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Technical Information
Adding Shell Thiopave to the asphalt mix improves many performance properties compared to conventional bitumen asphalt.
In many circumstances, these improved properties give road specifiers the choice between paving at normal depth, and achieving extended road life or paving at a reduced depth and getting conventional road life.
Increased Stiffness Modulus
Adding Shell Thiopave to the asphalt mix increases the stiffness modulus of the mix. This increases the traffic bearing capacity of the road, opening up the potential for extended road life or thinner pavements. Independent and Shell’s own design studies show that the benefits vary by pavement design and average ambient temperature.
More information:
Shell Thiopave Low Temperature Properties (PDF, 232 KB) - opens in new window
Reduced structural deformation
Asphalt Pavement Analyzer (APA) Specimens after 8000 passes
Asphalt mixes containing Shell Thiopave show greater resistance to structural deformation than those manufactured solely with bitumen. This makes Shell Thiopave a suitable product to use in the structural layers of high stress applications such as ports, quarries and intersections.
Increased fatigue life
In a controlled stress environment, the fatigue characteristics of asphalt containing Shell Thiopave are improved compared to conventional asphalt.
Reduced thermal cracking
At low temperature, performance of the asphalt mix is determined by the bitumen used with Shell Thiopave, at high temperatures performance is determined by the sulphur in Shell Thiopave. What this means is that in climates with significant variation in temperature between winter and summer, thermal cracking can be reduced with no loss in pavement life by combining a flexible bitumen with Shell Thiopave.
More information:
Shell Thiopave Low Temperature Properties (PDF, 232 KB) - opens in new window
Technical Paper about Shell Thiopave
In the following Technical paper references are made to Sulphur Extended Asphalt Modifier (SEAM). This is the former brand name of Shell Thiopave.
Shell Thiopave Low Temperature Properties (PDF, 232 KB) - opens in new window