Guideline for the Design and Use of Asphalt Pavements for ...

Further, the numbers ”-1” (for lower viscosity - thinner) and ”-2 “ (for higher viscosity - thicker) designates the
viscosity of an emulsion. A small ”h” or ”s“ is used to designate that harder or softer based asphalt was used
in its production. If the emulsion is manufactured with polymer-modified asphalt then its designation will
contain a “p”. The “HF” preceding some of the Anionic grades indicates High-Float, as measured by the
viscosity float test. High-float emulsions have a quality that permits a thicker asphalt film on the aggregate
particles with minimum probability of drainage.
Examples of emulsion designation are as follows:
$ CMS-2s is a Cationic, Medium Setting grade of emulsion with a high viscosity, made from soft
asphalt cement.
$ CSS-1h is a Cationic, Slow Setting emulsion with a low viscosity made from hard asphalt.
$ CRS-2p is a Cationic Rapid Setting emulsion with a high viscosity, manufactured from polymermodified
asphalt.
When there is an absence of the letter C, an anionic emulsion is designated.
$ HFMS-2s is an Anionic, High-Float, Medium Setting grade of emulsion with a high viscosity and
made with soft asphalt cement.
$ SS-1h is an Anionic, Slow Setting, low viscosity asphalt emulsion made with hard asphalt.
$ HFRS-2p is an Anionic, High-Float Rapid Setting grade of high viscosity manufactured from
polymer-modified asphalt.
The designations, RS, MS, SS and the viscosity designations “-1” and “-2” are relative only to each other.
Because emulsified asphalt contains water, certain precautions must be observed when storing them:
$ Store as you would fluid water, between 50°F (10°C) and 185°F (85°C), depending on use and
grade.
$ Use hot water as the heating medium for storage tanks with heating coils.
$ Store at the temperature specified for the particular grade.
$ Do not heat emulsified asphalt above 185°F (85°C)
$ Do not let emulsified asphalt freeze.
$ Do not let the heating surface exceed 212°F. (100°C) for it will break the emulsion on the heating
surface.
$ Do not mix different categories, types and grades of emulsified asphalt.
Emulsified asphalt is a versatile and environmentally friendly product that has been used successfully in
Colorado since 1960. A list of general uses of emulsified asphalt is shown in Table 1-2. For more
information on the use of emulsified asphalt, consult MS-19, “A Basic Asphalt Emulsion Manual”, a