First I-Brid asphalt project completed
After 2 years of laboratory testing to develop a high-performance binder that can render superior deformation and cracking resistance properties to asphalt, COLAS paved the first project utilising this binder on the apron at Bundaberg Airport.
The development of the binder was the outcome of an extensive collaborative effort between Melbourne Institute of Technology and SAMI Bitumen Technology’s R&D team. The Bundaberg airport provided an ideal opportunity to evaluate how the binder would behave during handling, mixing with aggregates and paving. The I-Brid binder was produced at SAMI’s Pinkenba plant and transported to COLAS’s asphalt plant in Maryborough. 1,760 tonnes of Marshall Asphalt was mixed and transported 1.5 hours to the site where it was paved in a 50mm layer. The asphalt paving was carried out during the day in the 4th week of June. All the tests conduct on the final compacted layer were within the density specification.
We would like to thank Bundaberg Council for providing an opportunity to allow COLAS to implement new advanced binder technology to ensure that they can achieve a longer life out of their pavement.