Asphalt Review - Volume 29 Number 2 (June / July 2010)

AsphaltReview 

Volume 29 Number 2 June/July 2010 

From the AAPA CEO 16 

From the AAPA Chairman 17 

$1 million warm mix validation project 18 

GAPA widens membership 24 

Beyond warm mix 25 

Bitumen stabilisation in South Africa 29 

Smoothness brings cost savings 34 

Post graduate studies to 

maintain industry skill levels 36 

Asphalt in railway tracks 40

ASPHALT REVIEW 

CEO’s report 

I am writing this just as the 14th AAPA 

Road Construction and Surfacing 

Health and Safety Conference has 

concluded. There were many very 

interesting discussions and we will 

feature some of these in the next edition 

of Asphalt Review. 

The conference raised a range of 

issues from the structure of various 

bitumen hoses to the new national 

model health and safety laws. It 

also discussed a range of technical 

innovations and legislative issues such 

as the traffic management registration 

scheme in Queensland. 

One of the highlights of the 

conference was the papers on safety 

around road construction work sites, 

particularly on the benefits of reducing 

motorist speed around those sites to 

zero; that is to close the road. These 

discussions were followed by a panel 

discussion and workshop on working 

under traffic, speed management and 

enforcement. 

These discussions noted that some 

motorists may be distracted as they 

pass worksites. They may be using their 

mobile phone, changing their radio 

station or even having a morning coffee. 

Others may be affected by drink or 

drugs. In some cases, motorists are just 

in a hurry and ignore speed limits. 

The preferred safety option is therefore 

to close the road. Road closures not only 

increase safety, they also usually result 

in significant cost and time savings. But 

it is not always possible to close a road. 

In these cases, it is important that all 

those involved in the project continue 

to focus on safety with the aim always 

being zero incidents. 

To achieve this requires every 

person involved to be vigilant. Traffic 

controllers must be suitably trained 

and equipped, signage must be accurate 

and visible – and removed when it is 

not required. Protective barriers must 

be well positioned and designed – 

including filling plastic barriers with 

water and securing them together. 

Appropriate clothing is also essential, 

both day and night. 

Another significant part of the 

conference was a workshop for health 

John Lambert, 

CEO, AAPA 

and safety representatives from AAPA 

branches to meet and identify key areas 

that AAPA should focus on over the next 

two years. This workshop identified 

a number of potential opportunities 

including preparing an AAPA model 

check list to be used when closing a 

worksite to ensure signage is removed, 

better sharing of industry alerts and 

providing industry-relevant training to 

handle dangerous goods. 

A report on this workshop will be 

prepared for discussion in the AAPA 

State Branches. 

Many of the delegates at the conference 

commented that it was a great success 

and that they will be taking a lot of 

significant learnings from it. I would 

therefore like to thank Scott Mathews 

and Denise McQueen from Hallmark 

Editions, the conference organisers, 

for a great conference. I also thank 

the Platinum Sponsor, Fulton Hogan, 

and Bronze sponsor, Sparke Helmore 

Lawyers, as well as all the presenters 

who put so much into this conference. 

The other major event that has 

occurred recently in our industry is the 

commencement of the AAPA/Austroads 

Warm Mix Validation Project. This is a 

major project supported by AAPA and 

state road authorities to validate the 

hypothesis that warm mix is equal or 

better than hot mix asphalt. There is an 

article in this edition of Asphalt Review 

detailing this project and I recommend 

that you read it. 

The project highlights the strength of 

AAPA to bring together both industry 

and state road authority members to 

work together for the common good of 

our industry. 

AAPA has successfully worked for 40 

years to support our industry and will 

continue to do so for many years to 

come. The warm mix project is just one 

example of many significant projects 

that have and are being undertaken 

nationally and in individual states. For 

example; at present AAPA is currently 

undertaking studies into perpetual 

pavements, sprayer calibration and 

skid resistance. It is also constantly 

updating its training courses and 

in conjunction with Austroads, the 

Pavement Work Tips series. 

Through its liaison groups, AAPA 

is bringing together industry and 

government agencies to help grow 

our industry and make even better 

roads. Most recently, this has led to a 

Bituminous Surfacing Working Group 

being established in the Northern 

Territory. A State Executive Officer is 

also being sought in Western Australia 

to support our industry in that state. 

An advertisement for that position is 

included in this Asphalt Review. 

AAPA is also working to produce 

a range of material to support our 

industry. This includes a publication 

on Environmental and Safety benefits 

of flexible pavements and a new DVD 

highlighting the importance of flexible 

pavements to the economic and social 

growth of Australia. 

AAPA also represents our industry 

in negotiations with the Federal 

Government over issues such as 

greenhouse reporting and through 

working in bodies such as Roads 

Australia. AAPA’s membership of the 

Global Asphalt Pavement Alliance 

allows it to make available the latest 

information on developments from 

around the world. 

AAPA will therefore continue to 

serve the flexible pavements industry 

to achieve a sustainable, growing, safe 

and knowledgeable industry. 

16 ROADS JUNE 2010/JULY 2010

Chairman’s report 


The flexible pavements industry has a good 

health and safety record understanding 

we are working with hot bitumen, with 

heavy equipment and often near to 

moving traffic. However, we must strive 

to always improve, to always do better. 

Zero health and safety incidents must be 

the ultimately aim of our industry. 

AAPA’s successful Health and Safety 

Conference which has just finished is one 

of the initiatives our association leads 

to support our industry to continually 

improve its health and safety performance. 

Always considering road closure, managing 

signage, providing safe equipment and 

training are just some of the issues that 

were discussed at the conference and 

are issues we should always take into 

account. 

The conference also provided the 

opportunity for workshops to bring 

together experts across out industry and 

AAPA will be using those discussions to 

continue in its role of supporting our 

industry. 

The discussions at the Conference 

supported the need for everyone in our 

industry to always be vigilant and take 

responsibility for health and safety. 

With the support of our members we 

will soon be providing key lag indicators 

such as lost time injury and medical 

treatment frequency rates to provide an 

understanding of the actual performance 

of the overall industry, the trends, and 

allowing each member to understand how 

they compare. 

The AAPA Health and Safety 

conference highlighted just one of the 

Louis Nucifora, 

Chairman, AAPA 

ways that AAPA helps our industry. 

AAPA does a lot more for our industry 

than just holding successful conference. 

It also represents our industry in a 

number of ways including to state road 

authorities in each state and nationally. 

It also manages number of projects 

including the recent $1 million warm 

mix asphalt validation project which 

is featured in this edition of Asphalt 

Review. 

AAPA and the AAPA Board is committed 

to supporting and growing our industry, 

achieving the goals set in its Strategic 

Plan. These focus on achieving a 

sustainable, profitable and safe industry 

that recognises the importance benefits 

of flexible pavements for the benefit of 

its members and all road users. Moving 

forward, I look forward to next reporting 

on our progress over the last year and 

the outlook for the year ahead. 

The Asphalt Review Magazine, prepared by the Australian Asphalt 

Pavement Association (AAPA) is now also produced as a supplement 

in the ROADS magazine. To gain access to a broader readership, 

AAPA has undertaken to publish within ROADS, but its content will 

maintain the uniqueness and specialty focus on flexible pavements 

that Asphalt Review has provided for over 25 years. Availability 

of this and future issues of the Asphalt Review will continue via the 

AAPA web site: www.aapa.asn.au in addition to its inclusion in 

ROADS magazine. 

The publishing schedule is: February-March; June-July; and October- 

November. 

Asphalt Review reports on the 

flexible pavements and bituminous 

surfacing industry in Australia 

and New Zealand. It is published 

by ROADS Magazine on behalf 

of Australian Asphalt Pavement 

Association Limited (ABN 31 000 

770 123), a non-profit organisation 

formed to promote the economic 

use of asphalt and other bituminous 

bound products based on sound 

technical and commercial grounds 

for the benefit of its members, their 

customers and the community. 

Articles in Asphalt Review 

may be reprinted provided 

acknowledgement is given. 

Contributions of a news or 

technical nature on all aspects of 

asphalt and bituminous surfacing 

are welcome. 

ADMINISTRATION 

AAPA Head Office 

Level 2, 5 Wellington Street 

Kew, Vic 3101 

Tel: (03) 9853 3595 

Fax: (03) 9853 3484 

Email: info@aapa.asn.au 

Website: www.aapa.asn.au 

Asphalt Review 

Editor: Rex Pannell 

Email: rex.pannell@halledit.com.au 

Advertising: Yuri Mamistvalov 

Email yuri@halledit.com.au 

Tel: (03) 8534 5008 

ROADS JUNE 2010/JULY 2010 17


$1 Million AAPA/Austroads Warm 

Mix Asphalt Validation Project 

In today’s world we must all 

take care of our environment. 

For those in the pavement 

industry, we must also ensure 

that pavements are safe, 

smooth and long lasting. 

Asphalt pavements are low 

emitters of greenhouse gas 

and the bitumen not consumed, 

remaining 100% recyclable. 

Asphalt pavements are also 

safe to drive on, easy and quick 

to resurface when required and 

are smooth to ride on. 

But as an industry, we recognise 

the importance of always 

seeking new ways to make even 

better roads. AAPA industry 

and government members are 

working together on a major 

project to validate warm mix 

asphalt for Australia. 

Warm mix asphalt uses less 

energy than hot mix during 

the production process. It also 

has a number of other potential 

benefits. The joint AAPA/ 

Austroads Validation project 

is therefore a major project 

supporting the early adoption 

of this technology in Australia. 

• Improved safety benefits as the 

materials and asphalt are at lower 

temperatures compared to hot mix, 

creating a safer workplace; 

• Improved productivity as deep asphalt 

works can be opened to traffic more 

quickly. This benefits the transport 

industry and commuters by reducing 

the length of time roads are under 

repair; 

• Extended paving seasons; and 

• Longer haul distances. 

The effectiveness of this green 

technology has been proven through 

ongoing implementation in Europe and 

the United States, and in other countries 

around the world. It is also expected to 

become standard practice for asphalt 

production in these countries. However, 

state road authorities have advised 

that they want WMA to be validated in 

Australia, using normal material, plant 

and procedures, before it is used on 

major road projects. 

To validate WMA in Australia, AAPA in 

conjunction with state road authorities, 

developed an evaluation protocol to 

guide validation projects. This protocol 

was developed through the Asphalt 

Research Reference Group (ARRG), a 

group comprising state road authorities 

and the AAPA National Technology 

Committee. ARRG advises the Austroads 

Pavement Technology Review Panel on a 

wide range of issues relevant to asphalt. 

Details of the protocol are provided at 

the end of this article. 

Having developed the validation 

project protocol, AAPA then worked 

with state road authorities and industry 

members to obtain support for a major 

validation project that would enable 

several different WMA processes to be 

validated against standard hot mix under 

heavy traffic conditions. 

After assessing a number of sites with 

staff from VicRoads, a suitable site was 

selected. This site is a heavily trafficked 

three lane section of the Hume Highway 

in northern Melbourne; a section that 

carries between 6,500 and 8,500 vehicles 

per day on each lane. The site was 

already scheduled to have a new wearing 

course under VicRoads programmed 

maintenance program. 

The decision to use a wearing course 

on a multiple lane urban highway with 

heavy traffic was made to ensure the 

project would demonstrate the field 

performance of WMA in a very difficult 

environment. 

VicRoads funded the costs of the asphalt 

materials under its maintenance budget 

and the three major asphalt producers 

– Boral Asphalt, Downer EDI Works 

and Fulton Hogan – agreed to provide 

AAPA, in conjunction with Austroads, 

has commenced a major project to 

validate the performance of Warm Mix 

Asphalt (WMA) in Australia. The AAPA/ 

Austroads WMA Validation Project is a $1 

million project comparing several WMA 

materials against control sections of Hot 

Mix Asphalt (Hot Mix). The project aims 

to demonstrate that WMA has the same 

performance as hot mix asphalt and is 

managed jointly by AAPA and ARRB (on 

behalf of Austroads). 

WMA is asphalt made at lower 

temperatures than conventional hot mix. 

It requires less energy to manufacture 

and consequently produces less 

greenhouse gas. WMA also has a range 

of other significant benefits including: 

The WMA Validation Site prior to the start of works. 



a range of different WMA materials. 

The asphalt companies also agreed to 

fund the initial and ongoing extensive 

asphalt testing that was required under 

the Evaluation Protocol. The testing will 

be monitored by state road authority and 

ARRB personnel. 

