Abstract
Over recent decades, asphalt technology has evolved significantly, driving advancements in pavement design, construction, and maintenance. This presentation examines innovative trends, including new binder performance standards, balanced mix design approaches, and asphalt modifiers for longer lasting pavements. It highlights pavement preservation strategies and the emergence of non-destructive portable infrared spectroscopy (PIRS) as a game-changing tool for quality control during construction and pavement laydown. Recently adopted as an AASHTO standard, PIRS enables rapid evaluation of asphalt mixture oxidation levels, offering valuable insights for materials and pavement management engineers. When paired with rheometer testing, PIRS integrates chemical and mechanical binder properties, streamlining quality assurance. A case study on emulsified asphalt testing illustrates how such technology integration fosters process innovation and workflow efficiency. Together, these advancements pave the way for safer, more sustainable, and cost-effective asphalt solutions.
Bio
Delmar Salomon, Ph.D. from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, has a 36-year international career in various fields: R&D, chemical industry, quality, emulsified asphalt, and modification of asphalt materials. He worked in Canada, Mexico, and the US, and has fifty plus publications in different technical areas. He has given several asphalt technology and training workshops in the US, China, and Latin America. Research experience includes: photochemistry, analytical chemistry, pulp & paper, and asphalt additives. Dr. Salomon is the President and Founder of Pavement Preservation Systems LLC (2005), an Idaho Certified DBE Consulting group dedicated to technology transfer, emulsified and modified asphalt, pavement management, and technical marketing in the asphalt field, as well as the promotion of processes that contribute to improve asphalt materials for long-lasting pavements. He was a contributor and former member of NASEM Committee on Repurposing Plastics Waste in Infrastructure (2023) sponsored by USEPA and USDOT (see http://nap.nationalacademies.org/27172). He has broad business networks with private industry, governmental agencies, professional organizations, and Universities in North and Latin America. He was the Principal Consultant for the Iowa State University project “Next Generation High Oleic Polymers” (2024).
Registrants will have the opportunity to earn 1 Professional Development Hour (PDH) by attending this event online or in person.
