Pavement durability is always of concern in roadway projects, for safety, cost control, and responsible future planning. Geosynthetics offer a number of solutions to improve roadway performance, including prevention of reflective cracking.
Machina-TST has made a strong impression in the road-building market with products such as ASPHALTEX (a PET, bitumen-coated geogrid) and DUALTEX (a geogrids-geotextile composite). Now, the company has engineered and released another pavement-enhancing geosynthetic: INTERTEX.
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HALTING REFLECTIVE CRACKING
INTERTEX utilizes a nonwoven needlepunched geosynthetic reinforced with a basalt or glass-roving geogrid. The main functions, as noted in the company’s initial product release:
- Barrier. The material protects from water and oxygen penetration into the lower level of asphaltic concrete pavement
- Stress relief. INTERTEX redistributes stresses, including those experienced in aged asphalt layers (with the nonwoven taking up forces from crack areas)
- Reinforcement. The product strengthens the asphalt surface with its inclusion of a geogrid
Machina-TST, which has its international headquarters and primary manufacturing in Belarus, confirmed product performance through testing with the Belarussian Road Research Institute. The research found that the number trafficking cycles needed to begin any formation of reflective cracking was 2.3 times that of systems not using the layer. The process of tracking was slowed by 2.9 times and hardness in the asphalt surface increased by 1.4 times.
Machina will produce INTERTEX in widths up to 5 m and with tensile strengths of 50/50 kN/m and 100/100 kN/m. The available mesh size range will be 25 – 40 mm. For specific requirements, the characteristics may be changed. Elongation at break will be not more than 3% (+-1%). The company also notes that that has developed a special reeling-out unit to enable faster, more efficient laying of the material.
Learn more about Machina-TST’s geosynthetics, manufacturing expertise, and global markets at https://www.mahina-tst.com.
