Dealing With Damaged Paving

Pavement can become damaged and cracked over the years through exposure to the elements and general wear and tear. Foamed bitumen stabilisation (FBS) is a pavement treatment that can restore pavement back to perfect condition in one application. The foamed bitumen process involves the application of a visco-elastic material that creates a durable, moisture-resistant and non-temperature-sensitive surface once it has been compacted. If you are familiar with using deep-lift asphalt, foamed bitumen stabilisation is very similar, but it has a number of advantages over deep-lift asphalt, including its resistance to high temperatures, the amount of bitumen in the mix and its lower cost. 

Where Is Foam Bitumen Stabilisation Used Today?

Foamed bitumen stabilisation has grown in popularity over the past two decades. It is used extensively in pavement rehabilitation projects and new construction projects all around the world. The process has been successfully used when lime and cement are no longer sufficient to support heavy loads on urban arterial roads, freeways, industrial roads and yards, aircraft pavements and container storage facilities. 

The Benefits Of Foamed Bitumen Stabilisation

There are many benefits to using foamed bitumen stabilisation, including the following:

• Has an affinity to most crushed rock aggregates
• Results in a flexible and durable pavement layer
• More cost-effective than alternative bitumen agents
• Foamed bitumen stabilisation ensures pavement is less susceptible to moisture
• Can be a very successful solution for pavement which has previously had a long history of problems
• Reduces the need to import pavement materials
• Allows the finished layer to be used by traffic almost immediately
• Faster than most other pavement repair solutions

The Foamed Bitumen Stabilisation Process

During the foamed bitumen stabilisation process, the bitumen solution is pushed through a nozzle in the expansion chamber and is mixed immediately with aggregate.This is carried out in the mixing and milling chamber of the stabilisation machine. Once the solution is mixed, rollers, graders and water tankers are used to moisten, compact and finish the FBS layer. The best thing about foamed bitumen stabilisation is that the process is much quicker than other pavement restoration solutions and allows pavement users to use the surface almost immediately after application. 

More and more authorities and companies are starting to realise the many benefits of foamed bitumen stabilisation. When you consider the benefits, it is easy to see why this method of pavement repair and replacement will soon become the preferred method for all pavement projects.