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Pavement Preservation

Asphalt polymer innovations

At BASF, we are committed to helping our customers create roads that are safer, long lasting, and more cost effective. We are proud to partner with the pavement industry to develop chemistry that meet the highest highway standards and preserves today’s roads for tomorrow.

Polymer innovation is the driving force behind asphalt roads performing better and lasting longer. If you're in the country, city, or somewhere in between, pavement preservation with systematic scheduled maintenance programs are a must. BASF polymers will help protect and extend pavement service life, promote safer road conditions, and prevent structural failure. 

Whether you want to polymer modify slurry applications for preservation, make thin overlays for maintenance, open graded friction course for driver safety, porous asphalt for conservation, or want to improve strength and reduce tracking of bond coat emulsions, BASF technologies can help. 

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Applications

Chip sealing
Chip sealing
Chip sealing surface treatments extend the service life of existing pavement by filling small cracks and voids to prevent water and air from entering the pavement base and sub-base. Chip sealing consists of spraying a liquid asphalt binder onto the existing pavement and covering with a compatible aggregate. This maintenance application provides protection for the pavement base and sub-base and a satisfactory wearing surface for up to seven years or longer. Chip sealing also improves skid resistance. Chip sealing is applied with an asphalt distributor, aggregate spreader and rubber tire roller.
  1. Butonal NS 198
  2. Butonal NX 4190
Fog seal
Fog seal
A low cost preventive maintenance application applying a diluted emulsion to an existing asphalt road surface to enhance the road surface, reduce raveling, and extend the surface life of the pavement. Polymer modified fog seals are also used on open graded friction course pavements to prevent raveling and on existing chip seals to reduce chip loss.
  1. Acronal NX 4627
Micro surfacing
Micro surfacing
Micro surfacing surface treatments extend the service life of existing pavement by waterproofing the pavement base and sub-base. Micro surfacing involves the placement of a polymer-modified slurry mixture consisting of dense graded aggregates, asphalt emulsion binder, mineral fillers, additives and water onto the existing pavement. Micro surfacing applications typically have a surface life of up to 10 years or longer, and they help improve skid resistance. Micro surfacing slurry mixtures are mixed and placed by a single machine designed specifically for this purpose.
  1. Butonal NX 4190
Reduced tracking bond coats
Reduced tracking bond coats
Bond coats, commonly referred to as tack coats, are a light and even distribution of an asphalt emulsion applied during resurfacing which provide an adhesive bond between asphalt layers. Polymer modified bond coats reduce the tracking to ensure the emulsion stays in place during construction. The bond coats improve the adhesive strength to reduce raveling and help prevent failures.

This adhesive asphalt layer is placed between applications of old and new asphalt mix to prevent slippage and provide a strong bond to the old surface. Asphalt emulsions are the preferred bond coat. Compared to hot asphalt, emulsions more easily penetrate the micro surface of the old pavement to improve the bond between hot mix layers. Emulsions are also produced at lower temperatures resulting in reduced emissions and improved eco-efficiency. Additional performance improvements can be obtained with the polymer modification of these asphalt emulsions. 
  1. Acronal NX 4627
Thin lift overlay
Thin lift overlay
Thin lift asphalt overlays are utilized in maintenance programs to extend the surface life of existing pavement. The paver-placed asphalt mix product is manufactured at a central asphalt mix plant adhering to the asphalt mix design specifications. Mix designs can be open graded or dense graded. The finished pavement product is generally 1 inch or less in thickness. A typical asphalt maintenance overlay has an expected service life of up to 10 years. Thin lift asphalt maintenance overlays are placed with a conventional asphalt paver and include both steel and rubber tire rollers.
Slurry seal
Slurry seal
Slurry seals are a preventive maintenance surface treatment of emulsified asphalt, dense graded aggregate, additives, and water that seals the asphalt pavement and improves the texture of the road surface.
Slurry seals may be polymer modified to enhance performance, improve adhesion, and extend application life span.
  1. Butonal NS 175
  2. Butonal NX 1129
  3. Butonal NX 4190
NOTE - Existing engineered pavements receiving these surface treatment applications must show no signs of base or sub-base failures and have minimal surface distress. Applications should be on dry and clean pavements only. Applications should only be performed with ambient temperatures of 50° F or higher, and no forecasts of rainfall within 48 hours of completion. Aggregates should be tested for proper gradation, cleanliness and compatibility with the proposed liquid asphalt binder.

Product Brands

Pavement preservation products
Butonal® styrene-butadiene binders have helped engineers and the public transportation community improve the performance of pavement surface treatments and asphalt mix maintenance overlays for over 30 years. Acronal® acrylic binders offer lasting innovation in asphalt applications. 
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Market insights

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Resources
We continue to innovate, so you continue to succeed. Innovation is a core value at BASF and we strive to collaborate with our customers by providing them a network of robust information. Browse additional resources and industry associations. 
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Asphalt Lab Quick Tips
Also don't forget to watch our videos that provide additional information on lab testing procedures.
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