Department of Transport

SECTION 410 - ULTRA THIN ASPHALT

##This section cross-references Section 407.

If Section 407 is relevant, it should be included in the specification.
If Section 407 is not included in the specification, all references to it should be struck out, ensuring that the
remaining text is still coherent:

410.01 GENERAL

These clauses cover special requirements for Ultra Thin Asphalt (UTA) and are in addition to, or override,
the requirements for Section 407 - Hot Mix Asphalt.

410.02 DESCRIPTION

UTA is hot mixed asphalt manufactured from a nominal Size 10 mm aggregate and is placed in a thin layer
over a sprayed bituminous bond coat. It is applied using a purpose built or adapted asphalt paver capable of
applying the bond coat and asphalt in a single operation.

410.03 AGGREGATES

Unless otherwise specified, properties of the aggregates used in UTA shall comply with the requirements for
asphalt Type H as specified in clause 407.03.

Flakiness Index of the aggregate fraction passing the 9.5 mm sieve and retained on the 6.7 mm sieve based
on a single test result shall not exceed 30% except for granitic rock where the maximum value shall be 25%.
The mean Flakiness Index of the last three successive test results shall not exceed 25% except for granitic
rock where the mean value shall not exceed 20%.

410.04 FILLER

The design mix shall contain a minimum of 1% by mass of hydrated lime added filler.

The total filler content of the design mix (% by mass passing the 0.075 sieve) shall not be less than 4%.

410.05 ASPHALT BINDER

A Polymer Modified Binder (PMB) shall be used as the asphalt binder. The PMB shall be a Class A15E,
A20E or A25E manufactured to meet the requirements of the Austroads Specification Framework for
Polymer Modified Binders (AGPT/T190).

410.06 FIBRE ADDITIVE

(a) Cellulose Fibre Additive

Cellulose fibres in the form of fibre/bitumen granulate shall be added to the mix if required, to satisfy the
specified test requirements for binder drain off.
The cellulose fibre/bitumen granulate shall be handled in accordance with the manufacturer's
specifications.
The granulate shall be non-toxic, and contain 80% to 90% by mass of long fine fibrillated raw cellulose
and 10% to 20% by mass of bituminous binder. The cellulose fibre shall comply with the requirements
in Table 410.061.
All cellulose fibre/bitumen granulate shall be issued with a certificate of compliance clearly stating the
proportions by mass of cellulose of fibre and bituminous material contained in the product.
 Department of Transport

Table 410.061 Test Requirements for Cellulose Fibre

Test Property Limits

Fibre length
Maximum 5.0 mm
Average 1.5 mm
Fibre thickness 17 to 45 micron

The fibres shall be separately metered into the asphalt mixing plant.

(b) Storage of Cellulose Fibre/Bitumen Granulate

Packaged cellulose fibre products shall not be stored in the open or exposed to direct sunlight unless
protected by a waterproof UV resistant covering and any product that has become wet shall not be
used.

(c) Alternative Fibre Additives

The Superintendent may approve the addition of an alternative fibre such as acrylic fibre if it can be
shown to produce a homogeneous mix with equivalent or improved test properties and provision of
evidence of proven field performance over a period in excess of three years. Under no circumstances
shall the content of alternative fibres be less than 0.15% by mass nor more than 0.5% by mass.

410.07 MIX DESIGN

All asphalt mixes proposed for use on VicRoads works shall be registered by VicRoads in accordance with
Section 407.06. The following design criteria shall also be met.

(a) Austroads Guide to Pavement Technology Part 4B: Asphalt shall be used as the general reference for
design of the mix except for the following specific requirements.

(i)Aggregate Grading
The aggregate shall be within the grading envelope specified in Table 410.071.
Table 410.071 Grading Limits of Aggregates including any Filler

Grading
Sieve Size (% Passing by
mass)
13.2 100
9.5 80 - 100
6.7 30 - 55
4.75 22 - 40
2.36 18 - 33
1.18 12 - 27
0.600 7 - 17
0.300 6 - 13
0.150 5-9
0.075 4–7

(ii) Binder Film Thickness

The binder film thickness as calculated in accordance with the relevant VicRoads Test Method
shall meet the requirements of Table 410.072.

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(iii) Trial Binder Content for Mix Design Purposes

Unless otherwise specified or directed, the trial binder contents for mix design purposes shall
range between 5.3% to 6.3% by mass.

(iv) Air Voids

The Air Voids of the UTA mix shall comply with the requirements of Table 410.072.

(v) Asphalt Particle Loss

The asphalt particle loss shall be determined in accordance with the relevant Austroads Test
Method. The test shall be undertaken on gyratory compacted specimens after 80 compaction
cycles under standard test conditions within the range of air voids specified in Table 410.072.

