This module will provide a general overview of the types and uses of asphalt materials. Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) is made up of graded aggregates and asphalt binder.
They are generally mixed in a hot mix plant (either batch type or continuous mix type) to meet the specifications of the using agency for the end-result whether it be for a parking lot, an airfield runway or an interstate highway. Asphalt binders and tar are both considered bitumen materials. Quite often these two terms are used interchangeable due to misconceptions resulting from their similarity in appearance and in the parallel applications.
However, asphalt binders and tar are two distinctly different materials with different origins and different physical and chemical characteristics.
Asphalt binders is a dark brown to black cementitious material that is either naturally occurring or is produced by petroleum distillation. Tar, on the other hand, is primarily manufactured from the destructive distillation of coal and has a very distinctive odor.
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