Paving Your Driveway More Successfully

How Is Asphalt Made?

Asphalt is the most commonly used paving material in the world. Most of the roads we drive on and the parking lots where we leave our cars are paved using this material. As popular as it is, asphalt isn't a new material. Naturally occurring asphalt was used as far back as 6000 B.C., when it was used for waterproofing and caulking.

Despite the availability of naturally occurring asphalt, there isn't enough of it available to meet the world's paving needs. Therefore, much of the asphalt used in the world is actually manufactured from another substance.

Manufacturing Asphalt

Asphalt, also known as bitumen, is actually a byproduct of the petroleum refining process. The same process that provides fuel for vehicles also provides the substance that is used to make the surface that the cars will drive on.  

In the petroleum refining process, the crude oil is heated in a fractional distillation tower. The lighter components such as gasoline and diesel rise to various heights where they are drawn off. This leaves behind a heavy residue which is what is known as asphalt cement.

After the Distillation

After asphalt cement is produced by the distillation process, a number of things can be done to it. These include the following:

1. Cutting back: This is the blending of the asphalt with a volatile substance to create a product that is softer. This makes it more workable at lower temperatures.

2. Emulsifying: The asphalt cement can be emulsified so that the final result is a liquid that's easy to mix with aggregate and can be sprayed or pumped through a pipe.

3. Pulverizing: This is done to produce powdered asphalt.

4. Air blowing: This is done if the asphalt is to be used for other purposes other than paving such as pipe coating and roofing.

Recycled Asphalt

Although it's a byproduct of petroleum distillation, asphalt has proven to be a very environmentally-friendly product. This is because asphalt is completely recyclable and can be reused over and over again. The recycling process is relatively simple. The chunks of asphalt are loaded into an asphalt recycler where they are mixed with some additives and water. The mixture can be heated for around 20 minutes before being reused. If cold recycling is done, no heating is required.

Recycling asphalt is very good for the environment, and it has also made asphalt services much cheaper than they would have been. Consult an asphalt repair services contractor like J R Paving Co to learn what type of asphalt is best for your repair needs.