It is great when a performance product developed for a particular industry crosses over to solve problems in another. Such is the case with our fuel-resistant asphalt binder, StellarFlex FR®, originally designed and developed for airfield pavements. We completed a project in October 2021 for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services, paving Agricultural Inspection Station No. 6A on Interstate 10 in Live Oak.
You may be wondering, “Why would an asphalt binder designed for airfields be chosen for an agricultural inspection station?” Good question, and thanks for asking!
First, airfields experience pavement issues due to spills of aviation fuel and hydraulic oil as well as leakage from heavy, slow-moving, or stopped aircraft. These conditions make airfield pavement highly susceptible to fatigue (cracking) resistance and durability. Our StellarFlex FR® was originally designed as a solution to combat the negative effects of petroleum, resist damage from jet fuel, hydraulic oil, as well as provide longer pavement life with reduced rutting and cracking compared to traditional asphalt.
Agricultural inspection stations, if you aren’t familiar, are configured similarly to truck weigh stations and include on- and off-ramps from a highway as well as a manned booth where drivers stop and are sometimes pulled aside for inspection. This creates similar conditions found on airfield taxiways: loaded trucks of livestock, agricultural, and horticultural products moving slowly or stopped, creating stressful conditions for pavement.
In order to prevent premature degradation caused by vehicles that may leak fuel, as well as farm animal waste as livestock are transported into the state, we provided over 150 tons of StellarFlex FR® (PG 82-22FR) that was used as the asphalt binder component of this FDOT-approved mix design and placed as the final surface layer of the pavement rehabilitation project. Our partner on this project, Anderson Columbia Company, was integral in the production and placement of the mix.
Do you have a project where you may use a coal tar sealer to provide fuel resistance over your asphalt pavement? If so, you may want to consider StellarFlex FR® and get fuel protection built into your pavement, plus get greater resistance to rutting and cracking than traditional asphalt mixes. StellarFlex FR® has been used for airports, bus lanes, fuel storage, and containment areas, fueling stations, truck stops, port facilities, and horse-drawn carriage routes. Contact us and we can discuss whether StellarFlex FR® could extend the life and reduce maintenance for your asphalt pavement application.