Since the provision of bitumen heating facilities and devices in remote areas is neither possible nor economical, Asphalt specialists tried to somehow implement the use of cold bitumen in road construction.
With the advent of bitumen emulsion, not only was it practically possible to use bitumen in the cold, but the defect in using mixed bitumen in this case Not found.
Construction history
This type was first patented by Hugh Allen Mackey in 1922. At that time, when the automobile industry was booming and many roads were being built, this product caused a great revolution in the road construction industry.
The production of this type of bitumen in France, which is known as the birthplace of this technology. It increased from 10,000 tons in 1923 to 300,000 tons during World War II and to 1,200,000 tons in 1970. Today, 30% of French roads are made of emulsion bitumen. It has been and is still being built all over the world. Most of the bitumen used in road construction are cool and in natural temperature and in a paste state. Therefore, in the process of covering asphalt, they must first be turned into a liquid with the help of heat and then a thin layer of them should be applied on the surface. spread the surface of the road.
Types of bitumen emulsifiers
Emulsifying agents include colloidal mineral emulsifiers such as bentonite clay "Emulsion Fire" and chemical emulsifiers such as soap.
Inorganic emulsifiers such as bentonite "Emulsion Fire" compared to chemical emulsifiers It is resistant to atmospheric conditions. In addition, mineral emulsifier bentonite is more resistant to ultraviolet rays than chemical emulsifier.
Reasons for using emulsion
Bitumen has applications such as adhesion between layers, sealing, protection against atmospheric conditions and corrosion, and maintenance and repair of concrete, asphalt and metal surfaces.
For this purpose, the quality characteristics of bitumen should be improved. And to make it liquid for use, many benefits were added to bitumen with the production of this type of bitumen. The advantages of emulsion bitumen are: More reasonable price compared to soluble bitumen due to the use of water instead of oil, no need to heat up during discharge , loading and distribution
🌀 Adhesion properties of stone materials
🌀 Increasing application speed due to the rate of evaporation of water in bitumen compared to oil solvent
🌀 Reducing environmental pollution due to evaporation Oil in dissolved bitumen or when heating it