South Tyrol also tests Gipave®, the polymeric supermodifier containing graphene and technically selected plastic. The experimentation is part of a wider plan that included innovative modification technologies and the use of specially formulated bituminous emulsions. The main aim of the test is to verify, even in environments with different atmospheric conditions, the results already achieved in laboratory and through other trials, which demonstrate the improvement of the asphalt performances, in particular as regards the increase in resistance and the ability to withstand temperature changes, thus obtaining asphalt pavements that last much longer than the traditional ones.
Begun on May 27 and finished on May 28, the works involved the paving of the SP62 from km 6.450 to km 7.400, near Laimburg. In addition to the new Gipave® graphene-based polymeric supermodifier, other traditional technologies have also been investigated, such as the polymeric compound named Superplast (mixture of plastomeric polymers) which improves the physical-mechanical performance of asphalt and the bituminous antisticking emulsion (which avoids the adhesion of truck tires during road construction). The trial involved the reconstruction of the deep layer of binder (8 cm thick) and the wearing course (3 cm thick) of four sections, each 200 meters long.
Trial section near Laimburg (BZ)