Technical Bulletin: Prime Coat Use (2 Dec 02)
OCAPE The Ohio Center for Asphalt Pavement EducationDedicated to
the dissemination of knowledge leading to the
development,improvement and advancement of quality asphalt pavement
construction.
37 West Broad Street, Suite 460, P.O. Box 16186, Columbus, Ohio
43216888-4HOTMIX (In Ohio), 614-221-5402, 614-221-0394
(Fax)[email protected]
GeneralThe necessity for using prime coat in hot mix
asphalt pavement construction has long been ques-tionable to
pavement engineers. Many ideas andtheories exist about when a prime
coat should orshould not be used. The misapplication of primecoat
has in some cases created environmental con-cerns, and some
engineers have questioned theeconomic benefits of prime. This
technical bulletinprovides information and guidance to help
design-ers decide when prime coat can be effectively used.
What is Prime Coat?Prime coat is the application of a
penetrating liq-
uid asphalt on a compacted aggregate base course.The liquid
asphalt of choice is usually a cutback as-phalt, but a cutback
asphalt emulsion can be used.Regular asphalt emulsions are not
suitable for primebecause they do not penetrate the surface.
A cutback asphalt is asphalt cement cut back,or diluted, with a
distillate (or diluent) derived frompetroleum. Cutback asphalt
liquefies at a lower tem-perature than asphalt cement and is
therefore moresuitable for spraying. Medium curing cutbacks
arecommonly used in Ohio, but rapid curing cutbacksare also
allowed. Although they take longer to cure,medium curing cutbacks
are normally preferredbecause they are safer. Distillates used in
mediumcuring cutbacks are kerosene, or similar material,whereas
gasoline or naphtha are normally used inrapid curing cutbacks.
Upon application, the prime coat material par-tially penetrates
and begins a curing process. Thedistillate evaporates and a film of
asphalt cementremains covering the surface. The evaporation
willdepend on factors such as the kind of distillate inthe cutback
asphalt and the climatic conditions.High temperature, sunshine, and
wind will speedthe curing process, whereas low temperature andlack
of sun and wind will slow the process. The time
required for curing is therefore variable, and 24 to 72hours is
typical, but under best conditions at leastovernight curing should
take place prior to paving.
Ohio Department of Transportation constructionspecifications
address prime coat application. Item408 of the Construction &
Material Specifications(C&MS) states that prime coats should
not beapplied when the surface is wet, when the atmo-spheric
temperature is below 50 F, or when the airtemperature within the
preceding 24 hours has been40 F or lower. However, when placing
prime coatson stabilized or granular base courses, the
minimumatmospheric temperature is 40 F. ODOT specifica-tions
further state that the application rate should besuch that the
prime will be absorbed by the materialwithin 24 hours.
Urban LegendsSome misconceptions exist concerning the use
of prime coat. The first is that prime coat, whenapplied to an
unbound granular layer, providesadditional strength to the
pavement. There is nodenying that anytime an unbound layer of
materialis stabilized it is beneficiated. It is, however,
anoverstatement that a prime coat will result in sub-stantially
improved structural strength.
Strength contribution from prime coats is lim-ited by the
materials ability to penetrate. Uniformlygraded granular surfaces
the kind typically foundafter the placement and compaction of
crushedstone base (ODOT Item 304) in general are verytight. This
tight texture reduces porosity and conse-quently the penetration
depth of the prime (Note:Some granular base materials are coarsely
graded,thereby allowing greater penetration). Moisture inthe
granular base also will retard penetration. Themoisture occupies
the interstices of the stonewhere the prime needs to penetrate. The
minimalamount of penetration is the reason why prime
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coating does not result in a substantial change in thestrength
of the treated surface.
Another urban legend is that untreated baseswill absorb asphalt
binder from the subsequentlyplaced asphalt layerhence the need for
a primecoat. This is false.
The viscosity of asphalt binder used in asphaltpavement
construction is sufficiently high at pavingtemperatures that
absorption by the untreated layercannot occur. Additionally, during
construction, at theinterface of the granular base and the asphalt
layer,the viscosity of the binder immediately increases,further
reducing the opportunity for absorption. Thisis due to the rapid
cooling of the asphalt binder as itis placed in contact with the
much cooler aggregatebase layer.
Environmental ConsiderationsUsing prime coats poses some risk.
Specifically,
prime coat can be washed off if it has not complete-ly cured.
Runoff from treated areas yet uncured cancarry the prime into a
nearby ditch, stream or bodyof water, creating a water quality
concern. Given thevariable cure time for prime material, coupled
withthe limited ability to forecast weather, and the con-straints
of production schedules, properly applyingprime coats is a
challenge. The risks associated withprime coat use should be
carefully weighed againstthe potential benefits.
Appropriate Uses for PrimeThere are several benefits to prime
coat use.
Prime coats can be effectively used to protect pre-viously
placed unbound layers from traffic wear.The phasing of construction
projects may requirethe aggregate base to be left unpaved for a
while.In these instances prime coating the layer helpsmitigate
damage to the aggregate matrix by bind-ing the particles.
Prime coats are also helpful when construc-tion phasing is such
that the unbound layer may
be exposed to weather for an extended period oftime. Priming the
unbound layer will provide someweather proofing imiting the amount
of moistureinto the pavement structure. Moisture infiltration,
ifsubstantial, can be detrimental to the finished pave-ment. Overly
moist conditions in the soil subgradewill reduce its ability to
sustain traffic loads, therebyreducing a pavements serviceable
life.
Some paving personnel believe that primecoats provide a benefit
of limiting the amount ofmix crawl (i.e. sliding) when placing the
first layerof hot mix asphalt on the crushed aggregate base.The
binder in the cured prime provides a surface towhich the hot mix
asphalt can adhere. Mix crawl,however, is a phenomenon that can be
related tothe mixture formulation. It should not be construedthat
the use of prime coats alone will eliminate thephenomenon.
Lastly, prime is effective for dust control.Prime, when applied
to a dry surface, binds the fineaggregate particles that can be
dislodged by trafficand carried away in the wind.
ConclusionsThe use of prime coat must be given thoughtful
consideration before it is specified for a project. Thedesigner
should weigh the potential benefits thatprime coats provide against
the environmental risks.
Prime coating is beneficial for binding the surfaceof an unbound
aggregate layerprotecting the layerfrom degradation caused by
traffic and weathering. Itis also an effective measure at limiting
the amountof moisture intrusion to the pavement thereby pro-tecting
the strength of the subgrade. Prime coatinghas been shown to be
helpful in mitigating crawling ofthe hot mix asphalt when placed on
the aggregatebase. However, it should not be construed that
primecoats alone can eliminate this phenomenon. Finally,prime
coating is known to be an effective dust controlmeasure.
All reasonable care has been taken in preparation of this
Bulletin. However, neither OCAPE or Flexible Pavementsof Ohio can
accept responsibility for the consequence of any inaccuracy that it
may contain.
References:n The Asphalt Handbook, Manual Series No. 4, 1989
Edition, Asphalt Instituten Manual of Procedures for Flexible
Pavement Construction, January 1996, Ohio Department of
Transportationn HOT-MIX ASPHALT PAVING HANDB00K 2000, US Army Corps
of Engineers, Federal Aviation Administration
publication AC 150/5370-14A, Appendix 1 (James A. Scherocman,
Consultant)
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