Polymer Modified Bitumens (PMB): Styrene Block-Copolymers elastomers

PMB are used to make pavements, roads for heavy duty traffic and home roofing for extreme weathers.

DzBh New Material is providing Styrene Block Copolymers (SBC) for the elastomer modification of bitumens for nearly 20 years. Beside their well-known Baling® standard grades, DzBh has a wide ability to customize SBC formulations.

DzBh Baling® SBS (Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene) is the golden standard elastomer modifier, confering to PMB extra toughness, resistance to deformations, cracks and stripping, water resistance, high durability. The end applications of SBS PMB include pavements and roads which required durability, draining properties or undergoing very high stress, e.g. high and heavy traffic, high loading, high temperature amplitude.

DzBh Baling® SEBS (Styrene-Ethylene/Butylene-Styrene) and SEPS (Styrene-Ethylene/Propylene-Styrene) may sometimes be used for their better resistance to oxidation and weather.

DzBh Baling® SIS (Styrene-Isoprene-Styrene) are the SBC with the lowest modulus and the highest adhesive properties, and they are used in PMB mostly for repairing applications (see later).

SBS, SEBS, SIS off-specs, slow moving and special offers from the major world producers are also regularly available at Speedy Polymers at advantageous prices.

Tip

Higher softening points with the EBA Lotryl® T new tubular technology

The special tubular technology of Lotryl® T enables the production of PMB with higher softening points than with standard EVA or EBA. A broad range of modulus and viscosity is available.

Polymer Modified Bitumens (PMB): Reactive polyolefins

Arkema Lotader® AX is a polyolefin terpolymers which are used for the formulation of PMB with superior properties in terms of resistance to rutting, abrasion and frettling, elastic return, decrease in temperature susceptibility especially in hot climates or imporant day/night excursion, dynamic properties (fatigue and thermal cracking, and extension of the life of asphalt pavements), chemical resistance.

Lotader® AX are easy to process, giving a low effect on viscosity, an outstanding bitumen storage stability and easiness to prepare in most common equipment (no need for high shear tank).

Furthermore, Lotader ® AX are efficient already at low loading – sensibly less than typical SBS or EVA loading – thus also yielding a cost advantage.

Beside standard roads where Lotader® AX will replace or integrate usual SBS or EVA modified bitumens, the end applications where the exceptional performance of Arkema Lotader® AX will be immediately seen range to hot-climate, day & night or seasonal temperature excursions, heavy traffic, bridges, roundabouts, bumps and gutters, speed humps, mountain roads, and all extreme weather or shear conditions.

The incredible chemical and solvent resistance of PMB modified with Lotader® AX make it also an elective Solution for roads subject to weather or chemical attack, fuel and gas stations, airports, etc.

Lotader® AX includes a wide range of grades which can be combined to adjust the softening point and other parameters.

Case Study

Arkema Lotader AX: A new range for of reactive modifiers for PMB

Opportunity: Customer was looking to develop formulations with specific high performance in hot climate.

Tip

Looking for an universal additive for your PMB, to be applied to all most extreme conditions?

Arkema Lotader® AX range is the perfect Solution for hot-climate, day & night temperature excursions, heavy city traffic or extra-urban traffic with continuous braking, bridges, roundabouts, bumps and gutters, speed humps, mountain roads, repairings, roads subject to weather or chemical attack (e.g. close to marine salt), fuel and gas stations, airports, and all extreme conditions.

Tackifier resins and waxes

Ambra portfolio includes Hydrocarbon tackifier resins from various Chinese top producers with reliable quality, consistent supply and affordable costs.

Our range includes Aliphatic C5, Aromatic C9, Aliphatic/Aromatic C5/C9 and Hydrogenated resins. Hydrocarbon resins are used to increase the initial tackiness of all bitumen formulations, including PMB, mastic for repairs and road paints.

Waxes are used in bitumens basically to increase fluidity (reducing hot-torch resistance) and hydrophobicity. Brasca manufactures waxes since 1946. ABpolwax® PE are Polyethylene waxes in flakes or drops shape, with congealing and drop points, penetrations, viscosities, yellowing, solubles parameters which are comparable to market PE wax benchmarks, with an attractive performance vs cost ratio.

ABpolwax® FT Fischer-Tropsch waxes are also sometimes used as fluidifiers.

Polwax® is one of the largest European producers of refined and deodorized paraffin waxes, and also thanks to their relatively lower cost than PE waxes, they are also used as fluidifiers and to reduce viscosity.

Tip

Reduce hot-torching shear

With its ideal combination of hardness, high melting point, and exceptionally low melt viscosity, the addition of as low as 5% of Brasca ABpolwax PE to your bitumen blend will dramatically improve flow properties during hot torching procedures.

Repairing joints and cracks

DzBh Baling® SIS (Styrene-Isoprene-Styrene) have the lowest modulus and the highest adhesive properties among all SBCelastomers, and for these reason they find wide applications in mastics for joints and cracks.

Arkema Evatane® EVA and Lotryl® EBA are also often used for their high adhesive properties, internal cohesion strength and plasticity at high temperature. They are widely compatible with SIS, tackifier resins or waxes for more complex formulations.

Lotader® and Lotader® AX terpolymers will impart to mastics and incredible and universal adhesion strength, thanks to their highly reactive groups.

Hot-Melt Road Marking (HMRM)

DzBh Baling® SIS (Styrene-Isoprene-Styrene) and Arkema Evatane® EVA are golden choices for standard HMRM formulations.

Arkema Lotryl® EMA and EBA copolymers are used as a performance alternative due to their superior thermal resistance, wider span of working temperatures, and compatibility with other polymers, tackifiers, pigments, and fillers.

The new Lotryl® T have a considerably higher melting point than standard Lotryl®, a desirable feature for hot-climates.

Brasca ABpolwax PE waxes show unique combination of high melting point, hardness and low melt viscosity, which enable them in HMRMpaints to reduce the viscosity, softening point, glass beads settling, and abrasion.

At Ambra Hydrocarbon tackifier resins are also available from main Chinese producers. They are used to increase the initial tack of Hot-Melt Road Marking paints.

Titanium dioxide (TDO) in a high purity, rutile grades white pigments are also available at Ambra from main producers from the Far East, as well as other typical pigments on spot basis.