May 2010
·
14 Reads
Warm Mix technology, developed by Hanson Contracting, is being used in various major resurfacing projects, including a two mile stretch of the M58 in Skelmersdale. The technology has received trails at Hanson's Ashton and Runcorn plants, and offers the industry an opportunity to improve the performance of the asphalt and the efficiency of its application. The surface course used was Hanson Tuffgrip, which cools quickly allowing traffic to drive on it as soon as compaction is complete without the risk of rutting. The material supplied by the company for the M58 contract showed improved stiffness over the Pen grade alternative of around 25%. The use of asphalt additives such as Sasobit increased the softening point of the binder, allowing the new road surface to be open to traffic within an hour of being laid. The material is laid using conventional equipment and this warm mix allows full compaction of the road surface to be achieved in half the number of passes than for the conventional alternative.