Materials Used for the Construction of Roads

The road connects you from one place to another. It is important to use reinforced material to make smooth and robust roads. As the daily wages, people travel through road to reach their destination. Well, a wide range of materials is used in the construction of roads as the heavy Machinery vehicles cover their distance from the road. Soils, aggregates, bituminous materials, and cement materials are used as admixtures for improved roads performance under heavy traffic. Heavy Machinery in Pakistan is used for road construction. Heavy Machinery in Balochistan and another part of Pakistan is used in road construction as the creating road is not just a two-day task. It takes time to make a smooth road.

Soil

Soil naturally tops the list of materials for the construction of roads. It eventually supports the complete structure of the road. However, the soil is the primary material for the foundation. It provides the essential flat base that provides significant support for the road structure. During constructing the road, the process has taken place to make the road straight and smooth. That process is known as compaction. Hence, where small soil particles are pressed together to reduce pores’ space between them, it is usually carried out on-site to give the soil at the base some higher resistance and greater stability.

Aggregate

Constructing a road is not an easy task. It is not a one day task because before making any decision, engineers and other architects do keen observation before they start working on it. Stone aggregate is also called mineral aggregate. They are the easiest and the most important component of road construction materials. It is made by breaking up naturally occurring rocks to form coarse aggregates like gravel or fine aggregate, which seems like sand. Aggregates must be tested by an experienced road engineer to ascertain that they have reinforced enough and durable for a specific project. They are used for granular bases, as part of bituminous mixes and cement concrete. 

Concrete

Concrete provides a lot of flexibility and ease of construction – making it a major road construction material. A well-made quality-wise concrete mixture sets and hardens because of the binding characteristics of cement. In addition to cost-cutting, concrete is famous among road construction due to its ability to extend the service span life of a road. It forms a mix with the slimmest void space. Curing with water provides a strong, steady, and longevity pavement for a road – resisting repetitive impact from heavy commercial trollers and other vehicles.

Asphalt and Bitumen

Asphalt and bitumen are often confused as being the same thing due to looking alike. However, while asphalt is a combination of aggregates, binders, and fillers, they are usually used to construct roads and their associated furniture. Although bitumen is the semi-solid binder that holds asphalt together. Asphalt is the most common type of road construction materials. On the other hand, asphalt is manufactured in a factory that heats, dries, and mixes aggregate.