Ergon Inc.
Home » Emulsions
Emulsions
Our asphalt emulsions are developed in response to your need for cost-effective treatments to preserve, maintain and extend the service life of roads. We offer conventional, rejuvenating, polymer modified and other high-performance emulsions, including our eSeries products, to suit your immediate and long-term road needs.
Why Asphalt Emulsions?
According to the Asphalt Emulsion Manufacturers Association, emulsions were developed in the early 1900s but their uses were limited to applications such as dust palliative. Today, through extensive laboratory and field research, emulsions are used in a variety of road applications at different stages of a road’s life cycle. The continual treating of roads over time using emulsions is what allows roads to achieve and sustain acceptable pavement condition indexes long term. This is called pavement preservation.
Pavement Preservation and Asphalt Emulsions
According to the Federal Highway Administration Expert Task Group, pavement preservation can be defined as “a program employing a network-level, long-term strategy that enhances pavement preservation by using an integrated, cost-effective set of practices that extend pavement life, improve safety and meet motorist expectations.”
Prior to the introduction of the pavement preservation concept in the late 90s, the state of America’s highway infrastructure was a significant cause for concern. Agencies across the country were experiencing unyielding road distresses and dwindling road budgets, applying hot mix as the only solution — which can be expensive and counterproductive when not strategically applied. Industry professionals shifted their focus to researching, developing and educating agencies on more ways emulsions could be applied for better and longer maintained roads. This would involve taking full advantage of the performance scope of various emulsion treatments and how each addresses a specific type of distress before it becomes a bigger, more expensive problem. Pavement preservation using various emulsions has since grown in popularity with agencies nationwide.
Asphalt Emulsions AND Hot Mix
Emulsions are not a replacement for hot mix, but rather a complement to help maintain your asphalt pavements, allowing more money to be properly allocated to the right hot mix or other applications for more roads in your network.
Click on any of the treatment names below for more detailed information and resources. Then, contact us to find out which of these treatments is best for your specific road needs.
Click TreatmentDescription
Bond Coat – Hot-AppliedAn application of hot asphalt binder having trackless properties immediately prior to a paving operation. Typically used for heavier than normal application rates and on projects where immediate cure times are beneficial.
Bond Coat/Tack Coat – TracklessA trackless bond or tack coat is an application of emulsion or asphalt binder with trackless properties that is sprayed onto the roadway surface immediately prior to a paving operation. The trackless properties ensure the bonding material stays where it is needed, resisting being picked up by tires, paving equipment and haul trucks and tracked across the job site. Adjacent structures and striping are protected for tracking associated with conventional materials.
Chip Seal – ConventionalA spray-applied application of asphalt emulsion or binder followed by an application of a single layer of aggregate used to provide friction, seal cracks less than ¼ inches wide and reduce the intrusion of water into roadway structures. Typically used on more rural routes with low-to-moderate ADTs. Life extensions of 5-7 years are typical.
Chip Seal – ModifiedA wearing course of spray-applied polymer modified asphalt emulsion or binder followed by an application of a single layer of aggregate used to provide friction, seal cracks less than ¼ inches wide and preserve roadways. The modification provides resistance to higher ADT routes and provides for a relatively quick return to traffic. Life extensions of 6-7 years are seen.
Chip Seal – PremiumA polymer modified chip seal system designed for maximum aggregate adhesion and the shortest return-to-traffic time for the highest ADT routes. Life extensions of 6-7 years are expected.
Cold Mix – ConventionalMixture of cutback asphalt or asphalt emulsion and aggregate, combined through a pugmill or asphalt plant and typically stored in a stockpile for use as temporary patching.
Cold Mix – PremiumLaboratory designed mixture of an engineered asphalt or asphalt emulsion binder combined through an asphalt plant or pugmill that is capable of being stored in a stockpile for use as a durable repair of potholes, leveling and cold paving.
Fog Seal – ConventionalA preservation technique that involves spraying a diluted asphalt emulsion onto an asphalt surface. Used to enhance aggregate retention and seal hairline cracks. Life extensions of 1-2 years are typical.
