What type of bituminous emulsion is used for road work?

Bitumen emulsion is a liquid composed of three liquid materials: water, bitumen and an emulsifier. It is used in the course of road works to seal roads and protect them from the elements.

There are a variety of different types of bitumen emulsions which are used in the course of road works and road maintenance. One of the largest defining factors in the different types of bitumen emulsion is the setting time. Longer setting times can cause significant disruption to traffic flow, as roads will be closed for longer. Conversely, bituminous emulsions with shorter setting times allow for minimal disruption following maintenance works.

Bituminous Emulsion Used In Road Work

At BituChem, we use a range of bituminous emulsions and surface dressing emulsion in the course of preventative and reactive road work. This includes our bespoke polymer modified bituminous emulsion, PolyBond

PolyBond

Both PolyBond and PolyBond Duo are polymer-modified bituminous emulsions suitable for bond coating. While PolyBond is available in grades 50, 60 and 65, PolyBond Duo is a 2-in-1 bituminous emulsion which can be applied to both the highway layer and vertical joints at the same time using the spray tanker. This means that there is virtually no need for manual application of PolyBond Duo, which makes it much safer for use in live traffic environments.

BituTack

BituTack is a cationic bituminous emulsion. Cationic emulsions like BituTack are composed of positively charged drops of bitumen which are attracted to the negatively charged road surface. This type of bituminous emulsion breaks faster than other types of emulsion due to the interaction between the positive and negative charges. The result of this is that roads can be opened much quicker following application, causing minimal disruption to traffic flows.

BituTack is available in grades 40, 55, 60 and 70. While BituTack 40 resembles a conventional tack coat, BituTack 70 is designed for traditional tar spray and chip projects.

Bituminous Emulsions from BituChem

At BituChem, we offer a wide range of bituminous emulsions to be used as surface treatments in road construction, repair and maintenance. One of the biggest advantages of using our bituminous emulsions is it offers an ‘all-in-one’ solution which can be safely and efficiently used in live traffic environments. To learn more about our emulsion and surface dressing products, please contact our team today for more information or to schedule a CPD session for your organisation.