The engineering faculty of King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi have unveiled its research work on the use of a mixture of raw rubber, ground tyre rubber and asphalt in road surfacing which, it claims, makes the road surface last longer and more cost effective.
Mr Sompo Yuwai, chief of the geological technique department of the engineering faculty, said that the mixture of the three materials will improve the quality of road surface and cost less than using asphalt alone in road surfacing.
The trick, he explained, is that the mixture must be proper – five percent of raw rubber and 11 percent of ground tyre rubber and the rest asphalt and the result will be a product for road surfacing which is better heat resistant, more durable and stiffer making driving safer.
Economically, Mr Sompo pointed out that ground rubber from old tyres is much cheaper than asphalt and this will help in the recycling of unused old tyres.
His department has also developed EPS foam for use in road maintenance in place of asphalt which will help cut down the time in road repairs and, at the same time, the material is more durable than asphalt.
