The use of warm mix asphalt as surfacing on a heavy vehicle route: a case study in South Africa

Warm Mix Asphalt technology was used on a road carrying very heavy coal trucks through a town in the north east of South Africa. The heavy axle loads and long hauling distances of the asphalt created specific challenges and warm mix technologies were used to produce a suitably compactable and highly rut resistant surfacing. One of the main advantages of warm mix asphalt is the shift and extension of the available compaction window, providing contractors with an extended workability period. The paper will provide information on the traffic loading, the mix design, property measurements, construction and performance.