Rubberized asphalt concrete (RAC),
also known as asphalt rubber or just rubberized asphalt,
is pavement material
that consists of regular asphalt concrete mixed with crumb rubber -- ground, used tires that would
otherwise be discarded or take up space in landfills. Asphalt rubber is
the largest single market for ground rubber in the United States,
consuming an estimated 220 million pounds, or approximately 12 million
tires annually.[1]
Use
of rubberized asphalt as a pavement material was pioneered by the city
of Phoenix, Arizona on several area freeways
in the 1960's because of its high durability.[2]
Since then it has garnered interest for its ability to reduce road
noise.
In 2003 the Arizona Department of
Transportation began a three-year, $34-million Quiet Pavement Pilot
Program, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration
to determine if sound walls can be replaced by rubberized
asphalt to reduce noise alongside highways. After about one year,
asphalt rubber overlays resulted in up to a 12-decibel reduction in road
noise, with a typical reduction of 7 to 9 decibels.[3]
Arizona
has been the leader in using rubberized asphalt, but California, Florida, Texas, South Carolina, and New Mexico are also using asphalt rubber. Tests
are currently underway in other parts of the United States to determine the durability of
rubberized asphalt in northern climates, including a 1.3 mile stretch of
Interstate 405 in Bellevue and Kirkland, Washington[4]
and a handful of local roads in the city of Colorado Springs,
Colorado.[5]
Irkutsk scientists created the know-how of
technology of production of the bitumen-rubber binder using old
automobile tyres.
Trial installations by productivity 1 ton and 15
tons of a composite in one cycle are made.
References
- ^
"Management of Scrap Tires". US Environmental
Protection Agency. http://www.epa.gov/garbage/tires/ground.htm.
- ^
"What is Rubberized Asphalt?".
Arizona Department of Transportation. http://www.azdot.gov/quietroads/what_is_rubberized_asphalt.asp.
- ^
"Silence Please". Associate Construction
Publications. http://www.acppubs.com/article/CA6279032.html. [dead link]
- ^
"Testing Quieter Asphalt". Associate
Construction Publications. http://www.acppubs.com/article/CA6396598.html. [dead link]
- ^
"Rubberized Asphalt Comes To Colorado".
Associate Construction Publications. http://www.acppubs.com/article/CA6376246.html. [dead link]
External links
- Arizona Department of Transportation Quiet Pavement Pilot
Program
- Technology obtaining of the
bitumen-rubber binder (composite) from rubber waste
- Asphalt Rubber Usage Guide,
from California Department of Transportation
Categories: Building materials | Road construction | Pavements | Recycling
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