Asphalt has developed over the years, but through work with the University of Nottingham, building materials company Tarmac is now on course with a product that could be revolutionary, not just evolutionary.
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By John Challen
The issues surrounding asphalt, particularly its durability, are well known and the number of potholes around the UK are testament to the fact that investment is needed to bring the country’s highways and road networks up to scratch.
Thankfully, there is plenty of work going on to help make improvements to road surfaces, many of them around the area of self-healing asphalt.
“Dr Alvaro Garcia was among the first to experiment with self-healing asphalt while at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and he expanded the technology while at the University of Nottingham,” explains Nick Thom, Assistant Professor at Nottingham Transportation Engineering Centre (NTEC) at the University of Nottingham.
“Other experiments have taken place in China. More recently, work has shown that the mere presence of soft inclusions actually increases the ability of an asphalt to dissipate energy in ways other than crack formation.”
Closer to home, there are projects looking at different materials and chemicals for roads.
“One of the latest innovations in self-healing asphalt right now is the inclusion of small (1-2mm diameter) capsules containing an organic oily material,” says Mariam Abedraba Abdalla, a PhD research student, working alongside Thom at NTEC.
“When fractured due to cracking, the capsules release the oil as a ‘rejuvenator’ to surrounding bitumen. This has been shown to lead to the disappearance of early cracking in the laboratory and is under trial in a surface course layer on [Kent’s] M26 motorway.”
In contrast to the M26’s oil-bearing capsules, Tarmac is actively supporting experiments run by the University of Nottingham on alternative low-stiffness, energy-absorbing inclusions using a polymeric foam material.
“The [desired] conclusion of this work is the development of an asphalt that lasts longer, potentially delaying surface deterioration and increasing the life of a surface course by several years,” says Thom. “Benefits will not be specific to pothole repair, but a longer-lasting surface material has the potential to increase the life of a repair in the same way as a complete surface course layer.”
Even with seemingly competent products on the rise, there is still a desire for improvement. “The challenge facing the industry at the moment is to source materials to form the required energy-absorbing inclusions that are cost-effective. If a suitable industrial byproduct can be found, then the benefits of this technology could be substantial,” reasons Abedraba Abdalla.
“Along with other innovations and research projects we’re involved in, we’re looking at all the different ways we can create more durable and lower carbon road surfaces for our customers and drivers across the UK,” confirms Thom.
>>> Find out more about how CIHT wants to improve local highways
Main image: car passing through large pothole on UK Road; credit: Shutterstock
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