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Tarmac is the most durable surfacing material and has many applications. Here I’ll try to explain a little about tarmac, the different types and how to care for it and all about Tarmac that you need to know.
When you install tarmac, you are guaranteed that it will last a long time. It is an extremely hard surface, but this hardness comes at the cost of texture. Tarmac is very smooth and can be slippery when wet, especially under foot.
Tarmac is usually installed in parking spaces, or in driveways or roads where heavy traffic passes over it every day. It has been developed specifically for this purpose, meaning you can trust it to do what it was designed for.
However, because of its smoothness, you should install some kind of edging around your tarmac area to make it safer to walk on. This could be brick edging or wooden edging depending on where you live and what looks best for your property.
Tarmac usually looks grey-black in colour, but manufacturers do now offer specialised colours if you would prefer something more decorative than plain black asphalt. This can give your driveway a more modern look and make it stand out from the rest of your property.
Tarmac is made of three main ingredients: aggregate, emulsifier and binder. The aggregate, or stone, helps to provide strength to the material while also allowing drainage to occur. The binder helps with adhesion between the aggregate and asphalt cement. Emulsifiers help with the dispersion of the binder into the aggregate so that it can be evenly distributed throughout the mix.
Tarmac or Asphalt is a black mixture of hydrocarbons, made up of over 200 chemical compounds. The tarmac is made in the asphalt plant through a process of refining crude oil and bitumen. Tarmac is used as a material to pave roads, runways and airport aprons. A mixture of approximately 90% aggregate (crushed stone in various sizes) and 10% asphalt is then laid down, compacted and rolled out on site to produce a smooth surface. The process of laying tarmac usually takes place over days, with traffic able to use the road the following day.
Types of Tarmac: There are three main types of tarmac: macadam (sealed with tar), resin (where resin is injected into the base) and polymer modified (where polymer granules are added to the mix). Macadam is the most commonly used type of tarmac for road surfacing because it is cheap and easy to lay and repair. Polymer modified tarmac has superior durability so it doesn’t break up from heavy traffic like macadam does.
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