SPECIAL AGENT
SAMIBOND
WITH THE ABILITY TO PERFORM UNDER THE HIGH-STRESS OF AIRCRAFT TRAFFIC, SAMI BITUMEN TECHNOLOGIES SAMIBOND 007 TRACKLESS EMULSION IS PAVING THE WAY FOR NEXT GENERATION AIRPORT ASPHALT.
A
s one of the world’s most iconic characters, James Bond, created by author Ian Fleming in 1953, possesses a number of unique and highly recognisable traits. The Secret Intelligence Service agent, code number 007, is intelligent, cunning and fiercely independent. Mr Bond is also known for his penchant for flying, with his cinematic equivalent chancing down opponents in a Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander aeroplane in the 2015 film Spectre. SAMIbond 007, a special trackless polymer modified cationic bitumen emulsion developed by SAMI Bitumen Technologies in 2019, possesses many similar characteristics: namely strength, agility and an ability to handle aircraft. The emulsion, according to lulian Man, SAMI Technical Services Manager, was designed specifically for airport applications, with high rutting and fatigue resistance engineered into the material. He adds that the central role of SAMIbond 007 is to improve bond strength between asphalt layers. “Due to its good bonding characteristics, SAMIbond 007 is expressly designed to withstand the high shear stresses that develop under aircraft traffic loadings,” lulian says. “The material provides a strong bonding element between base and wearing courses, allowing the pavement to act as a monolithic structure under the very high stresses of airport traffic.” Working at the forefront of next generation airport binder development for more than 15 years, lulian says the importance of airport asphalt strength is well understood by SAMI. “As a company, we are committed to 26
ROADS MAY 2019
SAMIbond 007 is designed to withstand high shear stresses that develop under aircraft traffic loadings.
improving airport asphalt technology, particularly in light of consistent growth in the global aviation sector,” he says. Despite present-day disruptions, aircraft travel is projected to accelerate in coming years. Trends – Transport and Australia’s Development to 2040 and Beyond, a 2016 report published by the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, for instance, predicts international air travel will grow strongly to 2030, with domestic
and international passenger movements through capital cities set to double. The report suggests that growth at major airports is already testing the capacity of airport infrastructure during peak periods. While the Trends report examines airport infrastructure as a whole, lulian suggests the same predictions can be applied to asphalt. “Standard airport pavements, be they, runways, taxiways or parking aprons, have to withstand loads previously unimaginable,
