Dubovyk R.

Y
SMA application on modern highways,
Language Advisor – Asst. Prof. Ponikarovska S. V

Crushed – mastic asphalt concrete is a monolithic material formed after

compaction and cooling to ambient temperature of the crushed –mastic asphait
concrete mixture.
In recent years the stone mastic asphalt (SMA) is more and more applied to
the device of top plies of a covering. This material has specific operational
characteristics, namely: durability of a layer, the lowered noise level, resistance to
distortion, etc.
The Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA) is the condensed crushed-stone and mastic
asphalt concrete mixure.
Crushed-stone and mastic asphalt was developed in Germany in the sixties of
the 20th century. The increased intensity of rutting, destruction of a road carpet
owing to growth of number of vehicles and also active use of the spiked automobile
tires (which are also invented in the sixties), laid the foundation for developing and
testing of new road-building material.
The Crushed-stone and Mastic Asphalt Concrete Mix (CSMACM) is an
artificial road-building material representing the mixure of mineral materials
(crushed stone, sand from eliminations of crushing and mineral powder),
bituminous binding element and the stabilizing additive. This material has been
used in Ukraine since 2002. The first section was built on the Kyiv-Chop road with
the scientific support of the DerzhdorNDI specialists. After that, the SMA has been
used in almost all regions of Ukraine.
Crushed-stone and mastic asphalt concrete mixure consists of 3 components:
• mineral material (crushed stone, sand, mineral powder);
• bituminous binding element;
• stabilizing additive;
 There exist 4 types of the SMA:
• SMA-20 (the largest size of grains of crushed stone up to 20 mm). It is
applied to the device of top plies of a road carpet 4-6 cm thick.
• SMA-15 (up to 15 mm). It is applied to create the top layers coverage of a
road pavement 3-5 cm thick.
• SMA-10 (up to 10 mm). It is applied to create the top layers coverage of a
road pavement 2-4 cm thick.
• SMA-5 (up to 5 mm). Can be applied as a thin top layer coverage of a road
pavement.[3]
SMA differs from the standard asphalt concrete mixtures in numerous
aspects. The hot condensed crushed-stone and mastic mixtures are an independent
kind of asphalt concrete mixtures. The essential differences between the SMA and
the standard asphalt concrete include:
• increased contents of crushed stone (is 20-30% more in comparison with
asphalt concrete mixtures of type "A");
• increased contents of bituminous binding element (from 5,5% to 8%);
• more strict selection criteria of crushed stone size and form;
• availability of stabilizing additives;
The main advantages of SMA are:
• Water and frost resistance. Are reached thanks to high content of
bituminous binding element and also the small size of residual porosity in the
condensed state.
• High fatigue resistance. It is reached due to the disperse reinforcing effect
of the stabilizing additive and also the high content of knitting and low residual
porosity.
• Increased shifting resistance. It is caused by a higher, in comparison with
the standard asphalt concrete, static limit of flowability at shift.
• Low abradability and resistance to the destroying impact of spiked
automobile tires. It is reached due to application of crushed-stone and mastic
mixure of crushed stone with durable rocks and also at the expense of the high
content of mastic (asphalt binding substance).
• Covering roughness and high frictional properties (clutching level of a road
pavement with wheels). Promotes increase in traffic safety of vehicles at high
speeds.
• Increased crack resistance. Although degree of resistance of crushed-stone
and mastic asphalt pavement to temperature crack formation mostly depends on
composition of crushed-stone and mastic mixture, resistance to fatigue crack
formation is inherent to all the SMA.
• Low noise level. SMA coverings differ in more low level of noise caused
by car traffic from standard asphalt pavements (on average by 4–5 dB).[1]
The set of aforementioned advantages of stone mastic asphalt allows to
increase significantly reserve maintenance periods of a road pavement, to increase
comfort, quality and traffic safety.
Nevertheless, despite the high cost of the material and works on its laying,
using of crushed-stone and mastic asphalt is cost-effective and justified since the
SMA can be laid in a thinner coat and at the same time has longer service life (2-3
times more than the standard asphalt concrete) which reduces operational charges.
Nowadays, crushed-stone and mastic asphalt is widely used as material for
top protective layers of a road pavement in many countries of the world. Crushed-
stone and mastic mixtures gradually force out other types of asphalt concrete
mixtures used for application of protective and constructive layers.[2]
References
1. http://www.unidorstroy.kiev.ua/wiki-asphalting/stone-mastic-
asphalt.html

2.https://web.archive.org/web/20160909204252/http://
www.bibl.nngasu.ru/electronic%20resources/uch-metod/highways/
4584_Kostin_asfaltobeton.pdf