Leading contractor, supplier and manufacturer of construction and building materials, Aggregate Industries, has launched SuperBond™ - an innovative single Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB) Bond Coat that replaces the two products used in a two-stage manual application, traditionally used for sealing asphalt pavement layers and joint overbanding.
SuperBond™ was created with health and safety and ease of application in mind. Aggregate Industries developed the product in compliance with all cl.903 of Specification for Highway Works (SHW) requirements. With an associated automated application process, the potential health and safety issues linked with traditional hand lancing can be eradicated; minimising interaction between people, plant and vehicles and reducing the risk of slips, trips and falls, which in turn minimises the risk of strains, burns and scalding. The need for lone working is also removed.
To support its advanced solution, Aggregate Industries identified mechanical spray-bar technology as an innovative application method to lay SuperBond™. To accommodate the bespoke product, the company has modified its integrated sprayjet pavers and spray tankers to allow them to apply SuperBond™ directly onto the pavement surface, construction joints and edges ahead of the surfacing activity; thus removing the requirement for manual application and the associated health and safety risks.
As well as focusing on safety, applying Superbond™ using a spray-tanker is more efficient. It removes the need to store and manually handle the traditional multiple bitumen emulsions and has been found to increase pavement life by increased durability and eliminating water ingression.
Paddy Murphy, Managing Director of Contracting Services at Aggregate Industries said: “One of our key objectives at Aggregate Industries is to achieve Zero Harm, ensuring all our employees return home safely every day. We were keen to address the current manual methods employed across the industry to apply bond coating, joint sealing and overbanding products both from an increased safety point of view and for the betterment of the industry.
“Our technical experts and senior fitters held collaborative innovation sessions with our supply chain partners to identify a product that could meet all SHW cl.903 requirements and seek a solution to apply a single product mechanically.
“Overall, by comparing the traditional two-stage manual operation with automated SuperBond™ application we have realised an invaluable increase not only in operational safety but application efficiency.”
‘SuperBond™ - removal of a two-stage bond coat and joint sealing operation' was been shortlisted in the Bitumen; Asphalt; Contract Surfacing category for the MPA Health & Safety Awards 2016.
More information is available on www.aggregate.com
