Foamed Asphalt

Foamed asphalt is formed by combining hot asphalt binder with small amounts of cold water. When the cold water comes in contact with the hot asphalt binder it turns to steam, which becomes trapped in tiny asphalt binder bubbles (World Highways, 2001[1]). The result is a thin-film, high volume asphalt foam with approximately 10 times more coating potential than the asphalt binder in its normal liquid state (World Highways, 2001[1]). This high volume foam state only lasts for a few minutes, after which the asphalt binder resumes its original properties. Foamed asphalt can be used as a binder in soil or base course stabilization, and is often used as the stabilizing agent in full-depth asphalt reclamation.



Footnotes    (↵ returns to text)
  1. World Highways.  (April 2001).  Foamed Asphalt Takes Hold.  World Highways, April 2001.