Using Chemically Modified Sulfur as a Joint Sealant

摘要

A study was made to determine if it were reasonable to expect that Sulphlex-like pavement sealants could be developed within the bounds of an economically justifiable research effort. The properties of commercially acceptable sealants were investigated by performing tests and reviewing specifications used by major design and construction agencies. These properties were compared with the characteristics of modified sulfur formulations developed during a previous research project and during subsequent research work sponsored by the Southwest Research Institute. The findings were as follows: asphalt alone is a less than desirable pavement sealant; since Sulphlex was developed to be as much like asphalt as possible, the existing formulations are not excellent sealants. They do have characteristics of many of the asphalt-based sealants on the market, however, to obtain a good quality pavement sealant from plasticized sulfur, it will be necessary to develop new formulations which bond well to PCC and asphaltic cement surfaces, and which maintain a nonflowing elastic surface at temperatures between -20F and 140F (-29C and 60C). This appears to be possible by optimizing proportions of available plasticizers and fibers.