CRACK InHIBITOR SYSTEM

FLEXIPLAST®

Keeping the cracks in their place

KEY BEnEFITS

Used to repair cracked pavements

Can be applied to all types of structures

A process suitable for all types of traffic

A solution to prevent cracking

KEY FIGuRES

When pavement materials treated with hydraulic binders are laid without pre-cracking, they crack

and can cause damage to surface courses. The techniques employed to avoid these problems must

prevent cracks from propagating to the surface over time while maintaining all pavement qualities

such as inter-layer bonding, structure waterproofing and rutting resistance.

Flexiplast®, developed by Eurovia, is one of the few multi-purpose solutions available to provide such

characteristics.

FLEXIpLAST® CRACK InHIBITOR SYSTEM

Near 3 million m2 applied to date

20 years of technical success

Setra certified since 1998

Certified by the Quebec Ministry of Transport in 2004

French Technical Opinion renewed in 2006

A RECOGnISEd InnOVATIVE pROCES

Flexiplast® combats reflective crack propagation through the layer(s) of asphalt mix that cover it. It separates the layers between which it is laid, while maintaining perfect adhesion between them to avoid premature structural fatigue.

The structure is a two-layer complex made up of a thick membrane of bitumen highly modified with a polymer and a microsurfacing Gripfibre®. The complex is covered with a bituminous structure of a type and thickness appropriate to the traffic level (40 mm minimum). The membrane is made with a binder that remains very elastic even at very low temperatures when the cracks are at maximum opening. Gripfibre® provides thermal and mechanical protection of the membrane’s integrity during asphalt mix laying.

Flexiplast® was selected by the French Direction des Routes highway department as part of the Road Innovation Charter. A certificate was issued by Sétra following conclusive demonstration projects.

An unEquALLEd FLEXIBILITY

Flexiplast® is primarily used to repair cracked pavements. The process is laid at high speed and can be applied to all types of structure, whatever the traffic level.

Flexiplast® is especially recommended for the maintenance of semi-rigid pavements using materials treated with hydraulic binders and rigid concrete pavements (slab rocking < 30/100 mm).

Flexiplast® extends the service life of pavements by reducing the harmful effects of cracking.

The behaviour of the process on the jobsites corroborates the results obtained in the laboratory.

COMpOundpERFORMAnCE

The first layer of the Flexiplast® complex is a membrane of SBS (Styrene Butadiene Styrene) elastomer-modified bitumen, which has excellent elastic properties and very low thermal sensitivity.

The membrane is applied hot to a clean dry substrate by means of a spreader fitted with a heated spray bar. The spread rate is adjusted according to the cracking status of the substrate, the type of materials in which the cracks were initiated and the local weather conditions. It lies within a 2 to 3 kg/m2 range.

The membrane is protected by a dense-graded 0/6 Gripfibre® microsurfacing. The average spread rate is approximately 12 kg/m2 producing a thickness of 6 to 8 mm.

Gripfibre® is manufactured and laid by a special machine which can operate in batch or continuous mode and is equipped with water sprayers to wet the tyres and prevent them from sticking to the membrane.

An OuTSTAndInG TRACK RECORd

Ability to prevent reflective cracking is determined by the shrinkage bending test at the Laboratoire Régional des Ponts et Chaussées in Autun. The tests show that Flexiplast® has a remarkable ability to slow crack propagation, even at the maximum crack opening allowed by the test equipment (7 mm).

Flexiplast® samples having undergone the shrinkage-bending test were subjected to tests which proved that the complex retains its waterproofing properties even after cracking of the surface course.On the Flexiplast® complex covered with 60 mm of asphaltic concrete, the depth of rutting measured by the rutting test (EN 12697-22 standard) is 8% at 30,000 cycles at a temperature of 45°C.

Flexiplast® has been patented and is covered by French Technical Opinion No. 143 issued in September 2006.

Flexiplast® is a registered trademark.

Structure Efficiency

20 mm sand + 60 mm asphaltic concrete 1

Flexiplast® + 60 mm asphaltic concrete

- with 2 kg/m2 membrane

- with 3 kg/m2 membrane

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TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT

18, place de l’Europe - 92565 Rueil-Malmaison Cedex

Tel. : 33 (0)1 47 16 38 00 - Fax : 33 (0)1 47 16 38 01

www.eurovia.com

technique@eurovia.com

Penetration at 25 °C (EN 1426) ≥ 70 mm/10

Ring and ball softening point (EN 1427) ≥ 80 °C

Fraass breaking point (EN 12593) ≤ -17°C

Direct tensile strength at -10 °C and 10 mm/min (EN 13587)

ultimate tensile stress ≤ 2 MPaultimate elongation ≤ 400 %