Asphalt Material

Asphalt concrete is a construction material widely used for paving driveways, roads, highways and parking lots. It consists of asphalt and mineral aggregate mixed together then laid down in a mat and compacted with a roller or large asphalt press.

Asphalt is generally a dark brown to black substance produced from petrolium byproducts. It is generally applied as a hot substance for easy smoothing and pressing. It is also used as a weatherproofing material.

Asphalt is one of the world's oldest engineering materials, having been used since the beginning of civilization. Around 6000 B.C. the Sumerians had a thriving shipbuilding industry that produced and used asphalt for caulking and waterproofing.

As early as 2600 B.C. the Egyptians were using asphalt as a waterproofing material and also to impregnate the wrappings of mummies as a preservative. Ancient civilizations widely used asphalt as a mortar for building and paving blocks used in temples, irrigation systems, reservoirs, and highways.

The asphalts used by early civilizations occurred naturally and were found in geologic strata as either soft, workable mortars or as hard, brittle black veins of rock formations (also known as asphaltic coal).

Natural asphalts formed when crude petroleum oils worked their way up through cracks and fissures to the earth's surface. The action of the sun and wind drove off the lighter oils and gases, leaving a black residue. Natural asphalts were extensively used until the early 1900s.

The discovery of refining asphalt from crude petroleum and the increasing popularity of the automobile served to greatly expand the asphalt industry.

Modern petroleum asphalt has the same durable qualities as naturally occurring asphalt, with the added advantage of being refined to a uniform condition free from organic and mineral impurities.

Back 02.10.2006.