WHAT IS MASTIC ASPHALT

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WHAT IS MASTIC ASPHALT

Home Historical background Uses of mastic asphalt Manufacturing Installation British Standards Rock Asphalte Agrement Certificates Technical Specifications Examples Web Site

Mastic Asphalt is a black material, usually solid at ambient temperatures which softens then melts when heated. It can be poured and then spread or cast to accommodate almost any shape. After spreading it does NOT need to be compacted by rollers or machines.

Mastic Asphalt An asphalt, which is specially formulated to provide ideal waterproofing and other mechanical properties
More information about the components of asphalt and mastic asphalt Aggregates Filler Bitumen Trinidad Lake Asphalt Rock Asphalt Typical Mix Formulations Proprietary Additives

Aggregates: This is the largest component by weight of mastic asphalt formulation, usually making up 70-90% of the mixture. Aggregates can be stones, crushed or natural, or sands. There are an enormous number of possibilities of types and size or grading. Usually the choice is limited to those aggregates which are locally available close to the manufacturing plant. Aggregates are a relatively low cost component, hence the need to use locally available stones. For most mastic asphalts there are standards which must be met, e.g. in the UK there are British Standards which specify selection of aggregates. For mastic asphalt the aggregates used for roofing materials will normally be a fine particles mostly passing a 5mm sieve. The paving grade of mastic asphalt will use stones up to 10mm in diameter. For lighter trafficked areas a smaller stone may be specified.

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10/30/2009 3:58 PM

WHAT IS MASTIC ASPHALT

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Filler: To obtain an ideal waterproofing material there must be no voids in the mixture. This is essential for mastic asphalt formulations, but not so for road asphalts. Fillers are used to help fill the voids (spaces) between the larger stone aggregates. Normally these fillers are finely crushed limestone. Road asphalt normally use a fine limestone mostly all passing through a 75 micron sieve. For mastic asphalt a special limestone filler is used with a range of particle sizes from 1mm and less, with about 70% passing a 75micron sieve. As with aggregates there are British Standard which specify the grading for asphalt fillers.For mastic asphalt the limestone filler makes up a large proportion of the total mix Bitumen. The selection of the bitumen binder is very important in any asphalt. For mastic asphalt a straight run pen grade bitumen between 15 to 50 pen is normally used. Because mastic asphalt needs to be completely waterproof it contains high levels of bitumen - compared to the asphalt materials used in road surfacing. Typical percentages are shown in the Table below. For more information on this vital component see our more detailed bitumen information page. Trinidad Lake Asphalt - sometimes called Epur, is a material which is "mined" or extracted from a naturally occuring "asphalt" lake in Trinidad. it is an asphalt in that it is composed of fine mineral matter ( like a filler), with about 50% of a bituminous binder which has a fairly low pen value. This material was widely used as a binder in many early asphalt road surfacings, but the lower cost bitumens from crude oil refining nowadays exclude use of Lake Asphalt for road materials, although it is sometimes used as an additive in mastic asphalt to enhance its mechanical properties. In this useage it has faced competition from various polymer additives. Lake Asphalt is never used alone as a "mastic asphalt" Rock Asphalt This material is also a naturally occuring mineral from various parts of the world. Like Epur , is a mix of fine mineral matter with hard bituminous binder. Not used in modern mastic or road asphalts. Rock Asphalte Limited the company with an "e" - is now the leading UK producer of mastic asphalt ! Proprietary Additives. Despite the variety of grades of the bitumen binder, with a whole range of technical and mechanical properties, the performance demands of modern roofing and paving has seen the use of additives for bitumen which enhance various aspects of their performance. These are often but not exclusively organic polymers which improve such properties as low temperature flexibility, resistance to thermal cracking, and for paving, increased resistance to rutting and deformation. ROCK ASPHALTE lead the industry in 1986 with the introduction of POMMAR, the world's first polymer modified mastic asphalt, used principally as a roofing grade. Shortly after this Rock Asphalte followed with another first with POMPAV - a new polymer modified paving grade of mastic asphalt. Typical Mix Formulations. Although these will vary between manufacturers, here are typical starting formulations for roofing and paving grades of mastic asphalt Material Roofing Grade Paving Grade Bitumen 50 pen (12%) 20 pen (9%) Limestone Filler 82% 51% Grit 6% not used Stone (6mm 10mm) not used 40%

The bitumen content of mastic asphalt is much higher than in road grades asphalt. Mastic asphalt is described as being "rich" in bitumen, and results in a material which is 100% waterproof.

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