In 2023, the asphalt industry felt the impacts of legislation, new specifications for mix designs and an increased emphasis on Balanced Mix Design. This blog explores what the author sees as the most pressing topics of last year and how each will continue to impact the industry.

Binder testing in the BATT Lab combines decades of expertise with the latest in testing equipment to provide feedback on how a wide range of binders will perform in the asphalt mix.

The challenge in improving sustainability for asphalt pavements lies in two primary areas where the goal is to produce less CO2: 1) Materials selection (Cradle to Gate); 2) construction methods (Cradle to Site). Improvements in both areas seek to make pavement life expectancy longer (Cradle to Grave), also referred to as pavement Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).

In August 2023, the BATT Team wrapped up a project that combined in-depth pavement condition analysis with a unique blend of advanced materials and advanced quality assurance (QA) testing to create a strategy that could well become the standard-bearer for changing best practices in asphalt pavements.

A new service from BATT employs an AI-enhanced monitoring system to produce an accurate and in-depth analysis of pavement conditions. BATT Vision provides a leap forward in detecting the extent and severity of pavement distresses.

Superpave is increasingly giving way to Balanced Mix Design as a method for achieving improved longevity and performance from asphalt pavements.

The BATT Lab worked with Surface Tech to develop a tough aramid-reinforced interlayer that offers an easy-to-install and cost-effective alternative to third party fabric interlayers.

Rebekah Upchurch received a scholarship from Women of Asphalt, presented by Amy Miller, past president of WoA. Rebekah is one of an increasing number of women who view the asphalt industry as a promising career choice.

Asphalt paving projects sometimes fail to reach their expected lifespans and can lead to disputes between owners and contractors/engineers. As a responsive strategy, a thorough forensic analysis can be your best move.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) leads the way among many states in its focus on asphalt pavement friction testing, and its efforts are advancing new specification requirements that will affect all pavement contractors in the state. It’s an all-out effort by the agency to make the state’s roads safer.

Callie Boggs, lead employee in the areas of safety and sustainability, is an up-and-coming member of the BATT team and reflects the commitment to sustainability of a new generation of asphalt industry employees.

Whatever the need, BATT can handle it. We test and certify asphalt binders to ensure compliance with AASHTO 320 or M32 specifications, and we can assist with product development.

Uberbinder is a new low-carbon asphalt binder made from polymerized sulfur, a highly stable material that has the potential to shift the industry away from bitumen and hot mix paving by providing pavers the ability to bypass heating and hauling and move to cold placement instead.

BATT Lab can provide an independent audit of your lab’s performance and adherence to quality standards and measures including the procedures of AASHTO R 18 or company internal audits.

In 2022, Palmer Engineering called the BATT Team in to help in assessing the general aviation airport in Madisonville, KY. The 15-year-old runway needed a solution to address a condition of high cracking and raveling.

BATT supplied civil engineering support to help BASF test a modification technology designed to improve adhesion of the asphalt mix by cross-linking the liquid binder. Services included testing, product installation, site evaluations and market development support.

Mercer Road serves as the feeder route to the Lexington/Bluegrass Airport and sees plenty of daily, heavy-load traffic from warehouses serving UPS, FedEx, Amazon, and other shippers. The Lexington/Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG) was searching for pavement solutions that would provide improved sustainability, and the BATT Lab had a proven solution to offer.

A new asphalt mix design recycled old asphalt pavements and created a longer-lasting roadway in the process. The City of Louisville, KY, paved a downtown street with a new asphalt mix that contains 36% recycled asphalt pavement (RAP). The BATT Lab devised a new mixing method that combines an EPD-Listed aramid fiber product from Surface Tech with a bio-oil.

The BATT Lab took a trip south to Opelika, AL in the fall of 2021 to help a client install a mix we designed on a section of the famous NCAT test track. The NCAT trial will put the aramid-reinforced pavement to a rigorous test over the next two years.