Mixing crushed rock, sand, gravel, and a bit of bitumen creates the mixture known as asphalt. While you likely see asphalt daily, not realizing its importance is understandable. Chances are, asphalt is a bigger part of your life than you think.
Asphalt supports many aspects of modern life, from the roads you drive on to the roof over your home. Before National Asphalt Day (May 15th), why not take a moment to learn more about asphalt? Here’s a closer look at how asphalt shapes our daily lives.
Ensuring a Safe Takeoff and Landing
When you think about airplanes, you likely imagine them flying in the air. Because of that, you might not fully realize how heavy these vehicles are. Whether coming in for a landing, taking off, or being driven into a hangar, airplanes can weigh up to one million pounds! Due to airplanes carrying so much weight, airports typically rely on asphalt for its superior strength.
Staying Active
Whether it’s a child enjoying playground equipment or an adult running on a track to prepare for an upcoming marathon, exercise is beneficial at nearly any age.
Of course, asphalt isn’t recommended or used for activities requiring soft impacts. However, you’ll typically find asphalt used to designate walking areas and define different play zones. Schools and public parks further extend this material’s longevity using asphalt sealer.
Asphalt provides a smooth surface that many cities, counties, and other locales use for bike paths. Additionally, the darkness of asphalt is an ideal background for light paint colors to clearly indicate a bike lane. Universities, high schools, and recreational facilities will also choose asphalt as base or surface materials for tracks.
Many outdoor courts also contain asphalt. This material provides a smooth and even surface that does fairly well at absorbing shock, helping to keep athletes free from foot and leg injuries. Plus, asphalt courts are low maintenance which means companies and organizations don’t have to spend extensive time and money on court upkeep.
Constructing Buildings
We don’t mean you’ll find houses constructed from asphalt. However, contractors use this composite material in many stages of the building process. In a commercial sense, parking garages and warehouses can benefit from the durability and low cost of asphalt flooring.
Asphalt is often chosen for its superior moisture resistance, especially for residential and commercial basements. This quality makes it a great choice for waterproof foundations and damp-proofing walls. Workers mix and apply asphalt as a hot or cold liquid coating, letting this material dry fully.
Manufacturing Automobiles
Np, you won’t see cars made of asphalt. However, the odds are good that your car contains blown asphalt. Automobile manufacturers often use this form of asphalt to create protective coatings over parts. In turn, this coating helps prevent rust from forming on a vehicle’s metal parts.
Additionally, asphalt linings applied to hoods and fenders work well to dampen sound, reducing outside noise from entering a vehicle’s cabin and helping to ensure a peaceful drive.
Building Tunnels
While they’re not in every city, roads near mountains or running under bodies of water must have tunnels to protect the drivers traveling underneath them. Fortunately, asphalt is an ideal material for tunnel construction. Asphalt is an excellent material for a tunnel’s floor, making it easy to withstand the near-constant pressure of vehicles.
As mentioned earlier, asphalt has an excellent ability to resist water infiltration. Because of that, builders often line tunnels with asphalt membranes to prevent seepage. Plus, asphalt is naturally resistant to skid marks caused by drivers applying their brakes suddenly.
Covering Homes and Buildings
We can’t discuss the daily uses of asphalt without mentioning its use in the roofing industry. Asphalt shingles are commonly used roofing materials, especially in the United States. But why? These shingles offer a multitude of benefits, including being weather-resistant, lightweight, and affordable.
So, what about commercial buildings that don’t use shingles? Do they use asphalt? Yes, typically in the form of built-up roofing (BUR) systems. A BUR system can contain asphalt used as an adhesive material between reinforcing materials. Commercial buildings protected by BUR systems also have resistance against the sun’s rays, rain, and snow.
As you’ve learned, many industries rely on asphalt in their everyday operations. Asphalt is everywhere. It’s a low-cost material made to last while resulting in a lower carbon footprint when compared to other materials. So, as National Asphalt Day nears, take a moment to appreciate the blacktop throughout your neighborhood, city, and wherever else it appears.
Sign in to leave a comment.