Products
Forta Asphalt Reinforcement
UTRS Europe has entered into a distribution agreement with FORTA® Corporation to distribute its proprietary FORTA® AR® asphalt reinforcement product in Europe.
FORTA AR is a blend of fibrillated polypropylene and multi-filament aramid fibers. The polypropylene fiber aids in mixing and distributing the aramid fiber to provide three- dimensional reinforcement to hot mix asphalt pavements. FORTA proprietary blend provides better reinforcement than other fiber reinforcement products (such as polyester, nylon, or fiberglass). In addition, the FORTA AR blend of fibers will not clump during mixing as other products do.
FORTA AR has been shown to increase the Marshall stability, tensile strength, compressive strength, and fatigue strength of treated asphalts. FORTA AR fibers also have been shown to reduce indirect tension (creep) and the propagation of load-induced and reflective cracking. Asphalt treated with FORTA AR is generally expected to last up to 20% longer than untreated pavements subjected to the same loading and environmental conditions.
The use of FORTA AR fibers does not require any significant changes to current operating procedures. FORTA AR is added at a rate of 0.5 kg per metric ton of asphalt. The addition of 0.1% bitumen to the standard asphalt design mix is recommended to account for the increased surface area of the fibers. However, use of FORTA AR does not require any changes in mix time, mix temperature, mixing equipment, laying equipment or procedures, or compacting equipment or procedures.
Reinforcing the Future of Asphalt Worldwide
Adding Forta AR® fibers to hot mix asphalt provides three-dimensional reinforcement of the road's wear layer. Testing of Forta AR fiber-treated asphalt has shown:
- 24% increase in Marshall stability
- 17% increase in Marshall flow
- Improvements in tensile strength, indirect tension, fatigue strength,and resilient modulus.
With Forta AR® fibers, you can expect a 20% increase in the life of treated asphalt over untreated pavement in similar conditions. Assuming a 20-year life cycle for a high-traffic asphalt roadway and a 5-year resurfacing schedule, using Forta AR® will reduce the number of resurfacing events required from four to three and generate savings of more than €27,000.
What is Forta AR®?
Forta AR® is a proprietary blend of fibrillated polypropylene and multi-filament aramid fibers.
How is Forta AR® Used?
NO significant changes to HMA operating procedures
- Simply add 0.5 kg of Forta AR fibers per ton of asphalt during the dry mix phase of HMA production and increase the quantity of bitumen by 0.1%
- Forta AR® fibers will not clump like other brands
- No other changes to
- Mix time
- Temperature
- Equipment used
- Transportation method
- Laying procedures
- Compaction procedures
Where is Forta AR® Used?
Forta AR® should be used wherever you need added strength and durability.
- Ideal areas include:
- Highway entrance and exit ramps
- Curves
- Loading/unloading areas
- Rest stops
- Parking lots
- Weigh stations
- Terminals
- Toll plazas
- High traffic roadways or intersections
- Forta AR® will eliminate reflective cracking when resurfacing an existing asphalt road that is in poor condition.
How Does Forta AR® Work?
Traditional Asphalt
As a truck stops, the force drives down into asphalt and supporting layers, causing stress and fatigue where the tires meet the road.
Forta AR® Reinforced Asphalt
As a truck stops, the aramid fibers spread the force throughout the treated layer, reducing stress and fatigue where the tires meet the road.
TPA-Hungary, LLP Innovation and Quality Testing
During testing by TPA, the Marshall stability of Forta AR®-treated asphalt showed an improvement of almost 25% over untreated asphalt. The testing also showed that Forta AR® improved the Marshall flow of treated asphalt by 17%. Complete test results are available upon request.
For information about Forta Asphalt Reinforcement, please complete our customer form or visit www.fortacorp.com.