Why Are Polymers Important For Road Preservation?
Unlike most companies, who still use the same old formulas for their highway surfacing materials, BituChem is at the forefront of innovation when it comes to road preservation. For an example of that innovation, you only need to look at our early adoption of polymer-based bituminous materials.
What are Polymers?
Polymers are substances that consist of a long chain of thousands of smaller atomic parts. They are common in nature because of their durability and ability to pass on information and energy – this makes them ideal building blocks for life. DNA strands are a commonly cited example of natural polymers. Examples of non-natural polymers include graphene and other carbon materials, plastics, and epoxy resins.
What Makes Polymers Ideal Building Materials?
It’s their inherent durability that makes them ideal building materials. At BituChem, we use polymers to reinforce existing road structures, such as highway surfacing. These polymers increase the strength and durability of these structures. According to Dr. Eyad Masad, of Texas AM University at Qatar’s Mechanical Engineering department, applying polymer-based bituminous structures — even to subgrade soil — results in higher strength and stiffness than even traditional concrete.
Further studies have even shown that the use of polymer-based bituminous products decreases soil erosion — a known contributor towards sub-structural road damage. Soil erosion also leads to serious issues for plant and animal life, such as loss of habit for local wildlife and destruction of root systems – which ultimately contributes to climate change.
You only need to look to Jambulingham Street, in Chennai’s Nungambakkam area, to see the long-term benefits of using polymers in highway surfacing preservation. Despite floods, monsoons, heatwaves, and considerable inner-city traffic, Jambulingham Street has not developed a single crack or pothole in the 20 years since it was laid. Thanks to these incredible results, the use of polymer-based products in road preservation has become increasingly common.
Innovating Road Preservation from BituChem
Our own polymer-based bitumen products combine the malleability of traditional carbon-based bitumen with the inherent strength of polymer structures. They have been praised by both government bodies and industry leaders for their high quality and the versatility of the wider range. But this is only the start of how we are innovating and redefining the road preservation and highway surfacing industry.
Our range has been designed to suit a wide variety of situations and use cases. Several of our products come in both polymer and non-polymer varieties, and many are based on cold-mix bitumen — making them extremely cost-effective and ideal for applying in any weather conditions. Whether you’re looking to resurface a busy motorway between two cities, or just want to fill in a few potholes on a quiet country road, we can provide you with the proper solution for your road preservation needs.
Get in touch with us today to find out how your organization can use our products in your road preservation strategy.
