Introduction

Polymer modified bitumen (PMB) is an innovative custom-made HI-TECH binder compared to standard penetration and viscosity graded road bitumen that has been used for many years in the road construction industry.

Benefits of PMBs

PMB’s have been utilized in the US and Europe for over 30 years, with superior track record and improved properties to make longer lasting and lower maintenance road, with immense benefits for heavy loading, extreme temperature variations, anti-rutting and deformation and cracking of road asphalts.

PMBs Efficiency & Economic Viability

PMBs is widely used in Europe, US, China & the Middle East for construction of High-Quality Roads with longer durability and less maintenance. PMB consumption is increasing globally with China heavily focusing in all major roads being paved exclusively with PMB. In Europe and the US, PMB is widely used in today’s highways and airports.

Economic Benefits of PMBs

The service life of roads paved with PMB is significantly longer than roads paved with standard bitumen. With appropriate design of PMB’s Asphalt Pavements life cycles of 25+ years may be achieved. In average a normal PMB paved Asphalt pavements life reaches 8-12 years (with the greatest effect observed on road segments exposed to the highest loads). Comparing technical and economic parameters of standard bitumen and PMB-based asphalt pavements, it is proven that the return on additional investment in PMB (difference of price of standard bitumen and PMB) has a payback period of 2.2-2.4 years due to improved quality and lower maintenance costs.

Annual Road Maintenance/Repair Costs

With the use of PMB-based asphalt concrete pavements, maintenance costs are reduced by 60 % in comparison to the use of standard road bitumen asphalt.

Benefit of PMB

Use Over a Road's Lifespan With conventional Bitumen a major reconstruction/ rehabilitation is required every 3-6 years, whereas with PMB, a major rehabilitation is only due every 8-15 years, depending on pavement design and drainage system. Alone savings in binder spending over the lifespan of a road´s life shows near to 40% saving in binder expenses.

Technical Benefits of PMB

Compared to regular non-modified road bitumen, polymer modified asphalt binders have higher performance characteristics:

1. High heat resistance, low brittle temperature
2. Elasticity, i.e. ability to recover after deformation caused by external forces
3. High adhesion and cohesion properties
4. Good resistance to high traffic loads
5. Increased ageing resistance

Benefits of Using PMB-based Asphalt

By using PMB, the quality of asphalt concrete can be increased in many aspects:

• Higher heat resistance of asphalt concrete, stability to external loads in summer heat
• Much lower fracturing of the pavement at negative temperatures and frequent crossings of the freezing point (extreme temperature exposure and deception)
• Rutting of the pavement is significantly reduced
• Higher compactibility of asphalt concrete
• Elastic properties of asphalt concrete
• Higher strength compared to regular asphalt concrete
• Noise Reduction from traffic & vehicles is reduced by 6-8 dB
• Reduced tyre wear
• Initial higher Investment, longer life of pavements and reduced lifetime cost

Our PMB Production Technology

At DAHLEX GROUP, we take pride in our Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB) production technology. Our process involves the mixing of three main components, namely bitumen, additives, and polymers, under specific temperature and timing conditions to ensure a fully homogeneous product.

High-Performance Equipment

To achieve this, our plants and partner plants are equipped with high-performance colloidal mills designed to disperse polymer particles throughout the binder and compensate for any weaknesses of base binders. Our state-of-the-art equipment ensures that the polymer particles are fully dispersed in the mix, producing a homogenous substance.

Strict Compliance

We take compliance seriously and strictly adhere to the approved mix formulation through precise batching. Our process guarantees the stability of chemical and physical properties, ultimately resulting in a high-quality PMB product.

Professional Selection

Our production process involves the professional selection of product components. We consider the chemical composition of bitumen, including SARA and plasticizer, polymer structure, and the climatic zone where the product will be used. This ensures that our PMBs are custom-formulated and meet our customers' requirements consistently.

Laboratory Modeling

To further guarantee quality, we conduct pre-production modeling of the PMB composition in the laboratory to define the best formulations. This enables us to constantly meet our customers' requirements and maintain consistency in our PMB product.

Our Bitumen Strategy

Our bitumen strategy is aimed at bringing the best custom-formulated ready-to-use Polymer Modified Binders on a global scope competitively. To achieve this, we invest heavily in research and development and work closely with academia to identify improved technologies for high-quality PMB production. We have also developed efficient logistic solutions to make high-quality materials accessible globally at competitive prices.

Collaboration with Clients

Our engineers work closely with our clients to formulate, produce, and deliver precise PMBs needed for their projects. This collaboration ensures that our PMBs are tailored to our clients' needs, guaranteeing maximum satisfaction.