What's New in ISSA with Technical Director Bob Jerman- October 2022

October 11, 2022

Here in the northern hemisphere, we are enjoying the Fall season and the many benefits that come with it, especially the lower temperatures and humidity.  As we traveled on the Blue Ridge Parkway yesterday enjoying the spectacular colors in the Fall foliage while returning from a visit to a very busy apple orchard here in North Carolina, we speculated on the reason why the season is named “Fall”.  The consensus within our family was that it was due to the “fall of the leaves” from the trees.  My quick research confirms that.  As far as I can tell, it’s the only season that has more than one name, Fall and Autumn, with Americans typically using the term “Fall” and the British typically using the term “Autumn”.  Coming from primarily a technical background in our industry, this time of year has typically represented a shift in focus from mix designs and technical support of paving season projects across the globe to more research-oriented projects.   Of course, there are always exceptions to this but I always welcome Fall both personally and professionally for the change of pace that it brings.  

One of the opportunities that Fall provides is the opportunity to “catch our breath” and reflect on the work done up to that point in the year.  In the case of your ISSA technical group, that includes a variety of projects for review, reflection, status reports, and “next step” planning.  

Among those, the Full Gradation WTAT study group participated in a conference call last week where the latest data was shared with the participants and ideas about how to address challenges within the study were proposed and discussed.  The evaluations are ongoing by the laboratories involved in this project with a presentation on the results expected during the 2023 Slurry Systems Workshop in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Additionally, significant revisions to two ISSA Technical Bulletins, ISSA TB No. 109 “Test Method for Measurement of Excess Asphalt in Slurry Surfacing Systems by Use of a Loaded Wheel Tester and Sand Adhesion” and TB No. 147 “Test Method for Measurement of Lateral and Vertical Displacement of Micro Surfacing Systems” were completed by the technical bulletin revision team.   Please note that while these revisions may not substantially alter the way the tests are performed, they are significantly revised from the aspect that they have a multitude of changes that remove ambiguities and make it much easier to understand how the tests are performed.  Additionally, the ISSA-supported test equipment options have been reduced.  Both of these documents are now available on the ISSA website. 

The Chip Seal Committee has been busy in recent weeks on a complete overhaul to our A 165, Recommended Performance Guideline for Chip Seal.  Also getting together on a conference call last week, the Committee continues to focus on revisions to the Guideline centered on the cold-applied application for this ISSA discipline.  Their goal is to have a rough draft of the new Guideline available by Q1 of 2023.

Believing that it’s important enough to repeat and following up on content from the last Surfacing Today article about the changes occurring in the cement industry, we continue to solicit feedback from across the industry regarding potential impact on your business.  As a reminder, my reference here is to availability (or lack thereof) of Portland cement (Typically, Type I/II PCC) as it is replaced by Portland Limestone cement (typically, Type IL PLC).  If you’ve performed laboratory evaluations or your company has used the new Type IL PLC in the field, please reach out to me and share that information.  Again, it is critical that your mix design evaluations be performed with the same cement that will be used in the actual project application in the field.  Our goal is to keep you informed and work together to integrate this changing composition of one of our raw materials into our systems with minimal impact on performance.

Our third “ISSA Forum” call will take place on Tuesday, November 15^th from 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm EST.  Sneak Preview:  Interest in RAP slurry surfacing systems may be discussed.  Feedback from previous calls indicates that attendees continue to find good value in the hour spent participating in them.  If you haven’t been able to attend one yet, consider taking the time to participate and contribute.  As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with ideas and/or questions.

"Every day is a gift!  Never take a single one for granted!"

Sincerely,

Bob Jerman

ISSA Technical Director