To ensure consistency in placement 

reduce costs and enhance practicality, 

one company undertook all the 

placement. This highlighted the high 

level of cooperation between all the 

parties involved in this major project. It 

also ensured consistency in the laying of 

the samples and meant that all sections 

could be laid over three nights, reducing 

disruption to traffic. 

The Project required placing 21 

different WMA and hot mix wearing 

course sections of asphalt in a grid 

pattern on the section of the roadway 

and this was undertaken in April 2010. 

Two foamed WMA processes and two 

additive WMA processes were used to 

produce the WMA materials. Some WMA 

materials were made with new aggregates 

and others with differing proportions of 

reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), from 

10% up to 50% RAP. 

Testing of the asphalt materials used 

could not be completed by a single 

laboratory given the large number of 

samples. 

As a result, each participating asphalt 

company prepared the specimens and 

completed testing for their own mixes. 

Representatives from Queensland 

Transport and Main Roads, NSW Roads 

and Traffic Authority, South Australian 

Department of Transport Energy and 

Infrastructure, VicRoads and ARRB 

were present during the preparation 

of samples and during the asphalt 

placement. 

The asphalt specimens are currently 

being tested by the asphalt companies 

with state road authority and ARRB 

observers monitoring that testing. The 

observers will continue to monitor 

all testing undertaken throughout 

this project to ensure accuracy and 

consistency. 

As outlined in the Validation Project 

Protocol, this project will continue 

for a period of at least two summers. 

During that time, industry, ARRB and 

state road authority members will 

continue to monitor the performance 

of the pavements. This will provide 

a clear understanding of the relative 

performance of WMA to hot mix. 

It is expected the outcomes of the 

validation project will confirm that 

WMA, with or without RAP, is as reliable 

as hot mix. But whatever the outcome, 

this project will enable both government 

and industry to better understand 

the opportunities to use WMA across 

Australia. It will also help to achieve 

greater consistency in specifications 

across Australia and will support the early 

use of WMA with all its environmental, 

economic and safety benefits. 

The project highlights the benefits 

of industry and Austroads/state road 

authorities working together through 

AAPA to achieve outcomes that benefit 

all parties. It not only reduces the costs 

to any single organisation, it significantly 

reduces the need for duplication. 

Importantly, the project also highlights 

how government and industry can work 

effectively together through AAPA. 

This is highlighted in a letter from 

Andrew Milazzo, Executive Director of 

the SA Department for Transport, Energy 

and Infrastructure, sent to the AAPA 

CEO, John Lambert, about the project: 

“The Department is delighted to be 

involved in a project such as this which 

encompasses the State Government’s 

strategic goals of attaining sustainability 

through greenhouse gas emissions 

reduction and improving wellbeing 

through greater safety at work. 

I appreciate the co-operative approach 

you have taken with the free flow 

of information, showing a genuine 

commitment from industry.” Further 

information on this project will be 

made available on the AAPA website 

and in future editions of Asphalt Review. 

Information can also be obtained from 

the joint project managers, Cassandra 

Simpson (AAPA) and Kieran Sharp 

(ARRB). 


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AAPA/Austroads Warm Mix Asphalt Validation Protocol 

In order to validate the performance 

of WMA (including WMA with varying 

amounts of RAP) against hot mix, AAPA 

and the sate roads authorities developed 

an evaluation protocol. 

This protocol was developed through 

the Asphalt Research Reference Group, a 

group comprising state road authorities and 

the AAPA National Technology Committee, 

which was established to advise the 

Austroads Pavement Technology Review 

Panel. 

The scope of the protocol was confined 

to wearing courses consisting of densegraded 

asphalt and conventional binders. 

Recycled asphalt pavement (RAP), if 

included in the WMA, could also be 

addressed. 

The key issues addressed by the 

protocol were: 

• the testing of asphalt containing 

additives and surfactants, both in the 

laboratory and during production; 

• the testing of asphalt containing foamed 

bitumen: during production only; 

• desirable site conditions for a field trial; 

• the timeframe for the evaluation; and 

• data and information exchange. 

The Protocol specified four stages in a 

Validation Project – Initial Testing; Field 

Validation; Performance Monitoring, 

Reporting and Data Sharing. 

Initial Testing 

• WMA Incorporating Additives and 

Surfactants - Testing of (laboratory) 

design mixes. 

The Protocol proposed that a series 

of tests be conducted on both WMA with 

additives and surfactants, and the same 

asphalt mix composition without additives 

and surfactants (the control hot mix). 

The protocol includes the following 

asphalt tests: 

• resilient modulus (indirect tensile); 

• moisture sensitivity (stripping potential); 

• wheel tracking; 

• fatigue; 

• maximum density (voids free bulk 

density); 

• Marshall stability and flow; 

• air voids at the design binder content; 

• bulk density at the design binder 

content; and 

• recovered binder viscosity. 

Optimisation of an additive may then be 

further investigated by varying the amount 

of additive and reducing the production 

temperature. 

• WMA Incorporating a Foaming Process 

Foamed asphalt must be produced 

22 ROADS JUNE 2010/JULY 2010 

through the asphalt plant as it cannot be 

readily replicated in the laboratory. 

Once the mix design and production 

criteria (i.e. production temperature) have 

been established, the same procedures 

as for WMA incorporating Additives and 

Surfactants should be adopted with the 

following two additions: 

• moisture content; and 

• moisture content of aggregates used in 

production mixes. 

Field Validation 

Site selection 

Field validation requires that a suitable 

site is identified that would enable the 

performance of the WMA materials to be 

compared against hot mix controls. 

Suitable sites should meet the following 

criteria: 

• minimum hot mix and WMA sections of 

length of 100 metres; 

• straight section, consistent crossfall and 

longitudinal grade; 

• reasonable shape (assessed visually 

and by roughness and shape testing 

using a Multi-Laser Profilometer (MLP); 

• strong structural condition (assessed 

visually and by pavement strength 

testing); 

• uniform distress condition; 

• known traffic counts and commercial 

vehicle percentage; 

• medium to heavy traffic conditions; and 

• minimum level of rutting and uniform 

rutting. 

Once a site is selected the following 

information should be recorded: 

• site ID (a suitable site ID should be 

assigned for easy reference); 

• road name and location; 

• lane number (where appropriate) and 

lane width; 

• direction of travel; 

• chainage; and 

• other relevant information, e.g. 

drawings, other reference points, the 

location of structures, intersections, etc. 

Production and Placement details 

Once a validation site has been selected, 

the following detailed information must be 

recorded on the production and placement 

of materials: 

• Production details: 

o mix and bitumen type; 

o bitumen content; 

o other additives used (if any); 

o WMA type and concentration; 

o date and time of production; 

o production temperature; 

o mix design details; 

o tonnage of asphalt produced; and 

o haulage time (from plant to site). 

• Placement details: 

o site details, eg. site ID, road name, 

etc; 

o overlay, or mill and replace; 

o thickness of asphalt laid; 

o asphalt temperature upon arrival at 

the site; 

o temperature at first compaction; 

o paver type; 

o shuttle buggy (if used); and 

o roller type and pattern. 

Performance Monitoring 

The field performance under traffic is the 

key factor in validating WMA. Trial sites 

must therefore be monitored for a number 

of critical performance parameters. 

Field monitoring 

Given the importance of demonstrating 

the viability of WMA and its adoption into 

practice by road authorities in Australia 

and New Zealand as soon as possible, the 

protocol recommended that validation sites 

initially be monitored for two summers. 

This recognised that should there be any 

early problems with WMA they would be 

identified during that period. At the end 

of that period, the following performance 

parameters would be measured and 

recorded: 

• cracking; 

• rutting at 10 metre interval; 

• texture at 10 metre interval; and 

• stripping potential. 

Reporting and Data Exchange 

It was noted in the introduction that the 

purpose of the protocol was to assess 

the performance of WMA and share data, 

experience and knowledge among the 

road authorities and industry in Australia 

and New Zealand using the Austroads 

framework. The Protocol recommended 

that all information be readily shared 

between all participants as a means of 

ensuring a consistent understanding of the 

performance of WMA. 

Reporting 

All information related to the evaluation of 

WMA should be collated for processing and 

to ensure a consistent and comprehensive 

report. This information includes: 

• Process type (eg. foamed, additive) 

and name of additive (if used) of WMA 

technology/processes considered; 

• asphalt mix type and aggregate size; 

• bitumen grade and percentage; 

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...continued from previous page 

• mix design method; 

• design void content; 

• test results for design (laboratory mix); 

• test results for production mix; 

• field trial details; and 

• performance monitoring. 

Data Exchange 

Validation Projects should be undertaken jointly by industry and 

the road authorities. Any reports produced should therefore be 

provided to all participants for review. This will ensure that they 

are accurate and, where appropriate, do not divulge details of any 

proprietary products. 

The reports provided may then be used by road authorities, in 

consultation with industry, as a basis for consistent and appropriate 

specifications. 

Warm-mix asphalt position 

statement by GAPA 

The Global Asphalt Pavement Alliance (GAPA) is comprised 

of multi-national and national asphalt pavement associations 

throughout the world. We recognise the asphalt industry as 

the ultimate steward of our own product in terms of quality, 

performance, safety, and environmental benefit. 

In an effort to improve its already excellent environmental 

performance record, the GAPA supports the development and 

implementation of warm-mix asphalt. 

Warm-mix asphalt is the term used to describe a class of 

technologies employed to reduce the production and paving 

temperature of asphalt mixtures by 10 to 40 degrees centigrade. 

This temperature reduction may be effected through the use 

of mineral or organic additives or by mechanical means to 

introduce foaming into the production of asphalt mixtures. 

Warm-mix asphalt has been recognised as an environmentally 

friendly method to produce asphalt mixtures with the following 

benefits: 

• Higher product quality through better consistency and 

improved compaction; 

• Sustainability through reduced energy consumption and 

better performance; 

• Improved air quality through reduced emissions; 

• Reduced climate impact through reduced greenhouse gas 

generation; 

• Economic advantage through an extended paving season 

and longer haul distances; 

• Improved working conditions through the reduction of 

fumes and the reduction of temperature. 

The effectiveness of this green technology has been proven 

through ongoing implementation in Europe and the United 

States. This will inevitably become the standard practice for 

asphalt mixture production. We encourage others within the 

industry as well as our agency partners in all countries to 

become informed about warm-mix asphalt technology and to 

begin a path toward its implementation. 

Australian Asphalt Pavement Association 

European Asphalt Pavement Association 

Japan Road Contractors Association 

National Asphalt Pavement Association, USA 

Southern African Bitumen Association 

GAPA widens 

membership 

two years after 

formation 

At this time two years ago, the Global Asphalt Pavement 

Alliance (GAPA) came into being. The agreement to 

establish the alliance was signed in Copenhagen on 21 

May 2008 and reported in the June-July issue of Roads. 

The signatories to the alliance were: 

Australian Asphalt Pavement Association (AAPA); 

European Asphalt Pavement Association (EAPA); 

Japanese Road Contractors Association (JASA); 

(US) National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) 

Southern African Bitumen Association (SABITA). 

The purpose of the Alliance was to build on existing 

links between the world asphalt associations to exchange 

information relevant to our industries. It recognised 

that there are many current and emerging issues such 

as sustainability and new technologies associated with 

pavement designs and materials. Most of these are 

relevant across the world and sharing information will be 

of benefit to all GAPA members. 

Under GAPA, the pavement associations can also 

provide consistent information to road authorities and 

the world community. This lead to a statement from the 

GAPA meeting held in January 2010 highlighting the 

importance of warm mix asphalt. 

In recent times, a lot of the information from research 

being undertaken in the US has been provided to AAPA and 

the other members. Information from Europe has also 

been provided, including on the use of asphalt in railway 

tracks that is highlighted in this edition of Roads. 

Recognising the benefits of the global alliance, two 

more asphalt associations have recently joined GAPA. 

They are Roading New Zealand and the Mexican Asphalt 

Association [Asociación Mexicana del Asfalto, A.C. - 

(AMAAC)]. Other Associations are expected to join over 

the next few months. 

Currently Mike Acott, President of NAPA is the Executive 

Officer of GAPA. 


Beyond Warm Mix Asphalt 

Several new technologies have been 

developed that reduce energy usage for 

asphalt manufacture with a consequent 

lowering of production and placement 

temperatures. These materials are 

called “warm mix asphalt”, or WMA 

and the major Validation trial of these 

technologies is decribed in page 18 of this 

edition of Asphalt Review. However, trials 

are also being conducted in New Zealand 

into asphalt mixes that can be produced 

at even lower temperatures. These are 

referred to as half-warm asphalt. 

