Ground tyre rubber makes asphalted road more durable and cheaper

[rooster59]

Ground tyre rubber makes asphalted road more durable and cheaper

BANGKOK: The engineering faculty of King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi today (Friday) unveiled its research work on the use of a mixture of raw rubber, ground tyre rubber and asphalt in road surfacing which, it claims, makes the road surface last longer and more cost effective.

Mr Sompo Yuwai, chief of the geological technique department of the engineering faculty, said that the mixture of the three materials will improve the quality of road surface and cost less than using asphalt alone in road surfacing.

Mr Sompo Yuwai, chief of the geological technique department of the engineering faculty

The trick, he explained, is that the mixture must be proper – five percent of raw rubber and 11 percent of ground tyre rubber and the rest asphalt and the result will be a product for road surfacing which is better heat resistant, more durable and stiffer making driving safer.

Economically, Mr Sompo pointed out that ground rubber from old tyres is much cheaper than asphalt and this will help in the recycling of unused old tyres.

His department has also developed EPS foam for use in road maintenance in place of asphalt which will help cut down the time in road repairs and, at the same time, the material is more durable than asphalt.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/ground-tyre-rubber-makes-asphalted-road-durable-cheaper/

-- Thai PBS 2016-06-18

[kannot]

Building the roads properly makes them more durable.....................but thats too easy isnt it

[jamesbrock]

Hats off to the Thais for yet another groundbreaking innovation! Where will this genius take us??

On a completely different topic, this 1979 (yes, 1979) report by the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto states:

It has been known for at least 50 years that the addition of rubber to asphalt will produce markedly superior road surfaces...

Edit: forgot the link... http://www.asphaltrubber.org/ARTIC/International/RPA_A1112.pdf

Edited June 17, 2016 by jamesbrock

[bubblegum]

who are they kidding... been done in the west for ages

[daoyai]

What makes this unique and sapecial is the use of 5 percent raw rubber purchased at above market price .

[Oxx]

From 2013:

"Thailand to use surplus rubber for roads"

http://rubberjournalasia.com/thailand-to-use-surplus-rubber-for-roads/

[BigBadGeordie]

It does not matter what you choose to surface the roads with if you only apply a paper thin veneer.

I spread butter on my toast thicker than most of the black top I have seen in Thailand.

Edit. Before anyone asks, yes I do have a high colesterol count.

Edited June 18, 2016 by BigBadGeordie

[thesetat2013]

This is not unusual to use rubber with the asphalt. What is unusual is that this guy actually expects the people who build the roads to be able to properly mix and apply the materials without cutting costs to increase their profit. Building roads is not something new to the world. Except for some reason here in Thailand they just can't seem to do it properly. Perhaps some anti corruption needs to be asserted here to ensure quality for the safety of drivers. Maybe the Thais can make a new committee to investigate and have P. Invoke some article to ensure things are done properly.

Edited June 18, 2016 by thesetat2013

[Oxx]

Maybe there's some expert out there who could offer an opinion on the following: the road surface on many overpasses in Bangkok is made of plates of smooth steel with a thin veneer of tarmac on top. Chemically, the tarmac can't bond with the steel and starts to move and break up within a matter of weeks, leaving extremely slippery patches of steel - particularly when wet. Is this technique used anywhere else in the world? And can it be applied successfully?

[Winniedapu]

Grinding up old tyres is not the answer to subsiding roads or roads with huge potholes.

Competence and an absence of corruption is the answer.

So that won't happen then...

Thailand's roads are often a complete disgrace unless the Highways Department thinks that important people will travel on them in illegally high-speed minibus convoys. Those roads are great. well-maintained.

Winnie

Edited June 18, 2016 by Winniedapu

[SABloke]

Hats off to the Thais for yet another groundbreaking innovation! Where will this genius take us??

On a completely different topic, this 1979 (yes, 1979) report by the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto states:

It has been known for at least 50 years that the addition of rubber to asphalt will produce markedly superior road surfaces...

Edit: forgot the link... http://www.asphaltrubber.org/ARTIC/International/RPA_A1112.pdf

I don't see them claiming an innovation...they released their test results. Considering that Thailand has a difderent climate to Toronto any half-decent researcher would do practical tests. I think it's the same with most things e.g. the tyres were invented a long time ago, but tyre companies still do tests and improve their tyres every year. Do you think the Canadian government would invest billions of dollars building a dam, for example, based on a Swiss design for one, without local engineers testing the feasibility of the design

[Winniedapu]

Hats off to the Thais for yet another groundbreaking innovation! Where will this genius take us??

On a completely different topic, this 1979 (yes, 1979) report by the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto states:

It has been known for at least 50 years that the addition of rubber to asphalt will produce markedly superior road surfaces...

Edit: forgot the link... http://www.asphaltrubber.org/ARTIC/International/RPA_A1112.pdf

I don't see them claiming an innovation...they released their test results. Considering that Thailand has a difderent climate to Toronto any half-decent researcher would do practical tests. I think it's the same with most things e.g. the tyres were invented a long time ago, but tyre companies still do tests and improve their tyres every year. Do you think the Canadian government would invest billions of dollars building a dam, for example, based on a Swiss design for one, without local engineers testing the feasibility of the design

Actually they did:

"The engineering faculty of King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi today (Friday) unveiled its research work on the use of a mixture of raw rubber, ground tyre rubber and asphalt in road surfacing which, it claims, makes the road surface last longer and more cost effective."

