Asphalt Mix for Cold Weather Condition

Increased environmental awareness and stricter emissions regulations have led to a development of warm mix asphalt (WMA) to reduce the high mixing temperatures of regular hot mix asphalt (HMA). Its benefits are reduction in energy consumption during production and reduced emissions during production. All methods Reduce the viscosity of the binder at a sure temperature range, allowing the aggregate to be fully coated at lower temperatures than in HMA production. Previous research has not focused much on how WMA functions in cold weather paving. This paper investigate WMA’s possible in cold weather condition and expressly how Iceland, with such condition, can benefit from it. Reduced emissions are especially beneficial in densely populated areas and in non-open air paving. The decreased viscosity allows effective compaction at lower temperatures where cool down rates are slower. WMA’s disadvantages are mainly related to rutting and moisture susceptibility issues. Using WMA processes at HMA production temperatures: 1) Increases the temperature gap among production and cessation, allowing e.g. increased haul distances 2) Facilitates compaction, which is beneficial for; stiff mixes and RAP, paving during extreme weather conditions and reduction in compaction effort.