The following paper, prepared by Dr 

Bryan Pidwerbesky - Fulton Hogan, Alan 

Beuzenberg - Christchurch City Council, 

and John De Bono - Christchurch 

International Airport, reports on the 

reasons for using warm and half-warm 

mixes, including operational and technical 

benefits, reduction in greenhouse gas 

emissions and improvements to worker 

safety. 

The paper was delivered at AAPA’s 13th 

International Flexible Pavements Conference 

in November 2009 at Surfers Paradise in 

Queensland. (Condensed version - full 

version available from Conference papers 

2009 - aapa@asn,com.au) 

1. Introduction 

Climate change and the increased 

awareness of greenhouse gas emissions 

focusses industry and the community’s 

attention on the combustion of fossel 

fuels. Therefore although bitumen 

is not consumed in the production 

of flexible pavements, infact remains 

100% recyclable”, the industry does 

recognise that it must constantly look at 

technologies to even further reduce the 

energy concumed in producing asphalt 

materials. The industry also recognises 

the cost saving associated with lower 

fuel consumption. Recognising this, 

Fulton Hogan in New Zealand has 

identified an advanced Half Warm 

asphalt technology and has obtained a 

licence for its use. 

2. Background to Warm Mix 

Asphalts 

The drive to reduce greenhouse gas 

emissions from hot-mix asphalt 

production by reducing fuel usage 

is not new. A number and variety of 

manufacturing techniques that reduce 

the energy used to manufacture asphalts 

have been developed beginning in the 

1990s. They are generally classified into 

two categories: 

- Additive based systems, where a 

proprietary additive is used to allow a 

reduction in energy usage; and 

- Alternative manufacturing techniques 

such as foaming. 

Some processes use a combination 

of both techniques, i.e. a proprietary 

additive in conjunction with modified 

manufacturing processes. 

Warm Mix asphalt offers a significant 

reduction in production temperature of 

up to 40 C and a reduction in greenhouse 

emissions associated with the production 

of in the order of 20%. 

3. Half-Warm Mixes 

In 2006, Fulton Hogan identified a 

new process that would use even less 

fuel for producing asphalt mixes. This 

process, developed in Europe, but 

licensed worldwide, combines the use 

of an additive with plant and process 

modifications, resulting in asphalt 

produced below 100°C, and able to be 

placed at temperatures as low as 60°C. 

This new process was radically 

different to the Warm-Mix asphalts 

previously considered. It involved a 

patented system, using proprietary 

chemical additives with a change to the 

asphalt production process. While the 

process change requires modification 

to asphalt plants, the degree of 

modification is substantially less than 

alternative processes and is hence more 


A warm mix asphalt produces almost zero fumes and is safer to handle 

economically viable. Because the asphalt 

mix is produced at temperatures below 

100°C, energy demands are significantly 

reduced. Experience in Europe 

demonstrated that burner fuel savings in 

the order of 50% are achievable. 

Because this new process differs 

so significantly from previous Warm- 

Mix asphalts, a new term was coined 

to describe the material: “Half-Warm 

Mix Asphalt”. This term highlights the 

substantial reduction in production 

temperature of at least 70°C compared 

with similar hot-mix asphalts, and 30° C 

cooler than Warm-Mixes. 

The significant reduction in burner fuel 

usage reduces greenhouse gas emissions 

by as much as 50%. In addition, the 

cooler asphalt does not emit the “blue 

smoke” fumes from production and 

handling. 

Field crew also benefit from the Half- 

Warm asphalt process as the lack of 

blue smoke emissions reduces worker 

exposure to fumes, and the lowered 

placement temperatures virtually remove 

the risk of serious burns. 

Economically, the costs of the additive 

and plant modifications offset the 

savings in fuel usage. At the moment the 

process is borderline economic, but as 

fuel costs continue to rise, the use of the 

Half-Warm process will reduce the effect 

on the price of asphalt. 

Substantial quantities of Half-Warm 

asphalt pavements have been constructed 

in Europe and the United States. Much 



research and quality control testing has 

been carried out in association with this 

work, with considerable successes being 

obtained. 

4. Benefits of Half-Warm Mixes 

The two main benefits of Half-Warm 

asphalt mixes are: 

1. Reduction in greenhouse gas 

emissions; and 

2. Improvement in field crew health and 

safety. 

A closer examination of the technology 

reveals additional benefits for both 

producers and purchasers of Half-Warm 

asphalt mixes. 

4.1 For the producer 

Producing mix at a lower temperature 

means that the differential between 

ambient and mix temperature is reduced. 

This means that the Half-Warm asphalt 

mix will cool more slowly compared 

with hot mix asphalts. A slower rate of 

cooling allows longer cartage distances, 

extended workability time in the field 

and the ability to place and compact in 

cooler conditions. 

Because the Half-Warm asphalt cools 

more slowly, the formation of a chilled 

‘crust” on the surface of payloads does not 

form to the same degree. Another benefit 

of the Half-Warm asphalt technology is 

cleaner truck decks and hand tools. 

4.2 For the Client 

Conventional hot-mix asphalts are 

produced at around 165° C so that 

the viscosity of the bitumen binder is 

lowered enough to permit adequate 

workability of the mix. A negative effect 

of this high production temperature is 

the aging of the bitumen due to reaction 

with atmospheric oxygen. This is a well 

known phenomenon and is controlled 

by including aging tests in bitumen 

specifications 

The chemical additives in the Half- 

Warm process contain active adhesion 

promoters. Thus the risk of water 

damage in the asphalt pavement is 

reduced or eliminated. This use of 

adhesion promoters is contrasted with 

some Warm Mix systems that depend 

on the use of water, potentially trapping 

water in the mix and degrading longterm 

performance. The Half-Warm 

process provides for long-term adhesion 

of bitumen to the aggregate by including 

active chemistry in the additive 

chemicals. 

The reduction in temperature 

differential between the half-Warm 

asphalt and ambient temperatures, 

the extended workability and the 

minimisation of “crust” formation means 

that compaction is more readily achieved 

in the field minimising the risk of rutting, 

permeability and binder oxidation. 

The Half-Warm asphalt process is 

a means for the production of asphalt 

paving mixes. The same material is being 

manufactured and placed; it’s only the 

manufacturing process that has changed. 

5. New Zealand Experience with 

Half-Warm Mixes 

In 2005, Fulton Hogan began assessing 

warm mix and half-warm mix 

technologies available around the world, 

and selected the low emissions asphalt 

(LEA) process to implement in the 

company’s New Zealand asphalt plants. 

Following laboratory development and 

early pilot trials constructed on a haul 

road within one of Fulton Hogan’s 

quarries in Christchurch, some high 

profile/high-demand sites were paved: 

1. Buckley’s Road, Christchurch, 

December 2007 

2. Montreal Street, Christchurch, 

March/April 2008; 

3. Christchurch International Airport 

taxiway, February 2008. 

To date the performance of all the 

trials has been exemplary. Cores were 

taken of the trial sections in August 

2008 (4 months after they were laid), 

and tested in Fulton Hogan’s laboratory 

wheeltracking device. The AC14 initially 

had a higher rate of rut development 

compared with the CoolPave, but after 

10,000 passes they had similar rut 

depths. 

Our experience to date is that the 

Half-Warm process allows asphalt 

pavements to be placed at a quality 

equal to, or better than, conventional 

hot mix asphalt pavements. 

Fulton Hogan has produced Coolpave 

in 5 of its 14 fixed plants, all of which 

are continuous drum plants. 

Fulton Hogan has produced 

approximately 6000 tonnes of Coolpave, 

mostly a standard 14 mm dense mix. 

Small runs of 7mm and 10 mm mix 

have been produced for hand work trials 

which worked successfully. 

Mixes have been laid to date on minor 

city streets, multi-lane city arterials, 

airport taxiways and factory yards/ 

carparks. 

Compaction results in the field show 

that Coolpave compacts similar to hot 

mix, and the workable time and time to 

compact increases using Coolpave. 

Minimal laboratory-based performance 

testing has been conducted, although 

one wheel tracking test showed that after 

10,000 passes the AC14 Coolpave had 

almost exactly the same degree of rutting 

as hot mix AC14. The Coolpave product 

reported total rutting equal to 96% of the 

hot mix value after 10,000 passes. 

6. Clients’ Perspectives 

6.1 Christchurch City 

Christchurch City Council leads and 

strongly supports local environmental 

initiatives in transportation and other 

fields – particularly where these initiatives 

may have benefits for the wider regional 

and national community. 

The production of standard asphalt 

has a high energy requirement due to 

the need for materials to be heated 

during production and the need for 

high temperatures to be maintained 

through to final placement. The high 

temperatures required to manufacture 

asphalt also result in high emissions 

to atmosphere as well as temperaturerelated 

safety issues for site staff and the 

public during the laying-down process. 

This initiative by Fulton Hogan meets 

council’s expectations for practical 

solutions to both environmental and 

safety issues. The material met initial 

trial requirements and meets all council 

asphalt test needs. The full scale trials at 

the two sites have to date demonstrated 

that material design, manufacture, 

cartage and laying methodologies are 

similar to standard asphalt; resulting in 

burner fuel savings during manufacture 

due to lower energy requirements, 

reduced emissions, easier achievement 

of density requirements when laying 

in cooler air temperatures and greater 

safety during placement. 

Council tendering and contract 

methodologies encourage innovation and 

Fulton Hogan’s proposal was developed 

within this framework. Council works 

with the local contracting industry to 

explore new initiatives. The local industry 

has demonstrated a willingness to work 

with council to meet both community 

and industry needs and has shown great 

passion in their endeavours. 

6.2 Christchurch International 

Airport 

Christchurch International Airport 

Limited (CIAL) has worked with Fulton 

Hogan for the last 18 years on Airfield 

Pavement Maintenance Works (APMW). 

In 2006, CIAL encouraged Fulton Hogan 

to undertake a process of innovation 

to reduce the total cost of ownership 

and reduce the carbon footprint in the 

delivery of the APMW programme. CIAL 

is a CarbonZero Airport, the first in the 


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southern hemisphere; CIAL supports any innovation that reduces 

the carbon footprint on a sustainable basis. 

CIAL has a rolling 20-year APMW program which makes it 

possible to look at paving opportunities that take advantage of 

these opportunities to trial several innovations. 

One of the innovations submitted to CIAL for approval was 

the trial CoolPave, on the airfield. Not only are there significant 

energy fuel savings, it is a much safer product to manage and 

compact. A trial section of CoolPave was laid on Taxiway A. 

Fulton Hogan laid 141 tonne (598m2) to a depth of 110mm 

on Taxiway A during February 2008. Subsequent testing and 

inspections of the CoolPave trial showed that CoolPave was 

as stable and as strong as the standard hot mix product used 

normally on the airfield. 

This first trial gave CIAL enough confidence to use CoolPave 

on a larger scale trial overlay on Taxiway F in February 2009. 

For this trial, 515 tonne (2,745m2) was laid. The full scale trial 

on Taxiway F is performing as designed. Testing and inspection 

are consistent with the small trial on Taxiway A. Handling the 

CoolPave was easier and much safer for the paving team than 

the standard hot mix product with no blue smoke and much 

lower temperatures. 

A smaller trial of 38 tonne using CoolPave with 30% Recycled 

Asphalt Pavement (RAP) was also completed on Taxiway F. 

The use of RAP reduces the amount of virgin binder required 

resulting in less cost and less fuel being used. The results of this 

trial are being assessed. 

CIAL is about to enter into a 5 year agreement with both 

Fulton Hogan and BECA to maximise the value of collaborating 

to reduce total cost of ownership in the delivery of APMW at 

CIAL. Part of this process is excelling at sustainable innovation 

for the benefit of all parties involved. 

CIAL is thrilled with the results from these trials. The trials 

pave the way for using CoolPave across more taxiway areas and 

possible trials on runway areas. CIAL will continue to work with 

Fulton Hogan on sustainable innovations within the APMW and 

any others areas within the Airport campus. 

7. Conclusions 

Recent advances have provided methods for the production of 

hot-mix asphalts at lower temperatures. These new production 

techniques have been termed “warm-mix asphalts” and more 

recent developments that further lower production and placement 

temperatures, “half-warm asphalts”. 

