Northern exposure — will asphalt interlayers work as well in Canada as they do in the U.S.?

By October 27, 2022 Asphalt

Aramid-reinforced asphalt interlayer

A white paper study will form the basis of a presentation at the upcoming 67th Annual Conference of the Canadian Technical Asphalt Association in November, and it’s sure to raise some eyebrows. Phil Blankenship, president of Blankenship Asphalt Tech and Training (BATT Lab) in Richmond, KY, will detail the findings of his lab’s test of an aramid-reinforced asphalt interlayer that shows great promise for performing well in Canada’s frigid climate.

“Asphalt interlayers have been a proven technology in the U.S. since 1998,” said Blankenship. “But in 2006 we made significant improvements to mix designs that now retard reflective cracking better than ever.”

Screen Shot 2022-10-27 at 2.33.01 PM

He believes the time is right to move the technology north to Canada and submit it to field trials. “The high values and test temperatures we saw will blow people away.”

The BATT Lab tested a design that utilized aggregates and bitumen sourced in Canada and incorporated Surface Tech’s ARMI solution to produce an aramid reinforced composite asphalt mix. They ran several levels of performance tests, and the mix demonstrated what Blankenship termed as “incredible” crack resistance.

If you find the following IDEAL CT test results intriguing and the flexibility demonstrated in the photo, you may want to check out the white paper, or better yet, plan to attend Blankenship’s presentation and learn about it firsthand.

IDEAL CT test results