09, 20
Comparing High-Performance Asphalt mixes:
A Product is not a Specification
GB5 is not a replacement for EME2
EME2: A Well-Defined Specification, Tried and Tested
EME2 is a specification for high-performance asphalt originally developed in France over 30 years. It requires that the mix must meet a set of laboratory performance criteria. Below is a summary of the key performance criteria for fatigue and modulus according to the French Standard reference (NF EN 13108-1), two essential performance indicators:
GB5: A proprietary product with a wide range of performance results
As opposed to EME2, GB5 is not a specification but a proprietary product. The graph below shows actual fatigue and modulus results for GB5 gathered from published technical papers and plotted against the French specification framework. See Appendix A for all the details on the source of the data points used in the graph. It shows that a large spread in the modulus and fatigue values with a few possibly meeting EME2 requirements, and many others clearly outside the EME2 performance criteria.
At SAMI, we believe performance should not be a gamble
As a supplier of EME2 bitumen, we will ensure that the binder supplied for your EME2 asphalt will achieve the performance criteria for EME2 asphalt as prescribed by the Australian performance-based specifications.
As we have done for several hundred thousand tonnes already placed on Australian roads, we will also work with our customers to ensure their EME2 mixes meet these tried and tested performance criteria.
Appendix A: Summary of all published modulus and fatigue results for GB5