Fulton Hogan has implemented a “half-warm asphalt” technology 

under the CoolPave brand. Substantial tonnages of CoolPave-type 

half-warm asphalt pavements have been constructed in Europe 

and the United States. All evidence suggests that the CoolPave 

asphalt is at least as good as conventional hot-mix asphalt, if not 

better. Trials in New Zealand support these findings. 

There appear to be no technical barriers to the implementation 

of the CoolPave “half-warm” asphalt in New Zealand. There are 

economic constraints; plant upgrade and chemical costs are not 

insignificant. However, as fuel costs continue to rise, the economic 

barriers will disappear. 

It can sometimes be difficult to demonstrate the benefits of 

new technologies to clients. CoolPave is an exception to this; it 

is a manufacturing technique, which provides clients with a 

product essentially identical to conventional hot-mix asphalt. If 

there is a difference it is that the binder is aged less during the 

manufacturing processs. 

CoolPave half-warm asphalt is a significant advance in asphalt 

technology that provides benefits to the environment, the 

manufacturing and paving crews, the client and ultimately the 

tax-paying public. 

It is expected that hot-mix asphalts will be the exception in 

only a short time as evidenced by the substantial and enthusiastic 

uptake of half-warm asphalts in Europe and the United States. 

AAPA TRAINING COURSES FOR 2010 

Downloads of the 

2010 program, course 

brochures, course 

outlines and course 

registration information 

are available from the 

website - www.aapa. 

asn.au/Training/AAPA 

Training Courses. 

If you require further 

information about courses 

or wish to discuss a 

customized course please 

contact: 

AAPA Training Centre. 

Phone: (03) 9853 5322 

Facsimile: (03) 9853 5914, 

E-mail: trainingcentre@ 

aapa.asn.au 

Web: www.aapa.asn.au 


BITUMEN 

STABILISATION IN 

SOUTH AFRICA 

To understand bitumen stabilisation technology (materials 

treated with bitumen emulsion or foamed bitumen), it is 

important to know the history of this technology. 

BSMs have been used in South Africa for more than 30 years. 

The concept of emulsion treatment came to the fore in the 

1970s when a newly constructed freeway suffered a catastrophic 

premature failure. The failed cemented base material was retreated 

with bitumen emulsion and most of those sections are 

still in a satisfactory condition today. 

The following paper, prepared by DC Collings, Loudon 

International, South Africa (davecol@iafrica.com), was also 

featured at AAPA’s 13th International Flexible Pavements 

Conference. 

Condensed version - full version available from Conference 

papers 2009 - aapa@asn,com.au 

The advent of foamed bitumen in South Africa 

During 1993, in pursuit of an alternative to bitumen emulsion, 

a Joint Venture (JV) between a large construction company, 

a small design firm and a foreign manufacturing company 

imported a specialised 400 t/hr foamed bitumen mixing plant 

from the foreign company. The mixing plant was duly established 

on site in April 1994. The anticipated construction period was 

four weeks. 

From the outset, everything that could have gone wrong did 

go wrong. On the odd occasion when foam was produced, the 

resulting bitumen stabilised material allowed the 150mm thick 

base layer to be successfully paved. A rudimentary method 

for operating the plant was eventually developed, allowing a 

satisfactory product to be mixed at an exceedingly slow rate. 

Despite this, the road is still in good condition 15 years later, 

in spite of the abusive loading it has received from timber 

haulage. 

Two major benefits did accrue from these expensive lessons: 

• foamed bitumen was shown to be a viable and highly 

attractive substitute for bitumen emulsion as a stabilising 

agent (the product was good, the equipment was flawed); 

and 

• an in-depth understanding of the problems encountered 

when using an expansion chamber to produce foamed 

bitumen. 

The new “properly engineered” system 

Following this project and a short but intensive research 

and development effort by the manufacturer’s engineering 

design team, the prototype spraybar for producing foamed 

bitumen was subjected to a series of trials in Germany in 

November 1995. The system was then mounted on a newgeneration 

recycler and shipped out to South Africa for 

field trials. Six weeks of continuous work followed before 

the Germans declared that the system was satisfactory. The 

system currently manufactured by this company, some 13 

years later, is exactly the same. 

Bitumen stabilisation in South Africa 

Within a year of completing these trials, four South African 

contractors had purchased large recycling machines equipped to 

apply foamed bitumen. These contractors quickly identified the 

economic advantages to be gained by substituting foamed bitumen 

for bitumen emulsion in tenders calling for the construction of 

an emulsion treated base (ETB). As a result, several contracts 

were awarded in favour of foamed bitumen, in spite of the Road 

Authority’s uncertainty as to whether or not foamed bitumen was 

indeed as effective as bitumen emulsion. 

Subsequent to developing the full-scale system for mounting on 

large recyclers, a small laboratory unit was developed to support 

the design aspect of this new technology. 

TG2 Second Edition and technology development 

Following the successful use of foamed bitumen the emulsion 

manufacturers supported the development of two documents 

through SABITA. However, these imposed a number of 

limitations. Subsequently a technical guidelines document 

TG2 was developed and released in 2002. 

Subsequently experience in South Africa and overseas 

highlighted deficiencies in TG2 and work was done to review 

those guidelines. 

This review took five years to complete with funding 

provided by SABITA and Gautrans and the new edition of 

TG2 was published in May 2009. It was titled TG 2 Second 

Edition, Bitumen Stabilised Materials, A Guideline for the 

Design and Construction of Bitumen Emulsion and Foamed 

Bitumen Stabilised Materials. 

TG2 Second Edition therefore replaces Sabita’s Manuals 14 

and 21 as well as the original TG2. Regardless of whether 

bitumen emulsion or foamed bitumen is applied as the 

stabilising agent, the same mix design and pavement design 

procedures are applicable to both and the new method for 

classifying BSMs takes no account of which stabilising agent 

was used in the mix. 

BSM CHARACTERISTICS AND 

PERFORMANCE 

BSMs are pavement materials that are treated with either 

bitumen emulsion or foamed bitumen. The materials treated 

are either those recovered from an existing pavement or fresh 

materials. Granular materials, previously cement treated 

materials or reclaimed asphalt (RA) layers are included. 

Where an existing pavement is recycled, old seals or asphalt 

surfacing is usually mixed with the underlying layer and 

treated to form a new base or sub-base layer. 

ROADS JUNE 2010/JULY 2010 29


Foamed bitumen 

The quantities of residual bitumen emulsion or foamed 

bitumen added do not typically exceed 3% by mass of dry 

aggregate. In many situations, active filler in the form of 

cement or hydrated lime is also added to the mix. The cement 

content should not exceed 1%, and should also never exceed 

the percentage of the bitumen stabiliser. If more cement than 

bitumen is added, then the material should be considered a 

cement treated material and the relevant guidelines for such 

materials followed. 

The addition of bitumen emulsion or foamed bitumen to 

produce a BSM results in an increase in material strength 

and a reduction in moisture susceptibility as a result of the 

manner in which the bitumen is dispersed amongst the finer 

aggregate particles. The “non-continuous” binding nature 

of the individual aggregate particles makes BSMs different 

from all other pavement materials. The dispersed bitumen 

changes the shear properties of the material by significantly 

increasing the cohesion value whilst effecting little change to 

the internal angle of friction. A compacted layer of BSM will 

have a void content similar to that of a granular layer, not 

an asphalt. BSMs are therefore granular in nature and are 

treated as such during construction. The failure mechanism 

for BSMs in a pavement structure subjected to repeated axle 

loads is permanent deformation, not fatigue cracking. BSMs 

are therefore more closely related to granular materials than 

to asphalt concrete. 

The behaviour of BSMs, relative to other pavement materials 

is illustrated in Figure 1. 



TG2, SECOND EDITION 

The research feeding into this publication took five years and 

was officially launched in May 2009 at a series of seminars 

held in the main cities around South Africa. The attendance 

of almost 300 delegates at these seminars was an indication 

of the level of interest shown by industry and subsequent 

feedback suggested that this technology will be adopted more 

widely in future, mainly as a result of a better understanding 

of material behaviour (especially the failure mechanism), 

coupled with the new simplified design procedures. 

Also appreciated was the decision taken to house the 

technology on Asphalt Academy’s website, allowing the 136- 

page manual to be downloaded in pdf format at no cost. 

All new and non-standard laboratory test methods for mix 

designs are also housed on the website rather than included 

in the manual. 

Another feature of the website is the inclusion of the 

programs for material classification and pavement design. 

Although these programs cannot be downloaded, users can 

access the website at any time, log on and use the software, 

free of charge. Input data and results can, however, be stored 

on the individual’s computer. 

It is envisaged that this website will receive ongoing 

development as more users provide feedback and additional 

information is obtained from research initiatives. 

The manual introduces the abbreviation BSM for a “bitumen 

stabilised material” and incorporates both bitumen emulsion 

treated material as “BSM-emulsion” and foamed bitumen 

treated material as “BSM-foam”. Regardless of which form 

of treatment is adopted, the resulting BSM is regarded as a 

generic product from a design and performance perspective. 

However, the most important feature of the new design 

approach is the direct relationship between the engineering 

properties of the materials in the various layer components 

and pavement performance. 

The new mix design procedures 

Figure 2 illustrates the three levels of tests that have been 

adopted for classifying the product into one of three BSM 

classes. The level of testing required is dictated by the design 

traffic (structural capacity requirement); the higher the level 

of testing, the greater the level of confidence achieved. 

Figure 2. Mix design flowchart Condensed version - full 

version available from Conference papers 2009 - aapa@ 

asn,com.au 

TG2 Second Edition classifies BSMs into three classes, 

depending on the quality of the parent material, the effectiveness 

of stabilisation and the design traffic. The three classes are: 

BSM1: This material has a high shear strength 

BSM2: This material has moderately high shear strength 

BSM3: This material typically consists of soil-gravel and/or 

sand stabilised with higher bitumen contents. 

Table 1 summarises the boundary values for the various test 

results that are the primary indicators used to classify BSMs into 

one of three classes. Also shown are the CF values for each test. 

The new approach to pavement design 

The structural design of pavements in TG2 Second Edition 

utilises a knowledge-based approach that uses a Pavement 

Number (PN) that is based on AASHTO’s Structural Number 

concept. However, the shortcomings of the Structural Number 

method have been addressed in developing this PN method. 

This method was based on a plethora of data collected from 

numerous in-service pavements where the type and detail of the 

data suggested that a relatively simplistic method be adopted 

(it also precluded the use of a Mechanistic-Empirical design 

approach). 

Rules relating to pavement systems/ Rules relating to specific 

pavement layers: 



BSMs are assumed to act in a similar way to coarse granular 

materials but with a higher cohesive strength. Although not 

confirmed, the cohesive strength is presumed to reduce as a 

consequence of repeated loading and thus some softening may 



occur over time. However, such rate of softening is mainly 

determined by the stiffness of the support, which determines 

the degree of shear in the layer. However, owing to the higher 

cohesive strength, these layers are less sensitive to the support 

stiffness than unbound granular materials (higher modular ratio 

limit). 

Table 3 summarises the limits applicable to the modular ratio 

and maximum stiffness rules. 



Designing pavement using the PN method 

See full paper - Condensed version - full version available from 

Conference papers 2009 - aapa@asn,com.au 

The beauty of this method lies in its simplicity. The procedure 

commences by defining the pavement structure in terms of layer 

thickness and material class for each component layer. 

ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL 

BENEFITS 

The benefits of using BSMs in pavement structures were shown 

by comparing different options for the rehabilitation of a specific 

pavement, each with the same structural capacity. The three 

options selected (illustrated in Figure 4) represent different 

technologies. 

Option 1 calls for the distressed asphalt layers to be removed 

by milling, the upper portion of the underlying base repaired 

before replacing the asphalt with fresh material. 

Option 2 reuses the existing pavement layers, recycled with 

cement as a new subbase layer. 

Option 3 reuses the existing pavement layers recycled with 

bitumen as a new BSM base layer, requiring only a relatively 

thin asphalt wearing course. . 

Economic comparison 

An estimate of the type and extent of maintenance work 

during a 20-year service life suggested that the asphalt 

surfacing layer would need replacing every seven to eight 

years for all options. Being susceptible to moisture ingress, 

an extra 35mm thickness of asphalt would be needed for 

Option 2 after some 14 years. Then, at the end of the service 

life, rehabilitation measures were determined, based on the 

failure condition of the various pavements: 

Option 1 (failure condition: fatigue cracks through the full 

thickness of asphalt over 10% of the length). Rehabilitate by 

applying a 60mm thick asphalt overlay plus a new asphalt 

surfacing; 

Option 2 (failure condition: moisture activated distress 

of the graded crushed stone base with potholes affecting 

10% of the road length). To be recycled to create a BSM 

base layer plus an asphalt surfacing (similar to the original 

rehabilitation Option 3); 

Option 3 (failure condition: permanent deformation of 

20mm in 10% of the total length of wheel paths). This can 

be addressed by milling off the asphalt surfacing, paving a 

levelling layer (35mm nominal thickness) and replacing the 

asphalt surfacing. 