So this remarkable piece of university research appears to discover what has been commonly known for more than 80 years.

Sounds about right.

Winnie

[Emster23]

Truly fine example of "Where the rubber meets the road". Maybe they could do a study of mixing in brown envelopes. Must be lots of those used and lying about with road projects here in LOS.

[jamesbrock]

Do you think the Canadian government would invest billions of dollars building a dam, for example, based on a Swiss design for one, without local engineers testing the feasibility of the design

Of course not, but do you think the Canadian National Broadcaster would present said R&D into dam design as a newsworthy story? Even if the trick, they explained, was to use the proper mixture of cement?

[kannot]

i think they should use 100% rubber that way accidents wouldnt have casualties as they'll just bounce

[fakename]

Emster, great idea, jut need to mix the right percentage of new and used envelopes. shouldnt take them long to figure out what is right.

[jaltsc]

Cheaper Roads...

As though the roads weren't dangerous enough. Somehow they will find a way to "cut" the rubber with cheap additions, and make it more profitable for the contractors, while the lack of safety will not change.

Edited June 18, 2016 by jaltsc

[useronthenet]

Pioneers on this technology were the Dutch, which have been using rubber for years on their highways.

[Strangebrew]

Here is a freebie If you add shredded plastic to cement it increase the strength of said cement 5 fold plus reduces costs of building. The plastic allows the cement to expand and contract thus reducing cracking in the structures. If you want proper ratio goggle it.

[whatproblem]

But more importantly is what is the scope for corruption in the use of rubber

[eliotness]

Even if the roads were constructed to a higher standard, the amount of overloaded trucks using the roads would still cause the roads to break-up, just take a wee bit longer.

[Dexlowe]

Here is a freebie If you add shredded plastic to cement it increase the strength of said cement 5 fold plus reduces costs of building. The plastic allows the cement to expand and contract thus reducing cracking in the structures. If you want proper ratio goggle it.

Stop complicating the issue. This is research for 2036.

[SABloke]

Hats off to the Thais for yet another groundbreaking innovation! Where will this genius take us??

On a completely different topic, this 1979 (yes, 1979) report by the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto states:

It has been known for at least 50 years that the addition of rubber to asphalt will produce markedly superior road surfaces...

Edit: forgot the link... http://www.asphaltrubber.org/ARTIC/International/RPA_A1112.pdf

I don't see them claiming an innovation...they released their test results. Considering that Thailand has a difderent climate to Toronto any half-decent researcher would do practical tests. I think it's the same with most things e.g. the tyres were invented a long time ago, but tyre companies still do tests and improve their tyres every year. Do you think the Canadian government would invest billions of dollars building a dam, for example, based on a Swiss design for one, without local engineers testing the feasibility of the design

Actually they did:

"The engineering faculty of King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi today (Friday) unveiled its research work on the use of a mixture of raw rubber, ground tyre rubber and asphalt in road surfacing which, it claims, makes the road surface last longer and more cost effective."

So this remarkable piece of university research appears to discover what has been commonly known for more than 80 years.

Sounds about right.

Winnie

Again, it says they unveiled THEIR research on the topic. The word ''claim'' could be replaced with ''say'' and it totally changes the meaning of the statement (it's translated remember)

[DrTuner]

After the Thais are done with their tires there ain't much to grind left. Most drive them until the metal mesh.

[GiantFan]

Did it back home 20 years ago. Had a summer heatwave and something leached out. First rainstorm it was like a skating rink. They replaced it the next week.

[gandalf12]

who are they kidding... been done in the west for ages

Agreed but with the relatively poor grasp of English it is a milestone for Thailand

[DavisH]

Did it back home 20 years ago. Had a summer heatwave and something leached out. First rainstorm it was like a skating rink. They replaced it the next week.

One would hope they have tested this mixture under ALL weather conditions.

Anyway, this idea has been around decades. I don't see the researchers claiming this as a 'new innovation'; however, I wonder why they seem to have reinvented the wheel. It's the same with education - there will be a new revolution next year but the ideas have been around years already. It's something about Thais not being about to accept any research not done here - they can't acknowledge that others know better (or at least have done these things before). Thailand isn't all that special - ideas for research should come from overseas and be adapted to the local conditions. There's no point in wasting money on research that is already common knowledge.

[tails]

they took almost 4 months to completely 'upgrade' our 2km road less than a year ago and it's already cracking up....

[DrTuner]

Did it back home 20 years ago. Had a summer heatwave and something leached out. First rainstorm it was like a skating rink. They replaced it the next week.

This was something every one knew back in Finland. Fresh asphalt + rain = slippery. It went away after the road had been used for a while, likely the oils rising to surface at first. People had experience with driving on ice, so no problems.

[williamgeorgeallen]

using more rubber in the roads might help them bend as they subside around the dams that have dried out. but seriously my engineer mate said there is some special matting used under roads in most of the developed world. it is expensive so is not generally used in thailand, possibly the money allotted to buying it has to be spent else where to ensure the the happiness of the people. when the road is completed it looks the same either way so is obviously not that important in the short term.