BUILDING THE ROADS
OF THE FUTURE
WITH A FOCUS ON DEVELOPING SUSTAINABLE PAVING SOLUTIONS, SAMI BITUMEN TECHNOLOGIES HAS BEEN PIONEERING RESEARCH AND TRIALLING OF SOME UNIQUE PAVEMENT PRODUCTS. SAMI’S GENERAL MANAGER SEBASTIEN CHATARD TALKS ABOUT THE COMPANY’S VISION FOR GREENER ROADS.
W
ith Australia going through an unprecedented period of infrastructure investments, a growing number of agencies, companies and government bodies are embracing the principles of sustainability in infrastructure. A sustainable pavement, as defined by the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), is one that achieves its specific engineering goals, while, on a broader scale, (1) meets basic human needs, (2) uses resources effectively, and (3) preserves/restores surrounding ecosystems. Sebastien Chatard likes to add one more condition to the FHWA definition – and that is durability. He notes that if asphalt binders are designed to improve the serviceability of pavements, they inevitably contribute to effective use of resources and help minimise the need for repair and maintenance, therefore leading to greater sustainability outcomes. It is in line with these principles, he says, that SAMI Bitumen Technologies has been building its growing portfolio of speciality bituminous products. “At SAMI, we have been concentrating on expanding our innovative products list with a sustainability focus for many years. In doing that, our focus has been on developing products that can be applied with lower energy cost and lower carbon emissions into the environment, while improving the long-term performance of asphalt and sprayed seals,” he tells Roads & Infrastructure. SAMIFALT I-BRID One such product that SAMI launched in 2020 and successfully trialled was the SAMIfalt I-Brid, a hybrid asphalt binder with proven rut resistance at elevated road 46
ROADS FEBRUARY 2022
an eye on developing a universal binder suitable for use in different locations and for different types of applications. “As a national player in the bitumen industry, we listen to the local market to learn what’s required for the Australian environment. That’s why we developed SAMIfalt I-Brid as we saw a gap for a ‘universal’ binder,” he says.
Sebastien Chatard, General Manager, SAMI Bitumen Technologies.
temperatures and high flexibility at cold temperatures under heavy traffic. The first application of SAMIfalt I-Brid was at the Bundaberg Airport in Queensland for Bundaberg Council, which was laid by Colas Queensland in June 2020. The binder was required to adhere to the strict requirements for aircraft movement. In March 2021, SAMI in conjunction with Centre State Asphalting paved 540 tonnes of SAMIfalt I-Brid asphalt at Kangaroo Flat, near Bendigo, for Victoria’s Department of Transport. In June SAMI supplied I-Brid binder to Colas’ Newcastle asphalt plant where it was paved as a wearing course on Weakleys Drive. This is one of the busiest roads in the Maitland Council network and the project was carried out on what was considered one of the coldest nights in the last decade. Both trials successfully demonstrated a high-quality binder that’s suitable for all weather conditions and in high traffic areas. Chatard says SAMI developed the SAMIfalt I-Brid as part of a collaborative research project with RMIT University, with
SAMIBOND 007 Year 2021 was also when SAMI’s SAMIbond 007 trackless tack coat cationic bitumen emulsion found widespread use in the industry, Chatard says. SAMI first developed its trackless tackcoat emulsion in 2019 as a solution to improve bonding between the base course and the asphalt overlay in airports, where heavy construction machines are required to traffic the freshly sprayed tack coated surfaces. Improved bonding leads to longer lasting pavements and this has prompted pavement engineers to make the product’s use mandatory on asphalt projects. After being successfully used on a number of airports across Australia, including for runway/taxiway upgrades for the Solomon Airport in Western Australia and the Sydney International Airport, Chatard says the broader construction industry has also adapted the product. “With SAMIbond 007, we have developed a new emulsion-based trackless tack coat to prevent the loss of bond coat due to construction traffic movement. This product has already gained acceptance by the Australian market and is used to improve pavement performance, particularly in high-traffic areas,” he says. REDUCING USE OF CUTTERS Minimising the use of kerosene-based