Construction costs tend to be country specific and, in 

some cases, regional specific. A comparison of construction 

costs in money terms is therefore not a satisfactory means of 

comparing the three options. Determining the unit cost per 

kilometre for the life cycle (rehabilitation to rehabilitation) 

and reducing cost to a relative index does, however, provide a 

unit free basis for comparison. Accordingly, each option was 

priced using average unit contract rates in the South African 

construction industry (expressed in US$) and divided by the 

cost of Option 1 to obtain an index, as shown in Table 4. 

This exercise indicates that recycling with a bitumen 

stabilising agent is some 30% more cost efficient than the 

other two options where the initial rehabilitation called for 

a 20-year service. 

Energy consumption comparison 

The increased level of awareness of climate change is 

making society more aware of energy consumption. The 

construction industry is not exempt and several studies have 

been undertaken to estimate the amount of energy being 

consumed, particularly in the construction of roads where 

large machinery is employed and the quantities of material 

either consumed or moved is high. 

A detailed exercise carried out in New Zealand in 2008 

(Reference 8, Patrick) reported on the energy consumption 

data for various construction activities. Using this data, a 

similar exercise to that carried out above to determine costs 

was undertaken to estimate the total energy consumed for 

each option over a 20-year period. The results are shown in 

Table 5. 

This exercise indicates that combined construction activities 

over a 20-year cycle are almost 30% more energy efficient for the 

BSM option (Option 3) than Option 1 which, in turn, is some 

30% more energy efficient than Option 2. 

CONCLUSIONS 

The publication of TG2 Second Edition has provided a refreshing 

new insight into the behaviour of BSMs and introduced a new 

separate class of material for use in pavement structures. 

In recognising that the end product is similar regardless of 

whether the bitumen is applied in an emulsified or foamed 

state, this publication has effectively eliminated the conflict 

between the bitumen emulsion and foamed bitumen lobbies. 

In addition, TG2 Second Edition provides a relatively simple 

set of guidelines for the competent design and construction of 

pavements that include these materials. 

Maximising the reuse of existing pavement materials by 

recycling minimises the consumption of new materials, 

thereby providing both economic and environmental 

benefits. The addition of a bitumen stabilising agent 

enhances the performance of the recycled material, providing 

both flexibility and durability. Due to their durability 

properties, BSMs offer a lower whole-of-life cost through 

lower maintenance and other interventions required to 

achieve an acceptable level of service over the design life of 

the pavement, as well as the cost of rehabilitation when the 

terminal condition is reached. The true value of BSMs is only 

now starting to receive the attention they deserve. Meanwhile, 

environmental considerations are receiving more attention 

in the provision of pavements, a long overdue focus brought 

about by global concerns over climate change. Increasing 

emphasis on the environmental impact of road construction 

and rehabilitation has led to sufficient data becoming 

available for use in analysis and decision making. Decisions 

based solely on initial construction costs will, in future, be 

replaced by a more complex model that incorporates both 

energy consumption and whole-of-life costs. 


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Smoothness Matters 

The US Asphalt Pavement Alliance has released a publication “Smoothness Matters”. This emphasises 

the importance of well maintained flexible pavements to save costs for the community and reduce 

emissions to the environment. It is therefore as relevant to Australia as it is to the US. 

The US Asphalt Pavement Alliance 

(ACA) publication “Smoothness Matters” 

comments that pavement smoothness 

is a significant determinant of vehicle 

fuel economy. That is, the smoother 

the pavement, the lower a vehicle’s 

fuel consumption. This is as pavement 

smoothness affects the rolling resistance 

by influencing friction between the tyre 

and the pavement. 

This makes common sense – the less 

rolling resistance, the less energy necessary 

to drive a vehicle along the pavement. 

However, how much difference can 

the pavement smoothness make to fuel 

consumption? 

Smoothness Matters refers to a full 

scale field study conducted – it was a fullscale 

field study conducted by the Federal 

Highway Administration at the WesTrack 

pavement test track in Nevada. This study 

indicated that trucks running on slightly 

smoother pavement could reduce fuel 

consumption by 4.5 percent. Other studies 

show similar or sometimes greater fuel 

savings with cars running on smoother 

pavements. 

Studies also show that the savings 

are even greater when one compares 

the roughest pavements in a highway 

network with the smoothest. Some experts 

estimate that it is possible to reduce fuel 

RoadsJobs consumption 15/6/10 by as 12:40 much PM as Page 10% 1 by 

rehabilitating the roughest pavements. 

Not only do smoother pavements reduce 

fuel consumption, they also reduce vehicle 

operating costs and driver fatigue by 

minimizing tyre bounce and load impacts. 

According to figures developed by the US 

Road Information Program (TRIP), driving 

on rough roads costs the US motorists $23 

billion annually in extra vehicle operating 

costs. 

Smoother pavements also last longer as 

truck tyres roll along the pavement instead 

of bouncing on each bump. 

Even small bumps, accelerate the rate of 

road deterioration. Studies in the US show 

that improving pavement smoothness by 

25% results in almost a 10% increase in 

pavement longevity. This saves taxpayers 

money and conserves natural resources. 

Keeping a road smooth begins with a 

well-engineered foundation and pavement 

structure. An asphalt “perpetual pavement” 

is designed and built to ensure that the 

structure lasts virtually indefinitely. 

Routine maintenance is simply a matter 

of infrequently milling the surface for 

recycling, followed by placing a smooth 

new asphalt overlay, a task that can be 

done quickly with short road or lane 

closures and little impact on traffic. 

It has been determined that if the roads 

across the US could be made slightly 

smoother there would be a saving of at 

least 4 percent of the fuel consumed. 

This would reduce annual vehicle fuel 

consumption by about 7 billion gallons, 

equivalent to taking over 10 million 

vehicles off the road every year, reducing 

fuel and vehicle maintenance 

While we don’t use as much fuel as 

the US, smoother roads in Australia 

would have a significant impact on 

fuel consumption. The use of asphalt 

pavements is the most effective means of 

achieving and maintaining smooth roads. 

Asphalt surfaces can also be made to 

meet a range of requirements such as low 

noise, skid resistance and to minimise 

water spray and can be readily maintained 

at low cost and minimal disruption. 

The ACA document can be downloaed 

in full from http://asphaltroads.org. 

For a full discussion of studies on 

this topic, Marks, Howard, PhD. 2009. 

Smoothness Matters: The Influence of 

Pavement on Fuel Consumption. Hot 

Mix Asphalt Technology Vol. 14, No. 6, 

pp. 18-29, available at www.nxtbook. 

com/nxtbooks/naylor/NAPS0609/index. 

php#/18. 

The US Asphalt Pavement Alliance is 

a joint venture between the US National 

Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA), the 

US Bitumen Institute and US State Asphalt 

Pavement Associations. APA has just 

released a new publication highlighting 

the benefits of asphalt pavement, lower 

fuel consumption. 

THE LEADING JOB WEBSITE FOR 

AUSTRALIA’S ROADS INDUSTRY 

34 ROADS JUNE 2010/JULY 2010 

The #1 Google search for “road jobs” 

www.roadjobs.com.au 

www.roadjobs.com.au

Fulton Hogan and PRS 

Join Together 

Since PRS has changed its name to Fulton Hogan, 

engaging Australasia’s most capable asphalt and surfacing 

company has never been easier. 

With over 2000+ people working from 40 locations across 

Australia, Fulton Hogan has the people, resources and expertise to 

deliver the most challenging project. 

To learn more about Fulton Hogan and our broad 

range of products and services please speak to your 

account representative or visit our website. 

For more information 

Telephone: 03 9340 6200 

Email: info@fultonhogan.com.au 

www.fultonhogan.com


Post Graduate Studies 

through Distance Learning - 

NEW ENROLLMENTS NOW BEING ACCEPTED 

Those of us involved in road construction 

understand the very important role 

flexible pavements play in our economy 

and society. Without high quality flexible 

pavements linking communities and 

providing all important transport routes 

our society would be a lot poorer. 

High quality roads are also beneficial 

to the environment, reducing the risk 

of accidents, lowering noise and even 

reducing fuel consumption and wear 

and tear on vehicles. The travel time is 

also reduced on well constructed and 

maintained flexible pavement surfaces. 

The Australian flexible pavement 

industry has shown that it can produce 

world class roads. However, to continue 

to do this we must ensure that staff are 

well trained. For this reason, AAPA offers 

a range of practical and relevant training 

courses We also need highly trained 

engineers and pavement designers. For 

this reason AAPA and Austroads support 

the Centre for Pavement Engineer 

Education (CPEE) in its offering of post 

graduate courses. The following article 

highlights the work of CPEE in offering 

high quality training through distance 

education. 

There is a continuing need for increased 

capability and knowledge in the work 

environment particularly in technical areas 

associated with the design, construction 

and maintenance of road pavements 

and other major infrastructure assets. 

Yet there is also increasing pressure on 

time and it is frequently not possible or 

convenient to undertake study via face to 

face courses at universities. 

The distance education courses offered 

by the Centre for Pavement Engineering 

Education (CPEE) provide a unique 

and convenient option to learn and gain 

relevant knowledge and qualifications 

without the need to attend classrooms 

CPEE’s targeted distance education 

approach is now in its 14th year and 

is well regarded by the whole of the 

pavement industry, including state and 

local government. It is also strongly 

supported by Austroads and AAPA. 

CPEE offers a Graduate Certificate 

of Pavement Technology, Master of 

Technology and Master of Engineering 

in Pavements, and applications are now 

being accepted for these courses for study 

period 2, 2010. 

The Graduate Certificate of Pavement 

Technology comprises four units. The 

LaTrobe University accredited Master of 

Technology comprises eight units and the 

Master of Engineering in Pavements, 12 

units. 

In conjunction with the University 

of Tasmania and the Institute of Public 

Works and Engineering Association 

(IPWEA), CPEE has also launched a new 

Graduate Certificate in Infrastructure 

Asset Management. 

This provides a unique and relevant 

course directed at infrastructure 

managers and those seeking to work in 

this increasingly important area. The 

significant number of enrolments to date 

indicates this new offering has been very 

well received and contains the content 

practitioners are seeking. 

All CPEE courses are very practical 

and encourage direct application of 

the skills and knowledge acquired. The 

application of learning to problems in the 

workplace is facilitated by the distance 

education format, which does not require 

attendance at a university or attend 

face-to-face sessions, but encourages 

those undertaking courses to apply their 

knowledge in their workplace wherever 

possible. 

With most of the units incorporating 

the latest revised Austroads Guides, each 

provides up to date technical content. 

Units may also be selected to suit the 

needs of individuals wishing to update 

specific knowledge. This means students 

are able to apply what they learn directly 

and immediately to their day-to-day 

activities, providing benefits to both the 

student and the employer. 

It is also possible just to undertake a 

single unit on a specific topic for those 

wishing to gain a focused learning 

immediately. 

For further information, email info@ 

pavementeducation.edu.au or visit the 

CPEE website www.pavementeducation. 

edu.au 


PMS


Focus on spray sealing 

As those involved in the flexible pavement 

industry in Australia are aware, this 

country along with New Zealand and 

South Africa, place vast amounts of spray 

seal. Indeed most of our rural roads are 

spray sealed. 

It is therefore appropriate that Australia 

hosts an international conference on this 

form of surfacing. 

Recognising this, ARRB held the first 

International Spray Sealing Conference 

in Adelaide in 2008. This was an excellent 

conference attracting delegates from 

around the world. It included delegates 

from developing countries where spray 

sealing may be an opportunity to provide 

safe and reliable surfaces in areas that are 

currently not sealed. The conference also 

provided an opportunity for Australian, 

New Zealand, South African and other 

international experts to discuss a wide 

range of issues. 

The second Sprayed Sealing Conference 

is to be held in October this year. AAPA is 

a strong supporter of this conference and 

the associated ARRB Conference. 

2nd International Sprayed Sealing 

Conference (10-12 October 2010) 

The 2nd International Sprayed Sealing 

Conference will be held at the Sebel Hotel, 

Albert Park, Melbourne. The theme of the 

Conference is ‘Sustaining sprayed sealing 

practice’. 