(vi) Asphalt Binder Drain Off

Unless otherwise specified, the relevant VicRoads Test Method shall be used to measure asphalt
binder drain off. The test shall be performed at the maximum asphalt mix temperature of 175°C.
The mix shall comply with the requirements of Table 410.072.
Table 410.072 Test Properties for the Asphalt Mix

Test Property Test Value

Minimum binder film thickness 12 Micron

Air voids at 80 Gyratory Compaction Cycles under standard test conditions:
Minimum 15%
Maximum 22%
Asphalt particle loss at 80 cycles of compaction:
Conditioned Sample 20% by mass
Unconditioned Sample 10% by mass

Maximum Binder Paste Drain Off at 175°C 0.3% by mass

(b) An increase in design binder content to account for the use of PMB as specified in clause 407.06, is not
required for UTA.

(c) The following information shall be submitted to the Superintendent to register a mix design:
(i) grading test results for each component;
(ii) proportion of each component in the mix;
(iii) design target grading and binder content for the mix;
(iv) unsound and marginal rock content of the coarse aggregate fraction;
(v) Degradation Factor – Crusher Fines for the fine aggregate fraction;
(vi) Mean and Individual Flakiness Index of the aggregate;
(vii) class of PMB proposed in the Mix;
(viii) calculation of binder film thickness;
(ix) results of the Asphalt Particle Loss Test;
(x) results of the Asphalt Binder Drain Off Test;
(xi) calculation of Bulk Density, Voids Free Bulk Density and Air Voids at 80 cycles of gyratory
compaction.

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410.08 MIX PRODUCTION

(a) Mixing Temperatures

Unless otherwise specified or directed, temperatures of binder, aggregate and asphalt shall comply with
the requirements of Table 410.081.

Table 410.081 Temperatures of Binder and Asphalt

Temperature of PMB (°C)

Material
Min Max
Binder at point of mixing 160 175 *
Asphalt at discharge from mixing plant ** 155 175
Asphalt at spreading plant ** 150 170

* Unless manufacturer recommends a lower maximum limit for

the particular class of PMB.
** Actual temperatures within the specified ranges shall be
determined and reported by the Contractor having regard to the
temperature of the pavement, PMB type and grade, weather
conditions and cartage distance.

(b) Mixing Sequence for Addition of Cellulose Fibre

Cellulose fibre/bitumen granulate shall be added directly to the mixer either during or after, the addition
of the hot aggregates, and prior to the addition of binder. Dry mixing shall continue for a maximum of
5 seconds after all cellulose fibre/bitumen granulate are added.
Binder shall be added after completion of the dry mixing and shall continue for a minimum of
20 seconds or such longer period required to ensure that coarse aggregate particles are fully coated
with bitumen and the cellulose fibres are distributed homogeneously through the mix.

(c) Tolerances of Production Mix

The tolerances on grading and binder content from the registered mix grading and binder content shall
not excess the values specified in Table 410.082.
Table 410.082 Tolerances on Grading and Binder Content

Production Tolerance from

Sieve Size Design Grading Aim
(% Passing by mass)
13.2 Nil
9.5 ±6
6.7 ±6
4.75 ±5
2.36 ±5
1.18 ±4
0.600 ±4
0.300 ±3
0.150 ±2
0.075 ± 1.0
Binder ± 0.3% by mass

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(d) Determination of Air Voids of UTA after Production

The air voids of UTA sampled after production shall be checked at the frequency specified in Table
410.091. The air voids shall be determined from the mean Bulk Density of Triplicate Specimens
(Mensuration Method) compacted from a random sample of mix after 80 cycles of gyratory compaction
and the most recent test results of the Voids Free Bulk Density for the mix.
Assessment of air voids of UTA after production shall be made on a ‘rolling average’ basis where the
mean of the most recent three results shall be within the range specified in Table 410.072.

410.09 FREQUENCY AND INSPECTION AND TESTING

The following tests shall be undertaken in addition to those specified in clause 407.10

Table 410.091 Frequency of Testing

Test Minimum Frequency

Flakiness Index One per production week from a sample of 10 mm

aggregate taken from the component bin

Voids Free Bulk Density One per production week

Air Voids of Production Asphalt after One per production day from a sample taken from
80 Cycles of Gyratory Compaction the first truck load on that day

Notwithstanding the requirements of clauses 407.10, no reduced frequency is available for when the
Contractor has implemented a system of statistical process control.

