Asphalt Rubber Archives

THE ROLE OF ASPHALT IN ROAD SAFETY

We all know that the surface condition of the road affects the accident rate: exudations, pits and rutting increase stopping distances and promote abrupt maneuvers, especially in wet conditions. At Grupo Bitafal we are working on techniques and products to reverse this problem.

As Voltaire said, “There is no such thing as an accident. What we call this name is the effect of some cause that we do not see ”. In general, the incidence of the human factor is the main cause of claims, although the causes are really multiple and some are not very controllable. However, from our perspective and our commitment to Road Safety, the surface condition of the road is a controllable factor and we are working on various techniques and products that substantially improve this situation.

Traffic accidents are one of the most deadly evils in our country. From January 1 to November 30, 2020, a total of 19,721 people were injured by traffic accidents, of whom 347 died and 2606 were seriously injured, according to official figures from UNASEV. Although the rate decreased compared to the previous year (figures strongly influenced by the voluntary mobility restrictions of the pandemic), they continue to represent a problem to which we must pay careful attention.

We detail below some of the main causes and possible solutions:

Hydroplaning and “Spray” effect:

For example, if the asphalt does not drain the water well or due to defects in the road an accumulation occurs, the famous problem of aquaplanning or hydroplaning occurs. At the same time, in closed mixtures, the “Spray” effect occurs on rainy days that make visibility difficult. Beyond the profile of the road that must ensure drainage as well as have a low rut to avoid accumulation, there are solutions that are capable of improving this drainage.

One of the solutions that has been applied experimentally in Uruguay is an F10 mixture with modified asphalt BITAFLEX AM3 in which a higher macrotexture (above 1.0 mm in the sand patch) was achieved than in usual semi-dense mixtures and allows to reduce the "Spray" effect mainly. Even so, it is necessary to see alternatives that drain more water, so we are working to carry out a overcoated with a drainage-type mix with modified asphalt BITAFLEX AM3, asphalt rubber AMC 50 the highly modified asphalt HiMA. The high viscosity of these binders allows the mixture to be applied while maintaining its high percentage of voids and its excellent performance against permanent deformation, preventing the formation of rutting and water accumulation as well as eliminating the “Spray” effect.

The greater the voids on the surface, the safer the rolling, so there are alternatives with surface treatments that allow improving sections that have these problems. For example we have applied in Uruguay type surface treatments “Chipping" O cold microagglomerates to solve the rutting problem in such a way as to restore the transversal profile of the road and allow the normal drainage of water towards the sides. On the other hand the application of multiple locked treatments (TMT) It allows to generate voids but with a more comfortable and less noisy rolling.

Lack of texture and friction:

A problem related to the previous one but which is approached in a different way is the issue of the lack of friction of the road due to exudations or loss of texture of the stone aggregates. This can normally occur in heavily requested areas such as intersections, traffic lights, access to roundabouts, roundabouts, etc. In these cases, loss of vehicle control, increased stopping distance and skidding can cause serious accidents. To improve friction we are also working with high friction Seal Coat treatments, composed of high performance binders and excellent resistance aggregates. These treatments have the additional possibility of generating a red, blue or green color surface, which improves the visibility of the road and the driver's attention.

Wells:

Finally, the problem with wells is that they usually generate abrupt maneuvers at high speeds that can end in a collision or loss of control of the vehicle. For this, at Grupo Bitafal we work to promote preventive treatment, with the use of a battery of surface treatment techniques that allow, with the same money as with a milling and replacement scheme, to maintain a high standard of the pavement, ensuring the absence of wells.

In secondary and urban roads we have been working with departmental municipalities for several years supplying the family of emulsions MIX 55 to make cold mixes for patching.

In short, these are the latest developments in materials and techniques that improve road safety. We want to invite anyone interested to see our facilities and see these innovations first-hand.

BITAFAL present in the Circulars Opportunities Program

On Wednesday morning, August 8, 2018 the Teatro La Colmena opened its doors to welcome the fifth, and final, meeting dedicated to BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM CIRCULARES.

This is an initiative coordinated by ANDE and biovalue (together with MIEM, MVOTMA, MGAP, UNIDO, GEF and supported by Transforma Uruguay and ANII) to promote joint actions and thus promote the creation and implementation of sustainable productive projects, the framework of circular economy.

We had the pleasure to share a morning full of information and where BITAFAL presented the progress in the use of modified asphalt powder neumátuco out of use for road construction in Uruguay.

At the beginning the basics and regional and international examples of circular economy by the Coordinator of the Environmental Engineer biovalue María José González were presented. Then the Coordinator of associativity area and Integration of the National Development Agency (ANDE) Economist Paula Cobas presented the convocation of Circulars Opportunities Program.

In the second instance it opened a "Living" questions of the problems and opportunities in the construction sector in the transition to Circulate Economy, moderated by Giselle Della Mea (3 Vectors - Innodriven). With Architect Eduardo Siuciak (FARQ- UdelaR) and Ing. Jorge Pazos, Executive Director of the Construction Chamber of Uruguay.

