Tender Advertisement #911023

Austroads Guide to Pavement Technology Part 4B: Asphalt (AGPT4B/14) details current Australian practice for design and characterisation of performance properties for asphalt mixes. Although the design method in Part 4B represents current practice, the methodology is not adequate to take full advantage of the enhanced performance characteristics that many new asphalt technologies can provide.
Recently, significant changes have occurred in the Australian asphalt industry. Australia is moving from local refineries, where local grades of binders were produced to fully imported bitumen - produced under a different grading systems - blended in Australia to produce local grades. At the same time more efficient asphalt plants have been introduced to the market and ever increasing percentages of RAP being pursued for both sustainability and cost benefits. This evolution of the asphalt market continually reduces the ability to control asphalt mixes by the traditional means of selecting a binder grade and aggregate size, as it is now possible to produce C170 mixes with properties exceeding that of C600 mixes. To reduce risk and control the asphalt mix properties to meet a design intent, new means of specifying mixes need to be pursed using end product specifications as opposed to the current method of controlling input parameters.
The development of a performance based design method will facilitate innovation within the asphalt sector with the potential to provide superior performing and/or enhanced value-for-money solutions, particularly in heavy duty applications. It will also allow these mixes to be compared to conventional mixes on a level playing field. The use of performance based mix design is being adopted on an ever larger scale internationally. However, before further work is performed an agreed specification framework must be established.
Reducing the barriers to entry for more cost effective innovative asphalt technologies, may be expected to lead to significant cost reductions in the construction of asphalt pavements (approx. $2.5 billion of asphalt is placed annually). Significant savings are also expected from the development of a national harmonised asphalt specification framework. Currently, asphalt specifications differ between jurisdictions.
A national performance based asphalt specification framework will lay the foundations and set an agreed direction for future work. This project aims to build on the current body of knowledge included in Part 4B and the asphalt research conducted in Australia in the last three decades.
Deliverables include: Research Report, Scoping Document and Project Webinar
Our consultancy agreement is also includes which outlines our terms and conditions.