As a beginner in the highway maintenance industry, today we will learn about the difference between emulsified asphalt and modified asphalt that we commonly use in highway maintenance construction.
First of all, the obvious difference between emulsified asphalt and modified asphalt is that emulsified asphalt has water, while modified asphalt does not.
Emulsified asphalt disperses hot asphalt into water (oil in water) or water into asphalt (water in oil) through an emulsifier to form a temporarily stable emulsion. The continuous phase is water and the dispersed phase is asphalt. Asphalt exhibits solid-like properties at room temperature and liquid-like properties at high temperatures. Therefore, after asphalt is dispersed in water, it can be used at room temperature, which is the biggest advantage of emulsified asphalt. In a word, the asphalt heated to liquid is mixed with an emulsifier, stabilizer, acid or alkali by a colloid mill to obtain emulsified asphalt.

Modified asphalt is relatively simple. We call pure asphalt matrix asphalt, so adding a modifier to the matrix asphalt becomes modified asphalt. According to the type of modifier, it is divided into polymer modification, such as SBS modified asphalt, SBR modified asphalt and other HVA high viscosity asphalt; natural asphalt modification, such as Trinidad Lake asphalt, Buton rock asphalt, etc.; some studies have mentioned inorganic non-metallic material modification, such as bentonite modification. Different types of modifiers can greatly change the properties of asphalt. For example, SBS can increase the ductility of the base asphalt to more than 1.5 meters. The intuitive feeling is that the asphalt can be drawn into a thread. We can choose the modified asphalt that suits us according to our working conditions.
In fact, emulsified asphalt and modified asphalt can coexist, but the classification method is different. For example, SBS modified asphalt is emulsified to obtain SBS modified emulsified asphalt; SBR latex is added to ordinary emulsified asphalt to obtain SBR modified emulsified asphalt.
Sinoroader Group has been professionally engaged in the field of highway maintenance for many years and has rich construction experience. It undertakes highway maintenance construction projects such as micro-surfacing, slurry sealing, potting engineering, gravel sealing, permeable layer | adhesive layer construction, etc., and sells emulsified asphalt production equipment, slurry sealing machines, synchronous gravel sealing machines and other maintenance equipment. Our company also produces asphalt emulsifiers and related emulsified asphalt suitable for micro-surfacing, slurry sealing and other working conditions. New and old customers are welcome to call us for consultation!