After the emergence of bitumen and with the progress of various sciences and technologies, various materials were produced from this useful material, of which asphalt is one of the most important. Today, asphalt has many applications in various industries, especially road and road construction industry. In general, asphalts are a combination of several materials such as bitumen and sand, but according to the way of production and application, they include different types such as hot asphalt, cold asphalt, and protective asphalt, and each of them can have its own characteristics, capabilities, advantages, and disadvantages. Have
What is asphalt?
Before comparing hot and cold asphalt, it is necessary to be familiar with the nature of asphalt. In general, asphalt is a black material that is produced from the combination of materials such as gravel, sand, bitumen and other additives. The combination of these materials produces a sticky material that is used for leveling and smoothing different surfaces. Due to its composition, this material can be highly resistant to moisture, heat, pressure, weight, etc. Among the most important applications of asphalt, we can mention things such as covering the surface of roads, insulating roofs, insulating water tanks, water reservoirs, toilets, etc., using it as the facade of water dams, increasing the strength of structures, etc.
Hot asphalt and its types
Hot asphalt is actually a type of asphalt whose ingredients are mixed together under very high temperatures (about 105 to 163 degrees Celsius) and must be consumed immediately after production. This asphalt is the most permanent type of asphalt, and the lower its temperature, the harder it will be to use. Since a large amount of hot asphalt is formed from stone mixtures, it can be suitable for high-traffic and heavy roads such as airports and highways. Hot mixed asphalts are divided into different categories in terms of road paving, which are:
Upper crust
The top layer is the last layer of asphalt that is in direct contact with the outside and vehicular traffic. This layer, which is fine-grained and has a lot of empty space between its grains, should have a high resistance to weather changes and heavy traffic, and this resistance should be permanent.
Lining layer
The lining layer is placed between the top layer and the bitumen base layer, and its granularity is larger than the top layer (dimensions 5 to 19 mm) and has less bitumen.
Bituminous base layer
This layer is basically the first layer of asphalt pavement and is placed directly on the subbase layer. The granularity of this layer is lower than the lining layer and coarse top layer (50 to 75 mm) and its amount of bitumen is less. The bituminous base with open grains acts as a drainage layer and drains the water infiltrating the asphalt.
Coarse grain mastic asphalt
As mentioned, the number of multiple layers of hot asphalt is one of the differences between hot and cold asphalt. One of the examples of warm asphalt with separate grains is coarse grain mastic asphalt, which consists of two parts of coarse aggregates filled with bitumen. This asphalt increases the friction coefficient and sliding resistance of the surface and acts as a drainage layer for surface water.
Asphalt sand
This asphalt is also one of the types of hot asphalt, which is formed by mixing broken sand and pure bitumen like natural bitumen. This asphalt is originally used as a protective layer on old surfaces and before coating with a thickness of at least 15 mm.
Porous asphalt
Porous asphalt is one of the warm asphalts that is produced from crushed stone materials and modified pure bitumen and can be used as an alternative layer for the top layer.
Cold asphalt
Cold mix asphalt is a type of asphalt made from the combination of bitumen emulsion or soluble bitumen with aggregates. The main point of producing this asphalt is mixing the materials at ambient temperature. Cold asphalt mixtures that are prepared with soluble bitumen such as MC-3000 or SC-3000, like hot asphalt, must be mixed with bitumen at a temperature of 95 degrees Celsius or more and spread and compacted around the same temperature. This asphalt can be transported and used over long distances. This asphalt can have many applications due to the way it is produced, the presence of high humidity, the possibility of long-term transportation, etc. Cold asphalts, like hot asphalts, can have different types based on how they are produced, which are as follows:
Emulsion asphalts
This cold asphalt is produced in factories and after production for use, it is transported to the place of consumption. Due to its high permeability, this type of cold asphalt will be widely used in places where water stagnation causes various problems.
Mixed asphalt
Cold mixed asphalt is also a type of cold asphalt that will be made both in the place of use and in factories. In the environments where cold mixed asphalt is made and used, first, pebbles and different stone materials are poured on the desired surface, and after that bitumen spraying will be done. In the factories, the materials of this type of cold asphalt are already mixed with each other and are used in a specific place after being transported.
The difference between hot and cold asphalt
As it was said, hot and cold asphalts can have a lot of variety based on the way they are produced, and each one has different categories. Gilsonite mineral bitumen is also used to increase the quality of these asphalts, which has unique physical and chemical characteristics compared to industrial and chemical bitumen. Among the most important differences between hot and cold asphalt, the following can be mentioned:
How to produce
The most important difference between these asphalts is the way they are produced, because the production of hot asphalts is done in the factory and under high temperatures, but cold asphalt can be produced both in the factory and on site.
Transportation and maintenance
In terms of transportation and maintenance, these two types of asphalt are different. As mentioned, cold asphalts can be transported over long distances and used easily, while hot asphalts do not have this ability, because as its temperature decreases, it will be harder to use and consume. In principle, hot asphalt should be consumed immediately after production so that it sets faster and has a higher resistance to pressure, traffic, humidity, etc.
Place of use
Another difference between hot and cold asphalt is the place of use. Hot asphalts can be used in many places and geographical situations, while cold asphalts are usually used for spotting and repairing damaged areas of asphalt. Cold asphalts for staining can have three different types, which include non-immediate use staining mixtures, immediate use cold asphalt mixtures, and exclusive cold staining mixtures, and each of them can have different physical and chemical characteristics.
The final conclusion
Asphalt, as a material produced from the combination of bitumen, sand and sand, has different types such as cold, hot and protective asphalts, and each of them can have different features, capabilities and applications. The most important difference between cold asphalts and hot asphalts includes conditions and methods of production, transportation and usage, types of applications and usage, etc., and each of them can have different types.
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