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When Choosing the Right Asphalt Pavement Material, the
Road Leads to Lightweight Aggregate.
Expanded Clay Lightweight Aggregate has been used on all types of asphalt
roads (rural, city and freeways) with proven superior performance. First
introduced to the asphalt market over forty years ago, the use of lightweight
aggregate in the United States currently exceeds 3,000 miles of asphalt
pavement annually. Lightweight aggregate asphalt paving has been used in more
than twenty states because total installed costs are competitive with normal
weight aggregates and because lightweight aggregate asphalt pavements offer
many advantages over asphalt made with ordinary aggregates.
The Material
Big River expanded clay lightweight aggregate has a long track record of
quality and performance. Since its development in the early 1900s,
lightweight aggregate produced by the rotary kiln process has been used extensively
in asphalt road surfaces, concrete bridge decks, high-rise buildings,
concrete precast/prestressed elements, concrete masonry and geotechnical
applications. The quality of Big River lightweight aggregate results from a
carefully controlled manufacturing process. In a rotary kiln, selectively
mined clay is fired at temperatures of approximately 2000° F, producing a
lightweight, ceramic aggregate. The aggregate is then processed to precise
gradations for use in a variety of engineered applications. The result is a
high quality, lightweight aggregate that is inert, durable, and tough. Its
rough texture and system of non-connected internal voids creates excellent
bond to asphalt and produces superior skid resistance that never diminishes,
Big River lightweight aggregate has the properties needed to provide
economical solutions to a variety of asphalt paving problems.
Lightweight Aggregate Can Save Lives and Saves Money
Asphalt road surfaces made with Big River lightweight aggregates are safer
due to superior skid resistance. The high skid resistance is a result of the
aggregate's rough micro surface texture. Pavements made with ordinary
aggregates (limestones, dolomites and gravel) tend to become slick as the
aggregates polish under the action of traffic and lose a large percentage of
their skid resistance. Lightweight aggregates do not polish as they wear
because fresh interior cells with rough ceramic edges are continually
exposed. As a result the pavement maintains the same excellent skid
resistance throughout its service life.
Big River lightweight aggregates are the proven solution for cost-sensitive
highway departments and road commissions. The combination of lower direct and
indirect costs over the service life of the pavement is the reason more state
and local transportation departments are specifying lightweight aggregates.
In addition, lower liability costs result from using low density aggregates
that will not damage windshields and maintain their skid resistance. For more
information on the benefits of lightweight aggregate asphalt, please refer to
the "The Premium Paving Aggregate" [Link]and "On the
Surface" [Link].
Product Documents:
· The Premium Paving
Aggregate
· Chip Seal Brochure
 
Chip Rock Chip Application
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