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FIRST DEMONSTRATION PROJECT IN USA
Within the stated goal of the Board of County Road Commissioners of the County of Kalamazoo is using
their exper se, energy and funds to provide the safest and most convenient road system possible, and to
contribute to economic development and high quality of life throughout the county, it is not a surprise that
when Michigan Technological University (MTU) had an idea of who to contact with an idea, the Road
Commission of Kalamazoo County (RCKC) came to mind. Together it was decided to inves gate the usage of
new technologies to enhance the future cost benefits of preserving our infrastructure and provide future
advancement of using scrap res in Michigan. A joint grant applica on to the Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality (DEQ) Scrap Tire Development Grant was funded.
The first RARX (www.rarx.net) test sec ons, placed under the leadership of the RCKC in Michigan, USA, were,
in my opinion, was one of best organized events of this kind, I have ever been a part of. Weekly calls
organized by Joanna I. Johnson, the Managing Director, prior to the test sec on itself, the coordina on at the
job site and the yard, the great “can do” spirit of all the personnel of the RCKC, MTU, asphalt contractor and
bitumen suppliers created an environment of posi ve thinking, produc vity and innova on that are, for me,
the best I have ever had the pleasure of par cipa ng. RCKC’s leadership made sure everyone knew exactly
what was going to happen and what was expected from each par cipant. Simply FANTASTIC! As we know if
any construc on project, the prepara on is important and the flexibility of adap ng to changes in the field is
also cri cal to delivering successful projects.
The purpose of the two RARX test sec ons were to inves gate the applicability of the usage of the new
reacted and ac vated rubber (mainly composed of finely grinded used car and truck res) to create more
cost effec ve, long las ng, safe and environmentally friendly mixes and surface treatments.
The test sec ons were supported by the grant from a proposal elaborated by RCKC and Professor Zhanping
You from MTU. CONSULPAV Lda (www.consulpav.com) cooperated with MTU in the formula on of a new
kind of paving mix incorpora ng large amounts of recycled rubber and recycled paving material yet reaching
ru ng resistances and flexural fa gue lives with performances much higher than most mixes used in USA.
This mix was denominated RARX-THINGAP. It contains about 6% RAP (reclaimed asphalt pavement), regular
PG 58-28 bitumen, about 4.5 % RARX and the rest is selected natural aggregate (% by weight of the mix).
RARX was provided by CIRTEC (www.cirtec.es). Efforts by CONSULPAV were covered by the SILENT RUBBER
PAVE project (h p://silentrubberpave.eu/).
The asphalt contractor, Lakeland Asphalt, (h p://lakelandasphalt.com/) was very coopera ve, enthusias c,
and inven ve in adap ng the mixing process to incorporate the RARX material never used in the USA.
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Below we can appreciate the general aspect of the sec on of the road, a surface texture close-up and the
stone on stone structure of the RARX-THINGAP mix.
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RARX Supply to Plant
Placing RARX in the conveyor belt at Lakeland Asphalt's plant
Even the bitumen supplier Bit Mat Products (h p://www.bitmatproductsofindiana.com) went out of its way
to provide bitumen at higher than normal temperature, so that we could minimize the hea ng me at the
chip seal test sec on where RARX was directly blending into the bitumen of the Bearcat RARX Distributor
(h p://www.bearcatmfg.com/). Bearcat designed a new kind of distributor to accommodate the capabili es
of this new pre-reacted and ac vated rubber with an extra auger inside the tank to insure fast mixing of the
RARX in the bitumen. Virtually immediately a er blending the asphalt rubber binder is ready to spray. RCKC
innova ve spirit shinned as they provided an easy way to introduce the RARX into the distributor tank. This
was also a first in the USA. The coordina on provided by Travis Bartholomew, Opera ons Director and Mark
Worden, Project Superintendent and the coopera ve, professional, friendly a tude of all the RCKC
personnel made possible to the success of this project. Professor You and students par cipated in a very
ac ve role and were also vital for the success of the project.
RARX SUPPLY TO DISTRIBUTOR
Loading system developed by RCKC to place RARX into the distributor
The cost effec veness of paving is clearly in the mind of the paving industry in Michigan. See below a truck
with 50 tons of RARX THINGAP mix unloading into the paver.
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Furthermore, I am convinced that RCKC and the industry may be able to advance and adapt the aggregate
grada on selec on to accommodate this new rubberized binder and make it fit into their special
requirements. With the higher viscosity and with the much higher binder elas city they are able to place
more binder, that if the market will support, may be less expensive, and secure more aggregate reten on
and resistance to reflec ve cracking while being also less prone to aging.
It was very exci ng and gra fying par cipa ng in this very important first RARX demonstra on project in the
USA. As the Rubberized Asphalt Founda on (RAF) is a research founda on dedicated to the science and
prac cal use of recycled re rubber in asphalt. RAF serves as a comprehensive, expert resource to provide
technical knowledge and awareness that will enhance the development and broad use of rubberized
asphalt. The founda on is comprised of renowned interna onal experts from academia, government and
industry who are leading the scien fic development of recycled rubber for asphalt applica ons. This project
confirmed that recycled materials can poten ally create a sustainable circular economy where RARX
recycled rubber can be used for asphalt applica ons. A poten al mix of fixes in future sustainability of our
infrastructure. The RARX THINGAP mix placed by RCKC is likely to be one of the quietest mixes most cost
effec ve, environmentally friendly and safe mixes ever placed in USA.
As Joanna Johnson stated “we are pleased to be part of a first use of this product; learning during the
prepara on and applica on process. Now we will monitor and poten ally this could be the beginning of
something new “.
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The RCKC team is very experienced in using chip seals in their annual preven ve maintenance strategies and
they have had great success using them. The purpose of the test sec on was to see if they can even be more
successful in making more long-las ng surface treatment. The video below shows the chip seal applica on
opera on. I call your a en on for the rollers that were specially designed by RCKC. Again, it shows RCKC
desire for cost effec veness as wider paving rollers minimize the number of roller operators and number of
passes allowing faster opera on. The chip seal trial was difficult and posed challenges to properly apply the
material in the beginning of the project. The good story was that it eventually went well with quite some
team effort. There are certainly something we can do to improve the equipment and training prior
construc on as well as other opportuni es to refine this process in the future.
RARX CHIPSEAL
Chip seal paving
The weather in Michigan is challenging, and requires that water be prevented from entering into the
pavement to minimize freeze thaw damage. Furthermore the snow removal equipment is very demanding
on the surface of those surface treatments. Only a er the first winter we will see how the new RARX rubber
chip seal resist those harsh condi ons. For now they look good and they are expected to out-last exis ng
chip seal maintenance procedures.
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Dr. Jorge B. Sousa
Director
Rubberized Asphalt Founda on
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