DPWH STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS

ON PRIME COAT, TACK COAT, AND

SEAL COAT
 BITUMINOUS PRIME COAT
- A prime coat is an application of a low viscosity asphalt to a granular
base in preparation for an initial layer (or surface course layer) of asphalt. The
purpose of the prime coat is; to coat and bond loose material particles on the
surface of the base, to harden or toughen the base surface to provide a work
platform for construction equipment, to plug capillary voids in the base course
surface to prevent migration of moisture, and to provide adhesion between the
base course and succeeding asphalt course. After applying the prime coat, it
must cure for a minimum of 48-72 hours before asphalt is placed, with no rain
in the forecast.
BITUMINOUS TACK COAT
A tack coat is sprayed on the surface of an existing asphalt or concrete
pavement by a distributor truck immediately prior to placing an overlay. The
goal is to achieve uniform coverage over the entire surface to be paved.
Once the tack coat is in place it should be given time to cure and become
tacky. Normally this would only require a few minutes.
BITUMINOUS SEAL COAT
Seal coating is actually a common type of road resurfacing done on
highways. It involves the application of a special mixture to the road that
protects the road base from additional wear and tear. So its kind of like a
little jacket, but for roads. When its applied over existing pavement, seal
coating is a really cost-effective way of resurfacing that extends the life of
the road by sealing out moisture. It also provides a skid-resistant, anti-glare
surface during wet weather and, because it hardens the surface of gravel
roads, it provides a dust-free driving surface.
 BITUMINOUS PRIME COAT
MaterialRequirements
Bituminous material shall be either Rapid Curing (RC) or Medium Curing(MC) Cut-
back Asphalt,whichever iscalled forin the Billof Quantities.It shall
conformtotherequirementsofItem702,Bituminous Materials.Thetypeand
grade shall be specified in the Special Provisions.
ConstructionRequirements
SurfaceCondition
Prime coat shall be applied only to surfaces which are dry or slightly moist. No
prime coat shall be applied when the weather is foggy or rainy.
 Equipment
The liquid bituminous material shall be sprayed by means of a pressure distributor of not
less than 1000 liters capacity, mounted on pneumatic tires of such width and number that
the load produced on the road surface will not exceed1 kN(100 kgf) per cm width of tire.
The tank shall have a heating device able to heat a complete charge of bituminous liquid
to 180C.Theheating deviceshall besuchthatoverheating will not occur.Consequently,
theflames mustnot directlytouch thecasing ofthe tank containingthe
bituminousliquid.The liquidshall beinsulated insucha way that the drop in temperature
when the tank is filled with bituminous liquid at 180C and not heated will be less than
2Cperhour.Athermometershallbefixedto the tank in order to be able to measure
continuously the temperature of the liquid. The thermometer shall be placed in such a
way that the highest temperature in
tankismeasured.Thetankshallbefurnishedwithacalibrated dipstickto indicate
thecontents.Thepipes forfilling thetank shall befurnished withan easily changeable
filter.
The distributor shall be able to vary the spray width of the bituminous liquid in maximum
stepsof 100 mmto a totalwidth of 4m.The sprayingbar shall have nozzles from which
the liquid is sprayed fan-shaped on the road surface equally distributed over the total
spraying width.
For adding the liquid bituminous material, the distributor shall have a pump either driven
by a separate motor, or with a device to synchronize its speed with
thespeedofthedistributor.Thepumpshallbefurnishedwithanindicator showing
therateof flow.Thesuction sideof thepump shallhave aneasily
changeablefilter.Athermometershallbefixed,suchthatitindicatesthe temperature of
the liquid immediately before it leaves the spraying bar.
The distributor shall be furnished with a tachometer, indicating its forward
speed,whichshallbevisible fromthedriversseat.Thedistributorshallbe designed so
that the deviation from the prescribed rate of application does not exceed 10% and shall
be equipped with a device for hand spraying of the bituminous liquid.
 ApplicationofBituminousMaterial
Immediately before applying the prime coat, the full width of surface to be
treated shall be swept with a power broom and if necessary, scraped to
remove all dirtandotherobjectionablematerials.
WhenrequiredbytheEngineer, immediately prior to the application of the
prime coat, the surface shall be slightly
sprayedwithwaterbutnotsaturated.
Bituminous materialshallbeapplied by means of a pressure distributor at
the temperature.Therate ofapplication ofthebituminous materialshall
bewithin the range of 1 to 2 liters/m, the exact rate to be ordered by the
Engineer.
The prime coat shall be left undisturbed for a period of at least 24 hours and
shall not be opened to traffic until it has penetrated and cured sufficiently so
that itwill notbe pickedup bythe wheelsof passingvehicles.
The Contractor shall maintain theprime coatuntil the nextcourse
isapplied.Care shallbe taken that the application of bituminous material is
not in excess of the specified amount, any excess shall be blotted with sand
or removed as directed by the Engineer.
Allareasinaccessibletothedistributorshallbesprayedmanually using
thedevice forhand spraying.The surfaceof structuresand treesadjacent to
the areas being treated shall be protected in such a manner as to prevent
their being spattered or marred.
BITUMINOUS TACK COAT
The standard specification for Tack Coat is the same as that of the Prime coat.
The difference will be enumerated as follows:

Therate of application of either the Rapid Curing Cut-back or the Emulsified

Asphalt shall be within the range of 0.2 to 0.7 liter/m
The tackcoat shallbe sprayed only so far in advance on the surface course as
will permit it to dry to a
"tackycondition.TheContractorshallmaintainthetackcoatuntilthenext
coursehasbeenapplied.Anyareathathasbecomefouledbytrafficor
otherwise, shall be cleaned and re-sprayed at the Contractors expense before
the next course is applied.
 BITUMINOUS SEAL COAT
Description
This Item shall consist of an application of bituminous material with or without an
application of aggregate on an existing bituminous surface course in accordance with the
Plans and Specifications.
MaterialRequirements
QuantitiesofMaterials
The approximate amounts of materials per square meter for seal coats of the
severaltypes shallbe asprovided inTable

Table 303.1 Quantities ofMaterials for Seal Coats

Type1Type2Type3Bituminous material L/m

Cover Aggregate, kg/m 0.20 0.50none0.50 1.005.00 10.000.85 1.508.00 14.00
Bituminous material shall be Asphalt Cement, Penetration Grade 120-150,Rapid
Curing(RC) orMedium Curing(MC) Cut-backAsphalt.It shallconform to the requirements
of Item 702, Bituminous Materials, whichever is called for in the Bill ofQuantities.The
typeand gradeof asphaltcement orcut-back asphaltwill be specified in the Special
Provisions.
Cover Aggregate for Type 2 seal coat shall consist of sand and fine screenings, reasonably
free from dirt or other organic matter.