Silane Polymer Intermediate Layer for Crack-Bridging in Pavement Construction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional traffic surface constructions, especially for motorways and parking lots, face high material and production costs due to the need for high-quality top concrete with low-noise, non-slip, and durable properties, and alternative seamless concrete pavements suffer from reduced adhesion and increased cracking, especially in cold weather, leading to water ingress and erosion.
Innovation Solution
A three-layer traffic surface structure comprising a sub-layer, an intermediate layer made from a silane-terminated polymer (such as polyethylene or polypropylene oxide with urethane segments), and an asphalt surface layer, where the intermediate layer is bitumen-free and crack-bridging, providing enhanced adhesion and protection against water ingress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a bitumen-bound adhesive layer is used between concrete surface and asphalt surface layer, then adhesion is provided, but the adhesion decreases when the adhesive layer thickness decreases due to bitumen rising into the asphalt surface layer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition of the adhesive layer by replacing bitumen-based materials with silane-terminated polymers. This parameter change in material chemistry prevents the adhesive from rising into the asphalt layer while maintaining effective adhesion, thus resolving the contradiction between adhesion reliability and layer thickness control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining silane-terminated polymers with specific molecular structures that provide both adhesion functionality and dimensional stability. The silane groups enable chemical bonding to the concrete substrate while the polymer backbone prevents excessive flow into the asphalt layer, achieving reliable adhesion with controlled layer thickness.
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional two-layer concrete construction is used with high-quality top concrete, then surface texture quality is improved, but material and production costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the traffic surface into three functional layers: a structural concrete layer, a silane-based adhesive intermediate layer, and an asphalt surface layer. This segmentation allows each layer to be optimized independently - the concrete layer provides structure, the silane layer provides adhesion, and the asphalt layer provides surface texture - reducing overall material costs while maintaining quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces expensive high-quality top concrete with a combination of standard concrete and a thin silane-based adhesive layer. The silane layer acts as a cost-effective intermediary that provides the necessary bonding and surface properties without requiring expensive concrete materials throughout the entire structure.
3Device complexity
If seamless single-layer concrete cover is used, then production complexity is reduced, but cracking occurs especially in cold weather leading to water ingress and erosion
Solution Approach 1:
The silane-terminated polymer adhesive layer acts as an intermediary between the concrete substrate and the asphalt surface layer. This intermediate layer bridges cracks in the concrete, preventing water ingress and protecting the underlying structure from erosion, thus maintaining reliability while preserving the simplicity of seamless concrete construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the adhesive system by using silane-terminated polymers that can chemically bond to both concrete and asphalt. This chemical parameter change enables the adhesive layer to accommodate and bridge mechanical cracks in the concrete substrate, preventing crack propagation and water ingress while maintaining construction simplicity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly reduces material and production costs while maintaining compressive strength and preventing cracking, offering improved adhesion and protection against water erosion, even in cold conditions, by using a simple concrete sub-layer and a thin asphalt surface layer.
Implementation Method 1
The material used to produce the at least one intermediate layer is a low-viscosity material which is applied in liquid form and comprises at least one silane-terminated polymer... The silane-terminated polymer is selected from a group comprising polyethylene and/or polypropylene oxide, also with urethane segments, and/or polyurethane
Implementation Method 2
The intermediate layer is preferably elastic. More preferably, the intermediate layer has crack-bridging properties
Implementation Method 3
A bitumen-bound adhesive layer is placed between the concrete surface and the asphalt surface layer in order to provide sufficient adhesion of the asphalt surface layer to the seamless concrete surface... the at least one intermediate layer is bitumen-free, ie it contains no bitumen whatsoever
Data Source
AI summary
The problem addressed by the invention is that of providing an economical, permanent construction of circulation areas that does not require an extensive use of resources and that is cost-effective to produce, and in particular that of protecting the parts of the bound and unbound courses of the circulation area construction that lie beneath the surface course of the carriageway from the ingress of water. To solve the problem, the invention proposes a construction comprising at least one base course, at least one asphalt surface course and at least one intermediate course applied to the at least one base course, said at least one intermediate course comprising a material that contains at least one silane-terminated polymer.