From Tech Transfer Newsletter, Fall 2005 » printer-friendly

Free Training On Performance Graded Asphalt

On January 1, 2006, everything you knew about grading asphalts in California will change.

Stay informed. Attend a free Performance Graded (PG) Asphalt seminar.

On January 1, California will join the other 49 states in adopting the Performance Graded (PG) system. This change will affect every branch of the asphalt industry.

Caltrans, in association with the asphalt industry and UC Berkeley, are holding free 4-hour seminars across the state this winter. The seminars provide information about how to make the transition, and offer guidance on hot mix asphalt design, production, and construction issues.

The PG system addresses many of the limitations found in previous grading systems used in California. PG asphalts are selected on the basis of the temperature extremes in a defined region. Asphalt properties are also measured over a much broader range of aging conditions. The PG system focuses on the three specific pavement distress modes of permanent deformation (rutting), fatigue cracking, and low temperature cracking.

Come learn from those with experience in this area as California makes the transition from AR to PG asphalt grading.

This course will answer your questions about what this change will mean for you.

• How will this change affect my project?
• In what situations can I use higher temperature PG grades or PBA polymer modified asphalts?
• Which PG grade corresponds with the AR grade we currently use?
• How will the new PG grades perform?
• Will the change eliminate tender mixes altogether?
• How do I use the new tests to characterize PG asphalts?
• Will mix design be affected?

Free Workshops On Performance Graded Asphalt

If you can't make it to a scheduled free seminar, for a small fee the Tech Transfer program can bring the Performance Graded (PG) Asphalt seminar (IDM-22RS) directly to you starting in February 2006. For information about our half-day LTAP road shows for local agencies, please visit www.techtransfer. berkeley.edu/ roadshows.

To register, contact Bonni Walter at Bonni_Walter@dot.ca.gov. Please indicate the date and location of the session you would like to attend, along with the name and organizational affiliation of each attendee you would like to register.

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