Finally, a panel of businessmen and entrepreneurs with national and regional experience was convened to make a "double click" with examples of application of circular principles in their respective businesses and areas. The exhibition began with Robert Pacheco (Argentina), founding partner of EWAR, a company that since 2008 began to venture into the production of biosynthetic wood boards. The Qco Santiago Kröger (Uruguay) continued presenting the benefits, development, application and prospects of incorporating disused tire dust into asphalt cement. Next, Eng. Nelson Siqueira Nieto (Brazil) from the company RNV Residuos, presented on recycled aggregates, as a sustainable and cheaper solution than the use of non-recycled aggregates. To close the day, Arch. Eliseo Cabrera presented "La Casa Uruguaya", a winning project of the National Prize for Energy Efficiency - Cat. Buildings 2016.

From BITAFAL Group we appreciate the invitation as exhibitors to count the work we have done after collaborating with the environment and society. We welcome these instances of exchange opportunities to further develop new ways of doing things, with a more systemic vision that includes all parties are generated.

In the next LINK We share the presentations made on that day. ()

On the website CIRCULARES OPPORTUNITIESThey may elaborate on the call and the different activities and workshops that have been made under the program.

Podes relive the day ON HERE

XVII Argentine Congress on Road AND TRANSIT

A great Uruguayan delegation participated in the Argentine Congress on Road and Traffic, held from 24 to 28 October in the city of Rosario, Santa Fe.

During the 5 intense days, more than two thousand people participated in several events simultaneously as the XXXVIII Meeting of Asphalt organized by the CPA, the III International Seminar on Concrete Roads organized by the ICPA, the XI ITS International Congress and 9th Expovial Argentina, among others.

over 90 special lectures were presented by 86 lecturers (47 of them international) and about 100 technical papers by 435 professionals and technicians from 16 different countries. He Bitafal group He was present with a talk Qco. Santiago Kröger on recent mixing sections with modified crumb rubber asphalt made in the country.

Besides Uruguay presented Ing. Luis Lazo on the status of the national road and Eng. Leonardo Behak and Ing. Federica Selves on a comparative resistance to unconfined compression as to different ways of curing and use as parameter pavement design.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Minister of Transport, Guillermo Dietrich, governor of Santa Fe, the Mayor of Rosario and all the authorities of the National Roads Authority, the Provincial Roads, PIARC, the AAC, the CPA and other organizations linked to the field.

One of the most important points of the Congress was the presentation by the new authorities of the National Highways Plan Works of the new structure, investments in sophisticated regional laboratories and the presentation of the new General Pliego updated with the recommendations of the CPA as to asphalt mixtures. A great job you have to head to the Ing. Juan Campana and Alejandro Bisio.

In turn during the Congress themes such as rural roads, sustainable mobility, multimodal transport, network management, road projects and major roadworks between 3 and 5 rooms simultaneously treated.

Beyond academics, was very important the presence of friends, Uruguay and the region, where experiences were shared and narrowed ties in various opportunities offered distended Congress.

Always worth participating and congratulate the colleagues who made a hole in their efforts to learn and make friends.

All of the photos ON HERE

First tranche of Asphalt Rubber on domestic routes

Transportation Carter - # 254

SEE LINK

FIRST TRANCHE OF ASPHALT RUBBER ON DOMESTIC ROUTES

Last Friday, June 3 the first flight of recoating was performed with BITAFLEX AMC 50, modified asphalt tire dust on Route 9 along with Techint SACI. A stretch of about 1300 m on the road more was performed, near km 202 at the entrance of the city of Rocha.

This is another milestone in the development of technology in Uruguay after the success of the first stage of testing performed in 2009 at the entrance to our industrial plant.

The BITAFAL GROUP always at the forefront of new technologies, has developed a modified crumb rubber asphalt having performance characteristics similar against permanent deformation to a AM3. To ensure the quality and homogeneity of the product, we have built a specific plant for manufacturing BITAFLEX AMC 50 mixers with high power.

Since last December governing Decree 358/2015issued by the National Directorate of Environment (MVOTMA) in which tire producers and importers must take over the management of tires once their useful life. One of the most sustainable alternatives to recycle them is the modification of asphalt.

Already there have been several advances in Uruguay, as the presentation of Management Plans (El Pais, 06/13/2016), The opening of the first floor grinding used tires

(MAKING ROADS # 73 - May 2016) And performance of the first test section (REPORT CITEVI)

This time a semi-dense mixture was made in a thin layer to surface layer (CAC S 12), the thickness of 40 mm provided. Stability values and design empty% were similar to those made with AM3.

In construction, fabrication, laying and compaction of the mixture was held at the same temperatures that were being made with AM3, with the advantage of better workability in work could be seen as technical.

We will report on the performance of this segment in future editions of the newsletter.