Asphalt
All Breedon's asphalt plants are quality assured and we supply all standard asphalts complying with European standard EN13108. Our state-of-the-art plants are able to supply all sizes of contract from driveways to motorways.
Our network of asphalt plants in England, Wales and Scotland combine our aggregates with bitumen to produce a wide range of surfacing materials, including specialist products for motorways, trunk roads, airport infrastructure, driveways, footpaths, farm roads, car parks and recreational areas.
All Breedon's asphalt plants are quality assured and we supply all standard asphalts complying with European standard EN13108.
Our state-of-the-art plants are able to supply all sizes of contract from driveways to motorways.
Breedon also has a full range of proprietary asphalts in Great Britain that are specifically designed for end-use applications, resulting in a product that has enhanced performance.
Details of our most popular proprietary asphalts are below.
BREEDONAgricultural HRA is modified hot rolled asphalt utilising hard stone aggregate with elevated binder contents, offering excellent impermeability, and thus improved durability.
Specialist asphalt BREEDONCititex is a ‘true’ German stone mastic asphalt, designed to provide an impermeable, durable, deformation-resistant surface course, whilst retaining sufficient texture for skidding resistance.
Specialist asphalt BREEDONDriveway is a proprietary material containing modifiers to improve durability and workability, providing a smooth, homogeneous finish which lasts for many years.
BREEDONEnriched is the ideal material for car parks, driveways and housing development roads.
BREEDONFibre is a thin surfacing stone mastic asphalt modified by cellulose fibre and ideal for trunk roads, car parks and major routes.
BREEDONFibretex is a ‘true’ German stone mastic asphalt (originally called ‘split mastic asphalt’) modified with cellulose fibres.
BREEDONFlex SAMI (Stress Alleviating Membrane Interlayer) is a dense, polymer-modified, waterproof interlayer, designed to inhibit cracking on pavements by dissipating movements and stresses.
BREEDONIndustrial HRA is a high-stone-content hot-rolled asphalt manufactured using a polymer-modified bitumen and is graded to promote strength and increase fuel resistance.
BREEDONIndustrial SMA is derived from German stone mastic asphalt technology, using straight-run or polymer-modifed binders.
BREEDONLower Temperature Asphalt (LTA) is produced at significantly lower temperatures than hot mix asphalt (traditionally using bituminous materials).
Harnessing the positive properties of stone mastic asphalt, we have designed this unique product to provide load-bearing and structural properties whilst providing a very durable wearing surface, giving excellent texture depth results.
Specialist asphalt BREEDONOnecoat Footway is a 10mm proprietary surface utilising a modified binder in order to improve workability and compactability, whilst significantly improving durability compared to the traditional two-layer installation.
Suitable for most car parking areas, this innovative product offers substantial reductions in construction times and costs. Disruption to users is reduced and there are added health and safety benefits as risk is lowered through less time on site.
Designed for reinstatement of trenches following utility works, which is often problematic with ‘standard’ bituminous materials where compaction is difficult to achieve due to the narrow nature of the works and rapid workability-loss of the product.
BREEDONPlayCourt is a porous asphalt concrete designed to allow rapid drainage through the surface of tennis courts and similar playing surfaces.
BREEDONPlayCourt Plus is a porous asphalt concrete, designed for playing surfaces which require rapid water drainage and superior durability.
BREEDONPolymer has been designed using stone mastic asphalt technology. The polymer-modified bitumen and high stone content, which forms a coarse stone skeleton, gives BREEDONPolymer impressive strength and durability, ideal for heavily trafficked motorways and trunk roads.
BREEDONPolymer Plus is a ‘hybrid’ stone mastic asphalt utilising both polymer modified bitumen and cellulose fibres.
BREEDONPolytex was developed in response to requests from customers and Local Authorities for a more durable alternative to UK stone mastic asphalt and thin surface course systems for certain applications.
BREEDONPorous is a permeable system comprising: geotextiles, geogrids and/or geomembranes; open graded, unbound, granular sub-base; porous base and/or binder; and surface courses manufactured with modified bitumen.
BREEDONSuperior incorporates elastomeric polymer-modified binders which outperform ‘standard’ bituminous materials in terms of fatigue, deformation, water-sensitivity and cracking resistance.
BREEDONTrack is a tailored formulation designed specifically for race tracks, which present very different challenges to the asphalts used on conventional highways.
2. What are the different types of asphalt?
3. What do the different grades of bitumen refer to?
4. What type of asphalt do I require?
5. What are Proprietary Materials and why choose these over ‘normal’ asphalt materials?
6. How much asphalt do I need?
7. What depth should I lay asphalt?
8. Can I lay asphalt on top of existing concrete?
9. How long do I need to stay off newly laid asphalt?
10. What are the dangers of asphalt?
11. Are there any precautions to be taken with freshly laid asphalt?
12. What sizes of delivery vehicles are available?
13. How long will the asphalt remain hot?
Essentially, asphalt is a combination of aggregate (crushed rock and / or sand) and bitumen (derived from crude oil). Asphalt may also incorporate additives to improve performance (e.g. fibres, wax, polymers and pigments). Asphalt is commonly used in the construction of roads, pathways, car parks, driveways and play areas. Typically asphalt is black, but it may also be red, green, blue and golden.
