Using emulsion to produce warm mix asphalt for flexible road surfaces in Ciudad Real

Some 200 t of C69B2 ECOTEMP emulsion were supplied for the production of the warm mix asphalt to be used in the project to expand the CR-4124 highway in Corral de Calatrava (Ciudad Real).

Dragados is carrying out this project for the Ciudad Real City Council to expand and improve the road surface by laying warm mix bitumen concrete type AC16S SURF over a package of wet-mix macadam. The material was produced and laid by Pavalco, but not before the company's hot mix production plant at its Bolaños de Calatrava facilities were adapted to ensure that the material could be manufactured at the indicated temperatures and the emulsions could be handled as a binder.

The emulsion was specifically formulated for the type of sand and gravel used, which come from the volcanic region itself, using a package of emulsions and specific additives that made it possible to manufacture the mix at under 100 °C and lay and compact it at between 80° and 60°C, which is 50° to 60°C lower than manufacturing temperatures for hot mixes. The base binder of the emulsion was also adjusted to the area's climate by using a bitumen with penetration grade 35/50.