand Seal 34
Preparation prior to application of Chip Seal

Chip Seal 35
Asphalt Concrete Placement

Asphalt Paver

Spreads the mixture in a uniform layer of

desired thickness and shape

Finishes the layer to the desired elevation

and cross section, ready for compaction

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Asphalt Concrete Placement

Placement by Hand

Must be done very carefully and distributed

uniformly to prevent segregation

Deposited using shovels or wheelbarrows

into small piles and spread with asphalt
rakes or wide-blade lutes
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Compaction by Rollers
Three phases:
Breakdown rolling

Compacts the material beyond that imparted
by the paver to obtain practical density
Intermediate rolling

Densifies and seals the surface
Finish rolling

Removes roller marks and other blemishes left
from previous rolling 41
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Asphalt Repair

Pothole permanent repair:

1. Untreated pothole
2. Surface and base removed for firm support
3. Tack coat applied
4. Full-depth asphalt mixture placed and
compacted
5. Finish patch compacted to level of surrounding
pavement 44
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