On February 15 and 16, 2022, Moscow hosted the annual international conference "Organic Binders and Asphalt Concrete Mixtures in Road Construction", organized by MAXConference. ROSDORNIA experts took an active part in the event.
The MAXConference event annually brings together representatives of road construction organizations, bitumen and PBB manufacturers, design institutes, asphalt concrete manufacturers, federal authorities, the scientific community, regional road administrations, companies producing additives and equipment for the production of asphalt concrete.On the first day of the conference, its participants discussed the issues of volumetric and functional design of asphalt concrete mixtures, as well as the features of the equipment used in this process. The issues of quality control of mixtures and road surfaces were touched upon, methods of checking the parameters of mixtures for compliance with the requirements of regulatory and technical documentation, features of working with sealing equipment, production technology and application of binder and asphalt concrete mixtures were considered. The economic efficiency of using bitumen in accordance with the PG classification was also discussed.
The second day was devoted to the use of asphalt granulate (RAP)in the production of new asphalt concrete mixes, as well as environmental safety issues. Evgeny Damier, Advisor to the Director General of ROSDORNIA, acted as moderator of the session devoted to this set of issues.
The reports during the conference were made by Roman Eremin, Deputy Head of the Department of Road Design Methods, Mikhail Slavutsky, Head of the construction laboratory, and Georgy Bakhrah, Chief Specialist of the Department of Expertise and Risk Assessment of ROSDORNIA.In particular, Mikhail Slavutsky introduced the participants of the event to the methodology for calculating the required PG characteristics of bitumen binders and told about the results of studies on the compliance of the actual PG characteristics of bitumen used in road works in the regions of the Russian Federation with the requirements of current regulations. The expert clearly showed that the discrepancy between the actual bitumen parameters and the normative ones has a negative effect on the duration of the inter-repair operation of asphalt concrete pavements.
Roman Eremin made a report on the continuous monitoring of the thickness of asphalt concrete layers of road surfaces in order to substantiate design decisions based on the results of engineering surveys and identify places of potential deviations from design parameters during construction. The expert presented the methodology for conducting field work, which includes georadar photography with satellite-based equipment, as well as the identification and removal of control core sampling sites with high-precision coordinate reference. The speaker also described the basic principles of in-house processing of georadar data.
As the specialist noted, today ROSDORNII is the only institution in Russia that implements the technology of building digital models of road structures based on the results of a comprehensive survey using georadolocation and laser scanning methods.
He stressed that continuous monitoring of the thickness of asphalt concrete layers of road surfaces in a non-destructive manner in accordance with GOST R 58349-2019 makes it possible to detect any local deviations in the thickness of asphalt concrete during construction control, as well as to assess changes in the thickness of monolithic layers during design and survey work. In 2019, the Institute, together with AVTODOR Group of Companies, conducted joint scientific research using various georadar equipment. More information about the results of the work can be found at the link https://rosdornii.ru/documents/stati-i-publikatsii/.
Georgy Bakhrakh prepared a report on the use of cold recycling, as well as on the use of recycled asphalt concrete for the production of new asphalt mixes and spoke about how this affects the condition and properties of the road structure as a whole.
Grigory Levashov, Director of the SIBADI Road Research Center, read a report on the use of slag materials in asphalt concrete mixtures, spoke about the reclassification of some waste into secondary resources and about the importance of the "Strategy of socio-economic Development of the Russian Federation with low Greenhouse Gas emissions until 2050" for the road industry.
Sergey Ilyin, Deputy Director of the Department of Design, Technical Policy and Innovative Technologies of the State Company AVTODOR, introduced the conference participants to the new PNST 542-2021 "Public automobile roads. Non-rigid travel clothes. Design rules". The document was developed on the basis of the results of the application of the PNST 265-2018 and takes into account the changes made in the regulatory and technical framework over the past three years.
Experts of the Federal Road Agency, CJSC "VAD", Research Institute "LADOR" and LLC "Avtodor-Engineering" also shared their experience of successful application of the method of volumetric and functional design of asphalt concrete mixtures.
Foreign speakers also presented their developments and research results. Among them are the International Union of Laboratories and Experts in the Field of Building Materials, Systems and Structures (RILEM) and the World Road Association (PIARC). In November 2021, Stanislav Naboko, Director General of ROSDORNIA, joined the Executive Committee of this organization.
Also, experts from Russia, Germany, France, Sweden and the USA shared their experience of using RAP in the production of new asphalt concrete mixes and told how the use of this technology helps to cope with the environmental challenges faced by the road industry. In particular, representatives of the BASALT AG research center noted that RAP has been used on German roads as part of new asphalt concrete mixtures for almost forty years.
Experts from France spoke about current trends in the formation of asphalt concrete mixtures at low temperatures, the use of cold emulsions, methods of cold regeneration and stabilization, the use of biofuels and electric traction in road equipment, the introduction of BIM technologies.
The audience was introduced to the technologies used in the USA and in Northern and Eastern Europe by Sergey Dymov, Sales Director of Gencor. In particular, he noted that in the USA there is a state program for the use of RAP as part of hot asphalt mixes, the purpose of which is 100% recycling of old asphalt concrete into new. Biobitums, microwave heating of asphalt concrete mix, renewable energy sources and other innovations are also widely used by foreign road builders.The topics raised during the conference are extremely relevant, and the implementation of key theses requires continuous dialogue between all participants in the road industry and support at the state level. Today, in order to develop the industry and improve the quality of life of the country's population, it is necessary not only to increase the economic efficiency of road activities, but also to introduce new promising technologies, apply innovative methods of recycling, increase the level of environmental responsibility of road activity participants in order to minimize its consequences for climate safety.