How to maintain a city road by day and Formula 1 track by night

Nearly a decade on from when Singapore’s Formula 1 (F1) track was first laid, Shell Bitumen’s high-performance binder, Shell Cariphalte, has been selected once more for resurfacing works. The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) sets stringent standards for the performance of its tracks, which are made even more challenging given Singapore’s climate. The road surface must remain constant, despite temperatures of up to 30oC and humidity levels above 70%. The 5km Marina Bay Street Circuit, which
February 22, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
Shell Bitumen’s high-performance binder, Shell Cariphalte is being used at the Singapore F1 race track

Nearly a decade on from when Singapore’s Formula 1 (F1) track was first laid, 763 Shell Bitumen’s high-performance binder, Shell Cariphalte, has been selected once more for resurfacing works.

The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) sets stringent standards for the performance of its tracks, which are made even more challenging given Singapore’s climate. The road surface must remain constant, despite temperatures of up to 30oC and humidity levels above 70%.

The 5km Marina Bay Street Circuit, which saw the first ever night-time race back in 2008, must withstand the rigours of everyday traffic as well as the occasional impacts of F1 racing cars travelling at over 300kph and braking around its 23 turns.

Shell Cariphalte was selected for the task because it has been designed to resist extreme heat, rutting, cracking, stripping and ageing. Its tough three-dimensional polymer network gives increased stiffness at high temperatures and low stiffness at low temperatures, increasing the performance range of the pavement and reducing the risk of cracking which is common for surfaces under high stress, says Shell Bitumen.

The resurfacing work, carried out by contractor United E&P, involved laying new asphalt around several of the turn areas. There were also minor changes to Turn 16 and 17, according to motorsport websites, which have been realigned, resulting the in length of the course being reduced by 2m to 5.063km. The work was carried out during the night, when there is less traffic, to minimise disruption.

Materials

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • New tests, new technology, new users: why materials testing is a growing market
    February 7, 2017
    A look back at some of the developments this year, and a look ahead to what may come next reveals the increasing use of materials testing. New technology and new ways to process and analyse data will drive change even further - Kristina Smith reports For materials testing equipment manufacturers, constant change is business as usual. New tests emerge, new standards are written and new practices spread around regions and the world. There are also new materials to deal with: bitumen modified with polymers
    Read More
  • World growth in geosynthtics set to rise
    February 17, 2012
    With geosynthetics sales set to grow rapidly in the next three years, manufacturers are preparing for the demand. Patrick Smith reports. Global demand for geosynthetics is projected to increase 5.3% annually to 4.7 billion m² in 2013 with countries such as China, India and Russia expected to post the strongest gains through the forecast period. All are building large-scale infrastructure developments and face evolving environmental protection regulations and strict building construction codes.
    Read More
  • Preventive maintenance - preserving pavements
    February 14, 2012
    In the first article of a three-part series on preventive maintenance, Alan S. Kercher, of Kercher Engineering, highlights the value to road agencies of a properly implemented pavement preservation programme For many road agencies, the budget for maintenance, rehabilitation and reconstruction (MR&R) of their roads is focused mainly on the pavements that are in the worst condition. In the short term, this common approach may seem very logical. However, when focused on expensive structural improvements,
    Read More
  • New tests for modified bitumens and mixes with RAP
    December 19, 2014
    This month we learn about a new test which is helping to predict the performance of asphalt mixtures containing recycled materials and modifiers, and we showcase some of the new testing equipment recently launched - writes Kristina Smith Researchers in the US have come up with a new test to help owners and contractors better predict the performance of their roads. “The problem is that the current tests cannot determine the performance of new materials,” said Dr Haleh Azari, manager of the AASHTO Advanced P
    Read More

Highlighted Content