Extending surface life in airport applications

The US-based specialist Asphalt Systems Inc (ASI) says that if used properly, its GSB products can maintain asphalt pavement condition for decades. The company says that field trials and studies support the asphalt life extension claims for the product. During the 1990s, an ASI GSB sealer was evaluated through two independent field trials in Oregon – Portland International Airport (PDX) and Mulino State Airport (4S9). In both cases, the sealer was applied as a part of a preventive maintenance programme, and
October 1, 2018 Read time: 3 mins
Using the ASI product is said to have increased asphalt pavement life in field trials at various US airports
The US-based specialist Asphalt Systems Inc (ASI) says that if used properly, its GSB products can maintain asphalt pavement condition for decades. The company says that field trials and studies support the asphalt life extension claims for the product. During the 1990s, an ASI GSB sealer was evaluated through two independent field trials in Oregon – Portland International Airport (PDX) and Mulino State Airport (4S9). In both cases, the sealer was applied as a part of a preventive maintenance programme, and long-term performance was monitored. The data for PDX Taxiway C showed that the GSB product was able to maintain the taxiway pavement for the trial period of eight years. Performance data of the Mulino runway trial showed that the GSB sealer kept the runway in condition for 10 years by interrupting ageing, including stopping ravelling and weathering.


Other airport runway examples of ongoing and effective pavement preservation include Blanding Municipal Airport (BDG) in Utah, which has had four treatments of GSB-88 over the past 26 years. The runway pavement at Central Colorado Regional Airport (AEJ) in Buena Vista is 22 years old, and has had three treatments of GSB-88. PCI data on this airfield from the CoDOT Division of Aeronautics website shows that the pavement has remained in good condition.

Navy Facilities Command (NAVFAC) pavement specialists have performed a long-term evaluation of 1 million m2 of GSB applications on widely varying military airfield pavements and climates. In addition, the MicroPAVER data for 883 treated municipal airfield pavements across multiple climatic zones was critically evaluated. In both cases, the results of the evaluation were positive and demonstrated significant life extension. An effective pavement preservation material, GSB-88 can also help rebinding ravelling pavements, which can mitigate asphalt-based foreign object debris (FOD). GSB-88’s ability to extend the useful life of asphalt airfield pavements is generally between 25-50% with a single application.

Gilsonite, an integral component of ASI’s GSB products, is a naturally occurring asphaltite found in Utah. GSB products comprise a mixture of Gilsonite, specially selected plasticisers and oils that penetrate and reintroduce essential binders into the pavement matrix. They are designed to mitigate the impacts of surface oxidation and moisture damage on asphalt pavements, halting deterioration and sealing the surface to help repel water.

Asphalt milling, paving & compaction

Related Content

  • Istanbul’s new airport benefits from Wirtgen Group machines
    November 22, 2017
    Construction of Istanbul’s new airport facility is benefiting from the use of a large fleet of machines from the Wirtgen Group. When it is complete, this will be the world’s largest airport and will be able to handle 150-200 million passengers/year as well as 6 million tonnes of freight/year. This will make the facility substantially larger than the world’s current largest airport, the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which handles around 105 million passengers/year.
    Read More
  • Extraction operation benefits from haul road improvement
    May 23, 2014
    The trial of a novel compound at a site in Chile has shown how structural improvements can be achieved for dirt road applications Although the Barrick Gold Pascua Lama operation is a surface mining site, the experience with this technology is equally applicable for use on haul roads in large quarries or for dirt roads expected to carry heavy loads. This is of particular importance for transport in remote areas where large loads such as pre-cast bridge sections or girders for example may have to be carrie
    Read More
  • Stiffer roads, less fuel?
    October 19, 2020
    Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology looked at how much fuel – and, hence carbon – could be saved by making roads in the US stiffer. They concluded that by resurfacing 10% of roads every year for the next 50 years, 0.5% of total transport emissions, or 440 megatons, would be saved over that period.
    Read More
  • Epoxy resins for resilient roads in Ethiopia
    April 4, 2022
    Using epoxy bitumen in chip seals could significantly increase the life of high-volume roads in low-income countries and make them more resilient to climate change impacts. The technology, which has been developed and used in New Zealand, will be trialled in Ethiopia this year.
    Read More

Highlighted Content