The conference will provide an 

opportunity for practitioners and 

policy makers to keep abreast of new 

developments in sprayed seal design, 

material selection and construction 

techniques. It will focus on maintenance 

of sprayed seal performance in a climate 

of increasing expectations and demands, 

combined with depletion of known 

quality materials. 

It will contribute to the continued 

development of sprayed sealing 

procedures and technologies which 

are vital to improving the performance 

of a significant proportion of the road 

network. 

For further enquiries, please contact Ms 

Khar Yean Khoo, Technical Secretary - 2nd 

International Sprayed Sealing Conference, 

at ssc2010@arrb.com.au 

24th ARRB Conference (13-15 

October 2010) 

The 24th ARRB Conference will be held 

immediately after the 2nd International 

Sprayed Sealing Conference, also at the 

Sebel Hotel. The theme of the conference is 

‘Building on 50 years of road and transport 

research’. 

Since their commencement in 1962, 

ARRB Conferences have brought together 

a broad range of experience and expertise 

from Australia, New Zealand and around 

the world, creating a stimulating and 

thought-provoking setting for discussion 

and interchange. 

The 2010 Conference will include papers 

and discussion under key topics reflected in 

the National Transport Strategy including: 

• congestion, freight and productivity; 

• Safe Systems; 

• sustainable infrastructure sciences and 

technology; and 

• sustainable infrastructure management. 

For further enquiries, please contact Ms 

Tariro Makwasha, Technical Secretary - 

24th ARRB Conference, at 24conf@arrb. 

com.au 

Registrations are now open. Please visit 

the ARRB 2010 Conference website for 

updates and to register online www.arrb. 

com.au/conferences. 

Sponsorship and exhibition 

opportunities at both conferences are also 

available. Please contact our Sponsorship 

Coordinator: sponsorconf@arrb.com.au 

or 03 9881 1555, or visit the ARRB 2010 

Conference website. 

Vacancy – AAPA State Executive Officer 

The Australian Asphalt Pavement Association was formed in 1969 as a nonprofit 

organisation to promote the economic use of asphalt and bitumen bound 

products based on sound technical and commercial grounds. 

AAPA members include all major participants in the field of asphalt and 

bituminous pavements including asphalt producers, spray sealing organisations, 

bitumen suppliers and State Road Authorities as well as a wide range of associate 

members representing all facets of the industry 

The AAPA Board, State Branches and members are supported by a small 

national office based in Melbourne headed by the AAPA Chief Executive. The 

Queensland, NSW and Victorian Branches are also supported by a Regional 

Executive Officer in each of those states. 

Due to increasing opportunities in Western Australia, it is proposed to appoint 

a Regional Executive in Western Australia (Perth). 

This is a newly created position reporting jointly to the Chief Executive and the 

WA State Branch Chairman. He or she will be the principal contact for activities 

in Western Australia and, with the support of the National Office, will manage the 

affairs of the Western Australian Branch. 

The successful candidate must have knowledge of the pavement industry and 

be able to represent AAPA and its members at all levels of government, industry 

and the community. He or she must also be a self-starter with a commitment to 

the successfull growth of flexible pavements in Western Australia. 

The position may be offered either on a full time or part time basis. For a full 

time position the salary is negotiable but is expected to be a package in excess of 

$120,000. 

Further Information 

For a confidential discussion about this position call: 

John Lambert, AAPA Chief Executive 

Phone (03) 9853 3595 or 0419 822 114 

Applications should be marked confidential and sent to 

John Lambert Level 2, 5 Wellington St Kew 3101 


Boral Asphalt 

Boral’s LoCarb asphalt 

Paving the way towards a more sustainable future 

Boral is an industry leader in the manufacture and application of construction 

materials and is committed to providing sustainable asphalt solutions. 

Boral has introduced a LoCarb asphalt which is the result of many years of 

research to satisfy the desire by road authorities and communities worldwide 

to use more friendly technologies to preserve and sustain the environment. 

These new developments have led to a reduction in the amount of energy 

used and green house gases emitted in the asphalt production process. 

LoCarb asphalt is achieved by reducing the temperature of asphalt 

in manufacturing and application, using a proven ‘warm mix’ technology 

while also allowing greater quantities of recycled asphalt to be used. 

LoCarb asphalt has excellent long term performance with the additional 

benefit of reducing the carbon footprint of road maintenance. 

For more asphalt information 

visit www.boral.com.au/ 

asphaltproducts or call: 

NSW (02) 8801 2000 

VIC (03) 9508 7144 

QLD (03) 3268 8011 

SA (08) 8425 0400 

WA (08) 9451 6466


Asphalt in Railway Tracks 

The following article has been modified from a European Asphalt Pavement Association (EAPA) 

paper and is produced with their permission. EAPA is the European industry association representing 

the manufacturers of bituminous mixtures and companies engaged in asphalt road construction and 

maintenance across Europe. It is also a part of the Global Asphalt Pavement Alliance (GAPA). 

The feature follows an article produced in the October/November 2009 Roads which provided 

information on the use of asphalt in rail construction in the US. Given the rapid growth of rail 

demand across Australia, rail authorities and construction companies should consider the many 

advantages associated with the use of asphalt as described in these articles. 

Introduction 

In railway design, as in highway design, 

increasing traffic loads and volumes 

and particularly the introduction of 

high-speed trains, have resulted in the 

need for new approaches. In addition, 

concern for the environment requires 

sustainability to be taken into account in 

the design process. 

Asphalt mixtures have been shown to 

provide good technical alternatives for 

several elements of traditional railway 

construction. In particular, experience 

with asphalt in the track superstructure 

(the traditional superstructure consists of 

the rails, the sleepers, fastenings and the 

ballast) and in the sub ballast layer has 

shown that these types of construction 

are able to fully meet the requirements of 

modern railway tracks. 

Application of asphalt in railway 

construction 

The properties of bitumen and asphalt 

offer good opportunities in railway track 

construction. This has been proven in 

various applications, both for heavy 

loaded tracks and for high-speed tracks. 

The use of asphalt in railway 

construction provides a positive 

contribution to the bearing capacity of the 

structure. It improves both the stability 

and the durability of the structure, which 

contributes to the reduction in the need 

for maintenance. In addition, the use of 

asphalt helps to reduce vibration and noise, 

and may reduce the total construction 

height of the superstructure, which is 

of importance in the case of tunnels and 

bridges. 

Applications of asphalt in railway 

construction can be divided between use 

as sub-ballast layers and use as full depth 

(asphalt) construction, also called the 

ballast-less track. 

Asphalt as sub-ballast layer. 

The rail ballast absorbs the train weight 

and distributes it from the rails to 

the sub-grade, thereby avoiding any 

deformation. The railroad can thus keep 

its geometrical features. 

The rapid decay of the railroad level 

which occurs with traditional ballast 

construction is mainly due to the 

unsatisfactory “fatigue behaviour” of 

the ballast and this is mostly due to 

embankment settling. 

By interposing a semi-rigid layer 

(the so-called “sub-ballast”) in the area 

between the ballast and the embankment, 

the behaviour of the overall structure 

is greatly improved. The sub-ballast is 

normally laid on a highly compacted 

embankment layer. 

A railway structure with sub-ballast 

works almost exclusively on compression 

and, therefore, differs from a traditional 

structure. This consequently eliminates 

fatigue cracking. 

Especially on high-speed tracks, 

maintaining levels and profile is of high 

importance. This can be achieved by 

increasing the stiffness of the structure 

to achieve better load distribution to the 

ballast and sub-ballast material. This 

will prevent an early deterioration of 

the rail geometric. In this case the use 

of asphalt in a sub-ballast layer can offer 

the solution. 

The application of asphalt as a subballast 

layer will contribute to the 

following aspects: 

- Bearing capacity 

The application of a monolithic layer 

(0.1 – 0.2 m) of asphalt, as a sub-ballast 

layer will increase the stiffness of the 

total structure. The fact that an asphalt 

layer is also capable of withstanding 

tensile forces gives an extra positive 

contribution to this effect. 

- Geotechnical stability 

The relatively high stiffness of the asphalt 

sub-ballast layer will make a positive 

contribution to the compaction of the 

layers on top of the asphalt layer. This 

improves the total stability. So the asphalt 

mix sub-ballast contributes to keeping 

the railroad geometry unaltered. 

- Resistance to vertical deformation 

The relatively high stiffness of the asphalt 

layer compared to granular material 

will lead to less permanent vertical 

deformation. The vertical loading 

conditions and the relatively short 

loading time are relatively small, so there 

will be no permanent deformation in the 

asphalt layer. 

- Drainage 

When a layer of dense asphaltic concrete 

is used as a sub-ballast layer, optimal 

drainage of the total structure will be 

realised. The impermeable asphalt 

sub-ballast layer can prevent possible 

contamination of the sub-structure by 

vertical hydraulic transport of mud and 

fines. 

- Durability 

Because of the confinement of the ballast 

by the asphalt layer, the ballast layer is 

strengthened and deterioration of the 

ballast is reduced. The asphalt sub-ballast 

layer increases the foundation modulus, 

providing a more rigid foundation, with 

the effect that there is a reduction of 

tension and shearing stress inside the 

ballast material, with consequently less 

fatigue and less degradation and wear of 

the individual aggregate particles. 

Because of the low air voids in the 

asphalt mix (1 – 3%) and because the 

asphalt layer is buried, weather effects 

(temperature changes, Ultra Violet 

radiation, oxygen) will not affect the hot 

mix, so no deterioration (aging) of the 

asphalt or bitumen will take place. 


Even if limited deformation of the subsoil 

does take place, this will not affect 

the asphalt layer because it is capable of 

withstanding the deformation without 

loosing its integrity because of the viscoelastic 

properties of asphalt. 

- Noise and vibrations 

The mechanical properties of the asphalt 

layer will lead to a reduction in the 

vibrations and noise produced by passing 

trains. The use of modified asphalt 

(polymer modified bitumen, rubber 

crumb) can further improve the vibration 

dampening effect of the sub-ballast. 

- The ballast-less track / the direct 

application of the sleepers on the 

asphalt 

For many years there have been 

developments aimed at improving the 

stability of the traditional rail-track 

structure of rail, sleepers and ballast. The 

introduction of high-speed trains and 

the desire for less maintenance led to the 

development of the ballast-less track. In 

this form of construction the ballast is 

replaced by a rigid monolithic element 

that directly supports the sleepers. This 

can be achieved by placing the track frame 

of rail and sleepers directly on an asphalt 

construction. 

The most important requirement is 

to have a perfectly flat and level asphalt 

surface to comply with the narrow 

tolerances that are required for rail 

level (+/- 2 mm). Modern asphalt laying 

machines can fulfil this requirement using 

modern levelling equipment. 

The advantages of these systems are the 

elasticity of the asphalt layer, especially 

when polymer modified asphalt is 

used, and the ease of construction and 

maintenance. Another important factor 

in favour of this system is the ability 

to carry out minor corrections without 

demolishing and reconstructing the base. 

Because these systems eliminate the use 

of ballast they have the great advantage 

of lowering the track base, allowing the 

construction of tunnels with smaller 

diameter. The first successful application 

of the ballast-less tracks dates back to the 

beginning of the 1990s, in Germany. Other 

experimental tracks have been built since 

then, mostly in Germany. 

Experiences in Italy and Germany 

Italy 

The first experience with asphalt mixes 

in high-speed railway construction in 

Italy date from the early 1970s. Since 

then hundreds of kilometres have been 

RAIL.ONE. All rights reserved 

built and the results have been very 

satisfactory with the application of an 

asphalt sub-ballast layer contributing 

to the stability of the rail geometry. 

In particular, at critical points such as 

switch points, expansion joints, level 

crossings and in areas between concrete 

structures (bridges) and embankments, 

where dynamic forces are substantial, 

the asphalt sub-ballast layer introduced 

a remarkable improvement of the 

superstructure stability. 

The sub-ballast is made up of an 

asphalt mix (100-140 mm thickness) 

laid by normal paving machines. It has 

the typical behaviour and well-known 

advantages of visco-elastic materials. 

When the asphalt mix solution is 

compared with cement mix solutions 

for the sub-ballast, the following 

advantages are evident in favour of 

asphalt: 

• reduced use of aggregates due to 

the lesser thickness of the asphalt 

sub-ballast layer (average 120 mm 

thickness compared to at least 200 

mm); 

• cracks are less likely to emerge; 

• there is no need to protect the 

finished surface by means of 

bitumen membranes or emulsion 

spray; 

• time for “hardening” is much 

shorter. 