Commonly used asphalts in the UK are asphalt concretes (previously termed ‘bituminous macadams’ or ‘bitmacs’), hot rolled asphalts (HRAs), and stone mastic asphalts (SMAs). Asphalts can further be grouped into roadbase, binder and surface courses, each providing a different function in flexible pavement construction.
Bitumen is graded on stiffness (penetration in tenths of a mm of a 100g needle dropped onto a bitumen sample for 5 seconds at 25°C and softening point). Lower ‘pen’ value bitumens are therefore stiffer (i.e. 40/60 pen is stiffer than 160/220 pen). Lower ‘pen’ bitumens also have higher softening temperatures compared to higher ‘pen’ grades. Commonly used bitumen grades in the UK are 40/60 pen, 70/100 pen, 100/150 pen, and 160/220 pen. 100/150 pen bitumen is the preferred grade for most applications in the UK, although 40/60 is used for heavily trafficked roads, and 160/220 is often used for hand lay work as it is easier to apply.
This will depend on the application which it is to be used. Our Sales Department will be able to offer advice on the most suitable types of asphalt for your requirement.
The Proprietary Materials offered by Breedon Group are extensively designed and rigorously tested to exceed the performances of traditionally used asphalts in specific applications. Our Proprietary Materials often include additives to achieve these high levels of operation.
As a guide, please refer to our Material Calculator.
This can vary depending on the site. As a rule of thumb however, the depth should be at least 4 times the dimension of the largest nominal size in the mix for surface course (i.e. 40mm depth for 10mm asphalt concrete); and at least 2.5 times the dimension of the largest aggregate size in the mix for base and binder courses (i.e. 50mm for 20mm asphalt concrete).
This is not recommended. Concrete is a rigid material, whereas asphalt is flexible. When laid on top of concrete, the asphalt cannot ‘flex’, and is therefore more likely to break up. Furthermore, any joints in the concrete will be reflected into the asphalt surface above.
This will vary dependant on weather conditions. Normally however, 24 hours without trafficking will be sufficient.
The main danger with asphalt is temperature. Asphalt must be laid hot (i.e. above 120°C), which subsequently can result in severe burns. Care must be taken when working with asphalt, and appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) must be worn at all times.
Asphalt remains relatively soft for up to one year after laying. When used to construct driveways, it is recommended that cars are moving when the wheels are turned. If a car is stationary when the wheels are turned (particularly with modern power steering), the asphalt can be displaced and scuffed by stresses applied at that particular point. It is also recommended that (wherever possible) vehicles are parked in different positions to avoid marking the asphalt, and fuel spillages are kept to a minimum.
We can supply asphalt in either 16 tonne (‘six wheeler’) or 20 tonne (‘eight wheeler’) loads. Alternatively, customers can collect any size of order above 1 tonne.
This will be weather dependant. Provided the asphalt is suitably covered and insulated, asphalt should remain workable for 2 hours after production.
For hand laying, minimum requirements would be heavy-duty wheel barrows, asphalt rakes, mechanical ‘ride-on’ twin-drum roller, asphalt tamper. For larger projects, specialist machinery will be needed and advice should be sought from paving machinery manufacturers.
Yes. Unconfined asphalt without edging is more likely to fail than asphalt which has suitable edge protection.
Orders can be taken over the telephone by our Sales Department, by fax, in person at any of our depots, or in writing.
Please contact our Sales Department for information.
For further information please call your local sales office:
BREEDON NORTHERN
Hebrides: 01851 703227
Highlands: 01463 716889
Fife & Tayside: 01337 841989
North East Scotland: 01330 833361
Argyll: 01631 565128
Central Scotland: 01698 611016
South West Scotland & Cumbria: 01290 700777
North East England: 0191 6153378
BREEDON SOUTHERN
Staffordshire, Shropshire & West Midlands: 01952 777910
South Cumbria & Lancashire: 01995 676156
North West England & Greater Manchester: 01942 441286
North Wales & Cheshire: 01978 788880
North / West Yorkshire: 01138 293006
South Yorkshire & North Derbyshire: 01302 944066
South Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire & Northamptonshire: 01332 694000
Humberside (concrete): 01472 351987
Lincolnshire: 01780 482000
East Anglia: 08454 135258
South West England: 01594 530208
South East England: 01245 913063
South Wales: 02920 486036
Powys & Shropshire: 01568 770521
Herefordshire & Gloucestershire: 01594 530208