Further to Table 407.101 the minimum frequency for Binder Content and Full Sieve Analysis of Asphalt (full
extraction test) shall be one test per 100 tonnes or part thereof of the asphalt plant production on a
representative sample taken from a delivery truck. The Binder Content and Full Sieve Analysis results shall
be provided to the Superintendent.

410.10 AMBIENT CONDITIONS FOR PLACING

UTA shall not be placed when more than 30% of the area to be paved has a surface temperature of less
than 15°C.

410.11 WATER RESISTANT BITUMINOUS BOND COAT

A water resistant bituminous bond coat of polymer modified bitumen emulsion shall be uniformly sprayed
over the pavement surface prior to placing the UTA surfacing. To avoid damage to the bituminous bond
coat by the paving operation, the paver shall be fitted with a sprayer system to uniformly deliver the bond
coat directly on to the road surface immediately in front of the paver screed so that the bituminous bond coat
and paving is completed in a single pass.

The material used for the bituminous bond coat shall be a rapid setting cationic emulsion modified with SBS
or SBR type polymer conforming to the requirements of Table 410.111.

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Table 410.111 Properties of Bitumen Emulsion used for the Bituminous Bond Coat

Property Min. Max.

Polymer Content (% mass of Distillation Residue) 3.0 * -

Total Residue by Evaporation @ 2000C (% of total mass) 62 65

Viscosity @ 25°C (Engler) 10 15

Storage Stability Test (% sedimentation after one day) - 1

Sieve Test (% by mass retained on 600 micron sieve) - 0.10

Setting time (minutes) 3 7

* Alternatively, the PMB residue shall comply with a Class S10E supplied in
accordance with the requirements of the Austroads Specification Framework for
Polymer Modified Binders (AP-TO4).

Unless otherwise specified or agreed by the Superintendent, the minimum rate of application of binder
residue for the bituminous bond coat shall be within the range of 0.4 to 0.9 L/m 2 determined in accordance
with Table 410.112. The binder residue shall be calculated from the binder volume within the emulsion in
litres at 15°C.

HP At least one week prior to commencement of work, the Contractor shall submit design rates of
application for the bituminous bond coat for review by the Superintendent.

The Superintendent may approve a reduction in the rates of application for the bituminous bond coat in
Table 410.112, in cases where UTA is to be immediately placed over a fresh seal or SAMI treatment.

After completion of each paving run the Contractor shall produce evidence to show that the actual rates of
application of residual binder are within 0.1 L/m2 of the design rate of application for the particular traffic lane
being paved.

Table 410.112 Minimum Rate of Application of Binder Residue for Bituminous Bond Coat

Minimum Rate of
Average Texture
Surface Application of Binder
Depth *
Description Residue
(mm)  
(L/m2)

Slick < 0.5 0.4

Smooth 0.5 - 0.8 0.5

Low Texture 0.8 - 1.2 0.6

Medium Texture 1.2 - 1.6 0.7

High Texture 1.6 - 2.2 0.8

Very High Texture > 2.2 0.9

* As determined by the VicRoads test method used for

texture assessment of sprayed seals (RC 317.04). This
method shall be used for all types of existing surfaces.

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410.12 SPREADING

Heating of the paver screed shall cease while the paver is stationary and the screed is in contact with the
fresh asphalt mat.

The average thickness of the layer within each lot shall be not less than 15 mm or more than 20 mm with a
maximum thickness at any point of not more than 25 mm.

For the purposes of this clause, a lot shall be defined as an area of new asphalt paving of not more than
4,000 m2.

The mean thickness of the layer shall be calculated by:

M
T = x 1000
DxA
Where: T is the thickness of layer in millimetres
A is the area of the lot in square metres
D is the bulk density of the registered mix in tonnes/m 3
M is the mass of asphalt used in tonnes

410.13 COMPACTION REQUIREMENTS

Compaction shall be achieved using not less than 3 passes with a static steel wheeled roller with a minimum
overall mass of 6 tonnes. Two double drum rollers shall be used per paver. The Contractor may use a self-
propelled multi-wheel roller for secondary rolling however multi-wheel rolling shall be discontinued if it results
in any damage to the surface of the new asphalt mat.

410.14 REGULATION OF EXISTING SURFACE

Unless otherwise specified in Table 410.141, all areas of the existing surface that are not free draining or
could result in the UTA having a thickness exceeding 25 mm at any point, shall be regulated with the asphalt
size and type specified in Table 410.141 in such a way as to produce a free draining underlying surface prior
to placing UTA. All asphalt regulation shall be included in the tendered price for the work.

*** Table 410.141 Details of Type of Asphalt Regulation

Location Asphalt Size and Type

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© Department of Transport December 2016

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