Experience shows that the presence 

of an asphalt sub-ballast layer in 

the railway structure also results in 

a reduction in noise and vibrations 

transmitted to the surrounding 

environment and to passengers. 

Germany - Solid Railway Trackbed 

General Issues 

The rail web (rails and sleepers) with 

ballast bedding type of construction has 

reached a level that is hardly capable of 

improvement as a classical construction 

method for railway track. Furthermore, 

in the case of routes designed for very 

rapid passenger traffic, it has been 

found that wear and tear takes place 

much more quickly than expected 

through stone displacement, breakage 

and abrasion because of the dynamic 

traffic loads on the railway ballast. 

As a result, track bed deterioration 

occurs more frequently and requires 

maintenance work at more frequent 

intervals. This maintenance work is 

costly and disrupts normal railway 

operations. 


ASPHALT REVIEW NEWS 

Replacing load-bearing ballast with asphalt was used for the 

first time in Germany around 25 years ago, with an asphalt 

base course. Since then, seven different systems of the asphalt 

construction method have been developed and constructed in 

Germany. 

Requirements for the asphalt layers 

In general, the requirements for the asphalt are determined 

by the load type. In the case of the solid railway trackbed, 

loading frequency is at a lower level than with asphalt roads. 

In contrast, the axle loads, and consequently the wheel loads, 

are far higher. On roads, the actual distributed load results 

in a wheel load of 5.75 tons for a truck with an 11.5-ton axle, 

which works out to around 0.8 MPa for a surface area of 

around 710 cm². For railways, however, there is a considerable 

load distribution over the rail and the sleeper. The wheel load 

of 11.25 tons results in stress on the bottom of the sleeper of 

around 0.25 MPa, and thus only around one-third of the load 

experienced on roads. 

The asphalt needs to be designed to be permanent, flexible 

and dense in order to avoid the need for maintenance work 

and subsequent improvements. The lifetime of the solid 

railway trackbed has been estimated to be around 60 years. 

Experience in Germany has shown that asphalt types with a 

high binder content and a low void content have proven to be 

reliable. 

Advantages 

The solid railway trackbed laid in Germany to date has been 

shown to be very successful due to the reliability of the paving 

and by the material-specific characteristics of the asphalt: 

• Asphalt can be paved without joints due to its visco-elastic 

characteristics; stresses arising from the effects of load and 

temperature are reduced. 

• Asphalt can also be used with extreme super-elevation 

because no separation arises from the high internal friction 

in the paved state. 

• Asphalt can be paved at a precise tolerance (± 2 mm) due to 

its material characteristics. 

• Load can be put on the asphalt immediately after it cools 

down; shorter construction times are achieved because of 

this. 

• Corrections in the position that may be needed (e.g. due 

to settlement of the embankment) can be quickly and easily 

made either by milling off or by putting on another layer. 

The preceding article highlights some of the Europe 

experience in using asphalt in rail track construction. In 

Australia asphalt has not been used, but with the increasing 

demands on our rail network and with the construction of 

new railways, the Australian Transport industry should look 

at the advantages of asphalt. 

The use of asphalt in the construction of tram lines also 

offers many potential advantages including smoother rides, 

lower noise, quick track rehabilitation and maintenance times 

and potentially less maintenance of wheels and suspensions. 

If there is interest in using asphalt in railways or tramways, 

AAPA will consider inviting experts from both Europe and the 

US to participate in workshops to discuss the technical and 

commercial advantages of this material. 

For further information about EAPA and contact details 

refer to www.eapa.org 

SAMI expands its boundaries 

May 5, 2010, saw the opening of SAMI Bitumen Technologies’ 

new bitumen import terminal facility at the Port of Brisbane. 

The terminal complements the company’s high standard of 

product and service delivery, and significantly expands its 

reach. 

Bulk bitumen is usually imported into Brisbane from Asia 

via purpose built ships and the new bitumen storage and 

processing terminal facility has a pipeline that connects the 

bulk storage tanks to the new general purpose wharf. But it’s 

not simply about making the process of unloading and storage 

easier. 

SAMI’s new import terminal incorporates some of the most 

advanced technology of its kind in the world. The facility is 

capable of producing a variety of high performance bitumen 

grades used in road construction and maintenance, as well as 

bitumen product for various industrial applications. 

This one-stop import and production approach makes the 

terminal one of the most efficient in Australia. It is in addition 

to the company’s terminals at Geelong in Victoria and at North 

Fremantle in Western Australia. 

Pioneering new technologies has been part and parcel of the 

SAMI approach to business since the company’s inception 32 

years ago. In 1978, it was formed because there was a need to 

develop new technology; a way by which a polymer modified 

bitumen could be used as a stress absorbing membrane interlayer 

under asphalt overlays in road pavements. 

SAMI not only succeeded in developing a polymer modified 

bitumen for use as a sprayed seal and as an asphalt overlay 

binder, but also created a new market in Australia. This was 

just the beginning for SAMI and from that starting point 

the company focused its resources on developing innovative 

road technologies, products and securing other contracting 

services. 

In 2008, SAMI significantly expanded its global reach beyond 

Australia by establishing a formal collaborative relationship 

with Colas SA. It was a natural development as SAMI had 

been exchanging technical information over the previous 16 

years with the French company in what was described at the 

time as a ‘long term mutual courtship’. 

Interestingly, there were other similarities between the 

two companies. Both Colas and SAMI are company names 

that have their origin in the innovative products created by 

each entity and both companies began life in the pursuit of 

a bitumen related solution which led to the creation of those 

particular products. 

Bulk Bitumen Cargo being off loaded at the General Purpose wharf, 

Port of Brisbane 


Part of SAMI Bitumen Technologies Bitumen 

Import Terminal 

SAMI was named after its first product 

– Stress Absorbing Membrane Interlayer 

– and Colas, which was established 

in 1929 to specifically develop a new 

emulsion technology for road surfacing, 

was named after its first product 

commonly referred to as ‘Cold Asphalt’. 

Strategically, the new union was a tour 

de force as Colas was already operational 

in 40 countries around the globe and 

employed around 66,000 employees 

across 1400 business units. This further 

strengthened SAMI’s reach in terms of 

operational geography and technology. 

Colas had already earned a reputation 

as a leading international player in 

bitumen related technology and with 

SAMI’s in-house technical expertise and 

manufacturing base know-how, it would 

prove to be an innovative combination. 

The new Port of Brisbane import 

terminal is an example of SAMI’s 

continuing strategic expansion to ensure 

bulk bitumen supply in this region. 

The official opening was held at 

the Port of Brisbane Visitors Centre 

Auditorium and Brisbane’s Lord 

Mayor, Campbell Newman, officiated 

accompanied by the Deputy Mayor, 

Councillor Graham Quirk, and senior 

managers of Brisbane City Works. The 

official party was welcomed by Mr 

Jacques Pastor, Chairman of SAMI’s 

Board of Directors, Mr Ian Willis 

Brisbane’s Lord Mayor, Campbell Newman 

(right) and SAMI’s CEO Ian Willis after 

unveiling the commemorative plaque 

CEO and General Manager, Mr Azeem 

Remtulla. 

Representatives of Brisbane City 

Council, Brisbane City Works, Port 

of Brisbane Corporation, Queensland 

Transport and Main Roads Department 

and the asphalt industry also attended. 

They toured the new terminal after the 

opening ceremony. 

SAMI continues to expand its scope 

with manufacturing plants in Sydney, 

Brisbane and Perth. There is also a 

new plant on the drawing board for 

Melbourne and these bases allow SAMI 

to focus on the ongoing development 

of new polymer modified bitumen 

products, emulsions and other specialty 

bitumen products for the Australian and 

Asian markets. 

To ensure that SAMI maintains its 

leading edge within the global bitumen 

industry, research and development 

are key operational components. For 

that reason the company maintains 

a comprehensive NATA registered 

laboratory with a significant inventory of 

bitumen and asphalt testing equipment. 

SAMI also regularly conducts trials 

of new products with various road 

authorities throughout Australia. 

A more sustainable future with Boral LoCarb Asphalt 

New developments in asphalt production have led to a reduction 

in the amount of energy consumed and green house gasses 

emitted when asphalt is produced. 

As an industry leader in the supply and application of 

construction materials, Boral is committed to providing 

sustainable asphalt solutions which ensure superior pavement 

performance. 

LoCarb asphalt has been developed incorporating the latest 

innovations in asphalt technology in an effort to reduce the 

carbon footprint of asphalt roads. This has been achieved 

largely by reducing the manufacturing and application 

temperatures and optimising the use of recycled asphalt. 

In some instances, additives are incorporated into asphalt 

at normal mixing temperatures to improve or extend 

workability. This is done so that the hot mixed asphalt can be 

transported longer distances or paved in thinner lifts without 

compromising the compaction of the asphalt layer. 

When LoCarb is produced, a reduction in mixing 

temperature is achieved by lowering the binder’s equiviscous 

temperature. This means that the temperature to which 

the aggregate is heated to achieve complete coating with 

binder can significantly be reduced. An important factor 

in this new technology is that temperatures can be lowered 

without affecting the workability of the asphalt during its 

placement. 

During asphalt manufacture the bitumen properties harden 

when it is exposed to the heated aggregates in thin films. As a 

consequence of the mixing temperature being reduced, less 

hardening of the binder takes place which facilitates the use 

of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP). 

The use of RAP in conventional hot mixed asphalt is common 

practice but there have been some concerns regarding the 

possible impact the use of a high percentage of recycled 

asphalt could have on the long term durability of the asphalt 

surfacing. With the advent of LoCarb, less aging of the new 

binder takes place which comingles with the aged binder in 

the RAP to produce a mix with less aged binder overall. 



See Table 1. for a comparison of 

typical temperatures (degrees C) 

measured on a trial carried out on 10 

March 2010 in Queen Street for the 

Parramatta Council. 

More benefits with LoCarb 

“LoCarb is a win-win for the environment 

and from a sustainability perspective, 

with a simultaneous reduction in energy 

consumed and emissions generated 

during the manufacturing process,” says 

Boral’s Asphalt Technology Manager, 

Trevor Distin. 

There is also a saving in the amount 

of non-renewable raw materials such 

as bitumen and aggregates required to 

produce asphalt. 

The benefits of using LoCarb asphalt 

extend further than those already 

mentioned. 

“The lowering of application 

temperatures means that we are now 

able to achieve the same, if not better, 

compaction and production rates in the 

field. This is because the mix compacts 

more uniformly and allows us to open it 

to traffic sooner,” Mr Distin says. 

“On a recent job the temperature was 

measured behind the paver for both a 

traditional hot mix and LoCarb asphalt 

using an infrared thermal imaging 

camera. The temperature readings 

recorded across the mat supported our 

belief that there was far less variation 

for LoCarb than hot mixed asphalt 

and this is a key factor to achieving a 

uniform density in the mat after final 

compaction.” 

The temperature profile measured by 

Thermovision Services across the mat 

behind the paver for HMA vs LoCarb. 

There is also a significant reduction 

in fumes and odours generated because 

LoCarb is produced and placed 

below the fuming temperature of 

bitumen. Bitumen typically fumes at a 

temperature around 135 degrees C and 

the rate of fuming doubles with every 

10 degree increase in temperature. 

This helps improve the quality of air 

for people living within the vicinity of 

an asphalt plant and for the asphalt 

workers placing LoCarb. 

LoCarb Trials 

Since the first trial section in 2006, Boral 

has placed LoCarb on many streets 

across Australia. In 2009 an extensive 

trial was undertaken on the Deer Park 

bypass with the properties of the mix 

thoroughly evaluated. Further trial 

sections of LoCarb were placed on the 

Hume Highway in Melbourne in April 

this year as part of the national Warm 

Mix Asphalt validation project organised 

by AAPA in conjunction with all the State 

Road Authorities. 

Laboratory tests carried out to date 

have shown that the performance of 

LoCarb is on par with that of hot mixed 

asphalt. LoCarb technology is also very 

versatile and can be applied to most 

mixes from wearing course to base 

courses. 

On a recent job in Perth, 2000 tons of 

LoCarb was placed on the Great Eastern 

Highway as a patching material because 

Main Roads Western Australia wanted a 

mix that could be trafficked immediately 

after it was placed and compacted. 

