What Makes ‘AsphalTech’ Road Seals a Smart Material
Nick Muller, CEO, Polyroads, responds to Professor Prithvi Singh Kandhal’s article on the poor quality of bituminous standards in IndiaProf. Kandhal has questioned (in an article published in NBM&CW’S March 2018 issue) why many roads constructed in India fail prematurely despite the technical know-how and research dissuading use of outdated technologies, and despite the availability of new, innovative materials and solutions developed by specialized companies for constructing roads that are long lasting and which do not develop potholes easily. “Though it is common knowledge that water is the enemy number 1 of bitumen, many of our highway engineers ignore the fact and continue to use the so-called “semi dense” or “open” graded bituminous mixes in road construction, which gives an open invitation to water to penetrate.”
AsphalTech - 100% Waterproof Sealant for Roads
Suggesting a solution, Nick Muller writes: “AsphalTech, a water-based cross-linked polymer sealant, when mixed with crusher-dust, provides a 100% water-proof seal to any porous road surface. It is applied with a slurry truck over the road surface. The admixture penetrates the voids and cracks in the BDM, BC, BM, SDBC or premix carpet and hardens within a couple of hours to provide a durable, 100% water-proof seal.Furthermore, the AsphalTech seal will rejuvenate the old wearing course and add many extra years of longevity to the road structure and reduce the number of future potholes. The admixture is normally applied as a 5mm thick slurry, but subject to the road surface and condition, it can be applied thicker. The product can also be applied manually to the road surface using squeegees and hard brooms.
When applied at 5mm, AsphalTech is a very cost-effective and durable solution for porous or open graded wearing course surfaces. Should AsphalTech seals be applied onto new wearing course surfaces, the need for a Wet Mix McAdam (WMM) layer in the road is eliminated, resulting in more cost reduction.
AsphalTech Waterproofing & Bonding Properties
Lab test reports show the efficacy of AsphalTech sealants
Pic 1. Open loose graded stone chips. Water flowing through stone chips
Pic 2. AsphalTech slurry seal applied over loose stone chips. After 24 hours curing
Pic 3. Water ponding on AsphalTech seal. Note that there is Zero water ingress
Properties of AsphalTech Waterproofing Sealant
- Cross-linked polymer modified bitumen
- Mix with crusher run or any non-plastic material
- AsphalTech is a cold application
- Easily applied with little skill required in laying AsphalTech
- 100% water-proof after curing
- Rejuvenates old asphalt surfaces
- Cures within 24 hours
- Cost-effective
- Highly durable
AsphalTech road seals are high-tech products and are ideally suited for Indian road conditions, both new and old. AsphalTech is supplied by joint-venture partner Kaveri Ultra Polymers in India.
