Rosneft Deutschland GmbH, a subsidiary of Rosneft, has begun deliveries to Switzerland of two new grades of its own polymer-modified bitumen product (PMB) Alfabit. The new products have been specially developed for road surfaces that take into account the high traffic volume in the mountainous regions of Switzerland and the increased requirements for rutting and cracking protection, as well as waterproofing the material and its resistance to low temperatures. This was reported to "Lente.ru" in the press service of the company "Rosneft".
New varieties of PMB "Alfabit" have improved performance characteristics, including a higher rate of elastic recovery of the material (30 percent higher than the indicators of classical types of PMB), as well as an extended range of plasticity to ensure the resistance of the road surface to temperature fluctuations. They also showed improved values for the softening point of a product using the ring and ball test, one of the best known indicators of the consistency of bitumen products at elevated operating temperatures.
Thanks to the improved additives, Swiss Alfabit grades also provide stronger bonding of bitumen to aggregates, which is especially important for road construction in regions with high rainfall and will further help prevent damage to the road surface.
High-tech formulations of PMB "Alfabit" have been successfully used many times to create a durable and strong road surface in harsh climatic conditions and in the presence of special requirements for building materials. Thus, Alfabit varieties, similar to the Swiss developments of Rosneft Deutschland, are used in road construction projects in Russia with comparable terrain conditions, climate and road intensity - for example, in the Ural Mountains.
Rosneft Deutschland intends to further expand its range of high performance bitumen products of its own production and adapt the range for a wide variety of road construction projects in Europe.
