Skip to main content

South Korean technology for thin overlays

South Korean company Hansoo Road Industry has developed an ultra-thin hot mix asphalt pavement layer, Recover asphalt, designed to overlay cracked pavements at a depth of between 10 and 20mm. “Our company has been studying asphalt modifiers since 1999 and has know-how on research and development of asphalt modifiers,” said Yulia Min, manager at Hansoo Road Industry. “Recover asphalt was developed through a four-year study based on the previous studies of asphalt modifier technology.” Recover asphalt has
May 15, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
Hansoo Road Industry’s Recover asphalt is a 2cm-thick overlay, which can be installed over cracked roads
South Korean company Hansoo Road Industry has developed an ultra-thin hot mix asphalt pavement layer, Recover asphalt, designed to overlay cracked pavements at a depth of between 10 and 20mm.


“Our company has been studying asphalt modifiers since 1999 and has know-how on research and development of asphalt modifiers,” said Yulia Min, manager at Hansoo Road Industry. “Recover asphalt was developed through a four-year study based on the previous studies of asphalt modifier technology.”

Recover asphalt has been used on national, local and urban roads in Korea since 2016 after the produce received its patent. It is currently undergoing tests and trials in China and Europe, says Min.

Recover asphalt is created by adding pellets containing CSM Modifier to the asphalt plant. Based on microfibres, the modifier contains additives which give elasticity and ductility to the asphalt mixtures at both low and high temperatures.

Min says that asphalt mixtures containing the modifier show “excellent plastic deformation resistance which can increase the performance of the asphalt pavement”. Because the small size of the aggregates in Recover asphalt, a maximum of 5mm, the overlay is used in downtown areas to reduce noise levels from road pavements. Hansoo said that over 8dB noise reduction is achieved, when compared to the existing, aged pavement with up to 12dB reduction observed for some roads.

Related Content

  • Super paving with Aggregate Industries’ SuperThin
    February 21, 2019
    Aggregate Industries’ contracting division recently laid a total of 1,800 tonnes of an ultra-low noise asphalt at Brampton Hut Services in Huntingdon in one weekend. Section 1 of Highways England’s A14 Cambridge-to-Huntingdon Improvement Scheme will see 21km of the road upgraded to three lanes in each direction and is expected to cut journey times by up to 20 minutes. The pavement works at Brampton Hut motorway services specified minimum sound level requirements of -7.5db (A). The limits are designed
  • Seal of approval
    August 2, 2012
    Timely maintenance using proven cost-effective methods can extend the life of a highway by many years as Patrick smith reports Highways are expensive assets to construct, and the wear and tear of modern traffic means that regular maintenance will delay costly repairs or in extreme cases reconstruction. There are a number of methods of carrying out such maintenance, and these include the use of slurry seals and micro-surfacing, which are cold mixed asphalt which is a mixture of graded aggregate, asphalt emul
  • Asphalt plant producers see major worldwide successes
    November 21, 2014
    Asphalt plant manufacturers report major supply deals for highway and construction projects - Pat Smith writes International asphalt plant manufacturers have been reporting major successes with their products, which are now working on highway and airport projects worldwide.
  • Bitumen additives raise environmental questions
    February 14, 2012
    New products, including additives, are coming onto the market to help reduce the cost of producing bitumen. Patrick smith reports. According to Eng. Paolo Visconti of Iterchimica, environmental issues and the health and safety of operators of manufacturing plants and workers laying bituminous mixes have raised long debates on the possible harmfulness of fumes which are emitted when heating these mixes at the temperatures (160-180°C) required for their production. "If, on the one hand, the effects on operato