Given the benefits to both the 

environment and the road provider 

there is a compelling argument that 

LoCarb should be considered as an 

asphalt material of first choice for your 

next road project. 

Plant LoCarb Hot mixed 

asphalt 

Asphalt temperature directly after mixing 138 172 34 

Stack temperature 103 119 16 

Paving Site 

Asphalt temperature in the truck at site 105 137 37 

Asphalt temperature behind the paver 90 116 26 

difference 

FULTON HOGAN PAVES 

THE ROAD TO SUCCESS 

Fulton Hogan, a Trans–Tasman leader in 

the construction and asphalt industries 

is using its Astec plant and equipment 

as an advantage to build a multi-million 

dollar road project in South Australia – 

possibly the state’s largest. 

To ensure that it was equipped to 

deliver on the project’s tight product 

specification and aggressive productivity 

targets, Fulton Hogan engaged Astec 

Australia to establish a modern asphalt 

production facility and paving equipment 

for the Northern Expressway Project 

(NEXY) 

The project is a 23 kilometre route that 

will connect key areas of metropolitan 

Adelaide and is considered a “benchmark 

for modern road construction in 

Australia”. 

From the start, Astec Australia worked 

in a partnering type relationship with 

Fulton Hogan, to understand and provide 

solutions for its exact project needs. 

A few years ago Fulton Hogan used 

Astec’s plant and equipment with great 

success on its high profile Eastlink 

Project in Victoria, so with those good 

experiences fresh in its mind, Fulton 

Hogan didn’t hesitate to engage Astec 

in the supply of a T200 M Pack Double 

Barrel Asphalt Plant, a SB1500 Material 

Transfer Vehicle and a RP 190 Roadtec 

Highway Paver. 

Astec Australia provided a ‘turnkey’ 

solution for Fulton Hogan. Fulton Hogan 

provided the hard stand area, gas and 

power and Astec Australia did the rest. 

Through its partnering arrangement with 

Fulton Hogan, Astec constructed the civil 

works for the plant site, and then used its 

in house expertise to manufacture, ship, 

install and commission the T200 Double 

Barrel Asphalt Plant equipped with 

Warm Mix and 50% RAP Technology. 

To handle the project’s productivity 

demands and the need for providing 

various mix types on any given day, 

Fulton Hogan opted for Astec’s Long 

Term Storage Silos. Three 150 tonne silos 

provide Fulton Hogan with the ability to 

store 450 tonnes of hot mix for 72 hours 

without loss of temperature or quality. 

Fulton Hogan has used the storage 

system to great advantage, increasing its 

productivity through those short winter 

Table 1 


days in South Australia to over 2500 

tonnes per day. 

Fulton Hogan, whose Australian 

headquarters are based in Melbourne, 

is a major civil contracting company 

which offers services in civil 

contracting, construction, infrastructure 

maintenance, quarrying and asphalt 

production and surfacing. 

The company’s Asphalt Manager 

NEXY Project, Morrie Deller, says the 

Astec equipment has enabled Fulton 

Hogan to manufacture more than 

400,000 tonnes since February 2009, 

and the project is on track for early 

completion in August – four months 

ahead of schedule. 

“Astec drives us to that high quality 

of performance maintenance. We have 

had very, very little down time on this 

project due to break down,” he says. 

“It gives us the most state-of-the-art 

plant in the world. These double barrel 

drum plants are top of the tree from a 

technology point of view. 

“There are very minimal issues with 

EPA – we can recycle material from the 

works back into the works so there is 

minimal waste.” 

Mr Deller, who brought the first Astec 

plant into Australia in 1996, is one of 

the most familiar in the country with 

the brand. 

“On this job we’ve got silos for asphalt 

storage where we can hold more than 

400 tonnes of product for several days 

and we’ve got four bitumen kettles of 

about 50 tonnes each,” he says. 

“With Astec, it is the fact that they do 

the whole deal. They’ll put it all together 

for you. 

“We buy Astec equipment because it 

performs and because of the back up 

that we get from Astec in Brisbane.” 

Astec Australia General Manager, 

David Smale, says the challenge for 

Astec Australia since it acquired Q-Pave 

in 2008 is to not only demonstrate to 

industry that standards haven’t dropped 

but to exceed expectations. 

He says the contract with Fulton 

Hogan is one of Astec Australia’s biggest 

deals in relation to a relocatable plant 

and project equipment. 

“The NEXY Project is up there with 

some of the largest infrastructure projects 

in Australia, and in terms of being on time 

and being commissioned on spec, the 

delivery of the asphalt plant was certainly 

extremely important,” he says. 

“We worked with Fulton Hogan’s site 

people to have the whole site prepared. 

When building a plant there are 45 

trailers of structures and equipment. We 

bring them in, in sequence, and as we 

take them off the trailers we stand them 

all on the concrete pads and everything 

is set out while people set it up. “Our 

business is fortunate to have a very 

capable service team, which had the 

whole plant standing in seven days and 

commissioned in 28 days – for a plant of 

this size that is pretty impressive” 

When work is finished on the NEXY 

project, the equipment is expected to be 

relocated. 

David Smale says his company focuses 

and delivers on the after sales service and 

support that Fulton Hogan requires to 

ensure their NEXY project is successful. 

Mr Smale says the relationship with 

Fulton Hogan began a number of years 

ago and included work on the 600,000 

tonne EastLink project in Melbourne. 

“That proved to be a successful 

relationship in terms of Astec Australia 

providing solutions in asphalt plant 

installation and maintenance,” he says. 

“It gives the customer that complete 

confidence he won’t have any dreaded 

down time – I may not have this number 

exactly right, but I am told by Fulton 

Hogan that they only had 13 hours of 

down time on their Nexy Project during 

its two-years of construction.“ 

Australian Asphalt Pavement 

Association Queensland Executive, Rob 

Vos, says that the NEXY Project is one 

of South Australia’s largest infrastructure 

projects and is designed with deep 

lift asphalt pavement. South East 

Queensland has a number of these types 

of full depth asphalt projects which are 

a good design solution for long lasting 

pavement. 

Mr Smale says Astec’s “first and 

foremost” strategy is to maintain and 

improve on its core asphalt business, 

and to help the industry itself improve 

the market by providing solutions for 

sustainability. Astec Australia will also 

work on capitalising on its relationship 

with Astec’s Aggregate and Mining Group 

of companies and their products to 

develop the aggregate arm of its business 

in Australia. 



New paver constructs 

or rehabilitates 

VÖGELE’s SUPER 3000-2 tracked paver 

features “dash 2” technology which makes 

it a top class paver in terms of performance, 

technology and ergonomics. 

With a laydown rate of up to 1,600 

tonnes per hour and pave widths up to 

16m, large-scale construction projects 

can be completed in the shortest possible 

time and large widths can be paved 

without joints. 

Paving bituminous and nonbituminous 

mixes 

The modern technical concept 

underlying the SUPER 3000-2 allows 

road construction and civil engineering 

contractors to cover an extremely 

wide range of paving applications. The 

laydown rate means its is capable of 

paving large quantities of mix to the 

highest quality standards. 

This is not merely a theoretical value, 

as the technical parameters for material 

handling prove. The paver comes with a 

material hopper holding 17.5 tonnes. The 

conveyor tunnel is 1.62m wide and 40cm 

high. 

Combined with conveyors, for which 

separate hydraulic drives are provided, and 

high-performance augers, large quantities 

of mix can be transferred in front of the 

screed in the shortest possible time. 

The tracked SUPER 3000-2 leads of the 

world’s largest fleet of road pavers. 

Heavy-duty equipment for very 

abrasive materials 

High material throughput is important 

not only when building asphalt 

pavements up to 16m wide without 

joints. It is also important for sub-base 

paving jobs where large quantities of 

non-bituminous materials are involved. 

SUPER 3000-2 is ideally equipped for 

this kind of work. The bottom plates of 

the conveyors and the return pulleys 

for conveyor chains are highly wearresistant, 

even in the standard version. 

If the machine is used primarily for 

sub-base and base course construction, 

a Heavy-Duty Kit is available as an 

option, which effectively counteracts 

abrasive wear with reinforced guards 

for the conveyor tunnel and the chassis, 

and modified auger blades. 

With a laydown rate of 1,600t/h and pave 

widths up to 16m, large-scale construction 

projects can be completed within a short 

period of time. 

PowerPack for the SUPER 3000-2 

The VÖGELE machine comes with a 

powerful drive system for tough jobs. 

The paver is powered by an ultramodern 

6-cylinder DEUTZ diesel engine type 

TCD 2105 V06 4V with a maximum 

power output of 300kW at 1,800 rpm. 

Fuel consumption is very low compared 

to other large pavers in this class, 

amounting to no more than 217g/kWh. 

Like all “dash 2” generation pavers, 

SUPER 3000-2 can also be operated 

in “ECO Mode” to further reduce fuel 

consumption and noise levels (282kW 

at 1,500 rpm). With a capacity of 600 

litres, the paver’s fuel tank is big enough 

to see it through long working days. 

The paver is equipped with a 

high-performance transfer gearbox, 

supplying all hydraulic systems with 

exactly the power needed for the job in 

hand. The generator is directly flanged 

to the transfer gearbox, which provides 

for a maintenance-free drive. The high 

generator output guarantees rapid 

electric screed heating. 

High power requires optimum cooling. 

VÖGELE traditionally install an efficient, 

low-noise cooling system. SUPER 3000-2 

VÖGELE offer a Heavy-Duty Kit (option) for 

particularly abrasive applications. The kit 

includes wear-resistant, reinforced guards 

for the conveyor tunnel and modified auger 

blades to counteract abrasive wear. 

is equipped with a cooler assembly for 

engine coolant, charge air and hydraulic 

oil, making it WAT-compliant and allowing 

it to be used without restrictions in all 

climate zones. 

SUPER 3000-is equipped with the latest 

version of the ErgoPlus® operating concept 

featuring a high-contrast display. 

The ErgoPlus® operating concept 

SUPER 3000-2 is equipped with the 

latest version of the ErgoPlus® operating 

concept featuring a high-contrast display. 

All information is clearly legible on the 

display panel. 

The ErgoPlus® concept is made up of 

several components focusing on clearly 

structured operating consoles allowing the 

user to quickly learn and access all machine 

functions. Four different operating modes 

can be selected at the push of a button: 

“Neutral”, “Job Site Mode”, “Positioning 

Mode” and “Pave Mode”. A “Memory” 

feature stores last settings when exiting 

“Pave Mode” and settings are retrieved 

automatically after the paver’s move on 

the job site. 

The system also guarantees an 

unobstructed view of all vital points on the 

paver. Everything is within the operator’s 

field of vision. 

New SB 300-2 Fixed-Width Screed 

for pave widths up to 16m 

A new SB 300-2 Fixed-Width Screed has 

been developed to match the SUPER 

3000-2 paver’s wide range of applications. 

The screed can be built up to pave widths 

up to 16 metres. The screeds are ideal for 

high-quality paving in constant widths. For 

jobs requiring paving in varying widths, 

hydraulic bolt-on extensions (HE) are 

available. The hydraulic extensions allow 

variation of the pave width within a range 

of 0.75m on either side of the screed. 

A new SB 300-2 Fixed-Width Screed can be 

built up to a maximum pave width of 16m. 


VÖGELE VISION 5103-2 

FEATURING HIGH POWER AND SUPERIOR 

COOLING AND OPERATING SYSTEMS 

8-Foot Class 

Superior Technology 

Provides cool and quiet operation 

Large Fuel Tank 

Holding 250 liters 

Electronic Traction Management 

Ensures optimum tractive effort 

High Horsepower Tier III CUMMINS Engine 

127kW at 2,000 rpm 

ErgoPlus ® Operating Concept 

For simplicity and unobstructed operator visibility 

Very Narrow Conveyor Chain Guard 

Provides uniform flow of mix 

ROAD AND MINERAL TECHNOLOGIES 

www.wirtgen-group.com 

JOSEPH VÖGELE AG 

Joseph-Vögele-Straße 1 · 67075 Ludwigshafen, Germany 

Telephone: +49 (0)621 8105 0 · Telefax: +49 (0)621 8105 461 

E-Mail: marketing@voegele.info 

WIRTGEN Australia Pty Ltd 

2-12 Sommerville Circuit · Emu Plains NSW 2750 

Telephone: +61 2 4735 2699 · Telefax: +61 2 4735 6711 

E-Mail: sales@wirtgen-aust.com.au

Asphalt Review - Volume 29 Number 2 (June / July 2010)

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