New Zealand Institute of Highway Technology - NZIHT

Overview

Bitumen emulsions for chipsealing offer some significant advantages over hot bitumen cutbacks in terms of safety, total energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and reduced risk in damp and cool environments.

Polymer-modified binders (PMB’s)extend the range of engineering materials available to contractors and designers to solve many of the practical road-surfacing problems that arise due to such things as cracked pavements, high surface stresses and wide temperature ranges.

However, the ways that these particular materials behave, both when applying them and in service on the road, are markedly different from conventional bitumen binders.

It is essential that those designing and constructing surfacings incorporating PMB’s or emulsions, have a good understanding of the material properties and in particular the limitations that these place on construction methodology and timing.

The course introduces the materials, looks briefly at manufacture and covers properties in detail with a strong emphasis on how this influences application techniques and on-the-road performance separately for emulsions and PMB’s.

Guidelines are given to assist contractors to minimise the many risks associated with the use of these materials and show how to plan and successfully carry out this type of work.  Effects on design are noted briefly.

Length

1 day course.

Facilitator

Barry Gundersen

Cost

$420.00 per person + GST

(Minimum numbers apply before a course is confirmed)

Topics include

• Manufacture, properties and how they work
• Factors affecting performance
• Storage, handling, sampling and testing
• Uses, limitations and safety issues 
• Planning the work - special preparations
• Potential pitfalls
• Obtaining good adhesion with PMB's
• Chipseal and SAMI construction considerations
• Effects on chipseal design
• PMB’s in Hot Mix Asphalt
• Trouble-shooting

On completion of this course participants will

• Understand basic bitumen emulsion behaviour and how to handle it properly
• Understand the basic principles of polymer modification of bitumen binders and how to handle properly
• Advise on when to use or when not to use emulsions or PMB’s
• Make appropriate adjustments in chipsealing techniques to successfully apply emulsions and PMB’s
• Understand the need for appropriate chipseal design adjustments for emulsions and PMB’s
• Understand the practical effects of PMB’s in Hot Mix Asphalt

National Qualification information

This course may be used to contribute towards the theoretical requirements the following unit standards:

• 17670  Demonstrate knowledge of hot polymer-modified binders and their  use in chipseal construction
• 17671  Design chipseal surfacings using polymer-modified binders
• 17672  Demonstrate knowledge of the use of polymer modifiers in hot  mix asphalt production and construction.
• 21666  Explain the properties, selection, and effects of polymer-modified  binders in hot mix asphalt
• 17673 (expiring) Demonstrate knowledge of the use of polymers in hot-mix asphalt design
• 17674 (expiring) Demonstrate knowledge of the use of bituminous emulsions in chipseal construction
• 17675 (expiring) Demonstrate knowledge of the use of bituminousemulsions in chipseal design

Who should attend

All staff involved in the supervision or design of bitumen emulsion chipseals; polymer-modified binder chipseals; stress-absorbing membrane interlayers; polymer-modified hot-mix asphalt mixes.