Concept in Definition ABC

Asphalt is a solid and compact mixture of hydrocarbons and minerals that is mostly used to build road pavement..

Solid mixture of hydrocarbons and minerals used to pave roads and streets and to waterproof roofs

Its most outstanding physical characteristics are the viscosity, its stickiness and its intense black color; and as we said at the beginning, its primary use is given as binder in asphalt mixtures at the request of the building of roads, highways and highways, since it is capable of joining fragments of various materials and giving cohesion to the whole through transformations in its own mass that give rise to the origin of new compounds.

The main component of asphalt is bitumen, also know as bitumen, bitumen is the residual fraction, namely, the bottom left after fractional distillation of petroleum, it is the heaviest part and has the highest boiling point of the process. Although they are commonly confused and use the terms interchangeably, bitumen should not be confused with asphalt, since the latter is a mixture of bitumen with minerals.

In addition, asphalt is a material that is present in the composition of crude oil.

Origin of the term

The origin of the term comes to mind Lake Asfaltities (the Dead Sea) in the basin of Jordan river where its presence is predominant.
But in addition to the aforementioned Lake, the asphalt, in a totally natural state, is feasible to be found in the lagoons of some oil basins forming a complex mixture of solid hydrocarbons, such is the case of Guanoco lake, in Venezuela, the longest asphalt lake in the world with an area of ​​four square kilometers and 75 million barrels of natural asphalt. Another similar lake that follows in importance is that of La Brea on Trinidad Island.

Although it turns out to be simple to obtain it and in terms of quality natural asphalt does not have competence, for a long time, and due to a strict economic question, it is not exploited but obtained in oil refineries as a by-product.

Among the uses that are given to asphalt there are two very important, on the one hand, as we mentioned, for the construction of road and highway pavements, due to its adherent, cohesive and highly resistant characteristics that allow it to receive significant and permanent loads. And also how roof waterproofing, for example, since it is not very sensitive to humidity and gives effective results against the action of the water that comes from the rains.

Benefits of asphalt on highways and streets

Almost all streets and highways around the world are made of asphalt since it is a material that, due to its composition, provides good endurance to the effort, it is adherent and waterproof.
By case it is ideal to favor the transit of vehicles and trucks, among others; in the case of the latter, who have a volume and weight higher than that of automobiles, which also increases with the load they carry, driving on the asphalt benefits from the adhesion of the roofs, meanwhile, it is also convenient for those who manage the highways because the force that has this material resisting any effort is ideal since trucks produce obviously a much greater wear and tear on the highways than that generated by vehicles or motorcycles.

Another advantage that we mention and we cannot ignore is the impermeability that the asphalt presents and that makes it a very safe material to be able to circulate on it on rainy days. Although caution is always advised to motorists on rainy days to avoid skidding or non-braking problems, it is a reality that asphalt roads provide a safety greater in this sense than others that are not composed of this material.

On the other hand, the roads that the asphalt has not yet reached for various reasons, and that are made of sand or earth, are often cut off or useless when heavy rainfall occurs. It is really impossible to drive on a flooded dirt road for a vehicle as it will most likely get stuck.

On the asphalt of the streets or highways, various indications for motorists are usually painted, such as the thick vertical stripes of white color that have the mission of indicating that the pedestrian must circulate and cross them and for example, the car must stop behind they.

The division of the lanes is also painted on them, in white as well.
On dual-lane routes, it is painted yellow to indicate that cars cannot cross the lane because it is dangerous since there is no total visibility on the other side that allows us to confirm that no car is coming from front.

Asphalt Topics