The soluble bitumen in Trinidad lake asphalt epure has a high viscosity and if this is blended with a 50 pen grade bitumen, normally used for the manufacture of rolled asphalt, it produces a material with a high resistance to deformation and with suitable weathering properties to maintain a good resistance to skidding. Work has shown that the incorporation of epure does not significantly alter the optimum binder content of sand asphalts as determined using the Marshall test. Wheel-tracking tests indicate that a worthwhile improvement in resistance to deformation, comparable with that obtained using a 'heavy duty' bitumen and suitable for the most heavily trafficked roads, can be obtained by the addition of 50 per cent of epure to a 50 pen grade bitumen. The use of such a binder would be dependent on the practicability and economic viability of manufacturing such a blend. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting