Everyone is aware about the benefits and advantages of a good constructed road. Roads play a very serious role in modern society providing services and goods for modern people. Today a vast majority of roads are constructed using Asphalt. Now question arises in your mind is "What is Asphalt"? Asphalt is the sticky dark brown viscous liquid present in some natural deposits like crude petroleum. It is the name given to technically or natural mixture used in road construction for road surfacing and compact.
We see many roads daily and when we talk about the road construction, all are equally constructed but there is a difference arising in the finishing of the road or the surface material used for finishing. Asphalt, also known as bitumen concrete in engineering language is used to give flexible surface to roads. Asphalt road offers many benefits such as smooth and flexible surface including cost efficiency, improved safety and comfort, durability, recyclability and reduction in noise pollution. Sometimes Asphalt or bitumen are confused with tar. Although they are the same in color, they have distinct chemical properties. Tar was early used in road Asphalt, but now has been replaced by refined bitumen or Asphalt. Today Asphalt is more commonly produced as a byproduct of the refining process in the petroleum industry.
Road construction is not as easy as it looks to be, it includes various steps and it starts with its designing and structure including the traffic volume consideration. Then base layer is done by bulldozers and levelers and after base surface coating has to be done. For giving road a smooth surface with flexibility, Asphalt concrete is used. Asphalt requires an aggregate sub base material layer, and then a base layer to be put into first place. Asphalt road construction is configured to support the heavy traffic load and climatic conditions. It is 100% recyclable and saving non renewable natural resources.
With the advancement of technology, Asphalt technology gives assurance about the good drainage system and with skid resistance it can be used where safety is necessary such as outside the schools. The largest use of Asphalt is for making asphalt concrete for road surfaces. It is widely used in airports around the world due to the sturdiness and ability to be repaired quickly, it is widely used for runways dedicated to aircraft landing and taking off. Asphalt is normally stored and transported at 150'C or 300'F temperature. Over 70% of all highways areaved using Asphalt today, according to the US Department of Transportation.