Fog Seal – High-PerformanceA light application of emulsion sprayed on the roadway surface, providing a quick return-to-traffic time and improved aggregate retention with trackless properties. Typical uses are over new chip seals, rejuvenating scrub seals and existing pavement surfaces — resulting in increased service life of 2-4 years.
Fog Seal – RejuvenatingA preservation technique that involves spray applying a light application of a polymer modified asphalt emulsion containing a rejuvenator. Typically used to seal cracks 1/8 inch and smaller and to return original properties to the upper portion of an asphalt mixture. Life extensions of 2-4 years can be achieved.
Fog Seal – SpecialtyA fog seal treatment exhibiting a unique property such as a relatively quick return to traffic, a trackless cure or a polymer modified binder.
Frictional MasticSpray-applied surface treatment/sealer designed for city streets, residential roads and highway shoulders. Corrects distresses such as raveling and oxidation. Delivers 2-4 years of life extension.
Full Depth ReclamationFDR is a complete rehabilitation technique addressing all major distresses throughout the pavement structure and into the base. All roadway materials are combined in-situ and compacted to form an improved base. This is followed by the appropriate wearing course of hot mix asphalt installed to provide the required structural coefficient.
Hot In-Place RecyclingIn-situ preservation and maintenance technique. Recycles and rejuvenates asphalt mixtures in the range of 1-2 inches deep. Used to correct cracking, surface profile flaws, raveling and oxidation.
Micro Surfacing – ConventionalSurface treatment/wearing course with standard 3% polymer modification of the asphalt base. Addresses loss of friction, oxidation rutting and minor reprofiling. Can be used on all roadway types and all traffic levels, providing 6-8 years of life extension.
Micro Surfacing – PremiumSurface treatment/wearing course with minimum 6% polymer modification of the asphalt base. Developed for use on all roadway classifications. Uses include rut filling and leveling. It also provides durable friction while resisting damage from snowplows. Typical life extension of 7-9 years.
Paving Grade AsphaltA wide range of asphalt cement used in the manufacturing of Hot Mix Asphalt. The asphalt binder may be modified and is designed with respect to climate and roadway structural requirements for traffic loading.
Prime Coat – ConventionalAn application of emulsion or asphalt binder to a soil base in preparation for the wearing course. Typical use is prior to a chip seal or hot mixed asphalt application; the prime provides protection of the soil against rainfall in staged construction and serves as a bond promoter for the eventual surface. Prime coats are also used as a curing seal for cement-treated bases.
Prime Coat – SolventlessAn ecologically friendly emulsion containing no petroleum solvents, providing a rapid cure that facilitates same-day paving.
Rejuvenating Scrub SealSurface treatment designed as a mass crack sealer with frictional properties of a chip seal. Used on roadways with high-density, top-down cracking as a wearing course or interlayer. Provides life extension of 6-7 years.
Slurry Seal – ConventionalWearing course with no modification to the binder. Used for county roads and city/residential streets, providing 5-7 years of life extension.
Slurry Seal – ModifiedWearing course follows conventional slurry seal design and application techniques with added polymer modification of the asphalt base, typically around 1.5%. Addresses loss of friction, raveling and oxidation with a life extension of 4-6 years.
Slurry Seal – PremiumSurface treatment/wearing course with minimum 6% polymer modification of the asphalt base and upgraded performance mixture design over the conventional version. Developed for use in city environments where heavy turning, street-side parking are prevalent, as well as in frequent snowplow zones. Protects against vehicular damage early in the curing process and increases durability providing life extension of 7-9 years.
Spray Paver ApplicationA paving technique whereby the tack or bond coat material is applied through the paving equipment in a continuous operation. Contact your local salesperson for information on availability in your area.
Tack Coat – ConventionalA tack or bond coat is an application of emulsion or asphalt binder that is sprayed onto the roadway surface immediately prior to a paving operation. The adhesion of multiple lifts of pavement provides for maximum structural coefficient and ensures the safety and longevity of the pavement structure.
Click TreatmentDescription
