What is Specialty Asphalt?
Asphalt is the final product of the refining process of crude oil. The lighter constituents are distilled off to yield gaseous products (methane, ethane, propane, butane, etc.), naphthas (for processing into gasolines), kerosenes (for processing into jet fuels and light diesels), and gas oils (lubricating oils, and fuel oils). Asphalt is basically crude oil with these lighter products removed. It is often confused with tar which is derived from coal and not oil.
Asphalts are very complex chemical mixtures whose compositions vary widely depending primarily upon the crude source and to a lesser degree, the manufacturing process. The principle regions from which heavy asphalt bearing petroleum based crudes are imported are Mexico, Venezuela, Canada, and the Middle East. The United States is also responsible for quite a bit of heavy crude production in the Gulf Coast, Mid Continent, Rocky Mountain, and West Coast regions as well as the North Slope of Alaska. The remaining crudes tend to yield very little asphalt. Wax based crudes such as those from Pennsylvania yield no asphalt.
Currently less than 100 American refineries produce raw asphalt. Each refinery's asphalt will have different characteristics. At Ziegler Chemical's asphalt specialty plant in New Jersey, we take and process these raw asphalts into products that are suitable for use in industrial products such as coatings, sealers, adhesives, ink additives, and fillers. We select asphalt from refineries across the country to yield just the right properties in the finished product. We also blend the raw asphalts with other raw materials to make unique blends, compounds, cutbacks, and oxidized products.
Generally, asphalts are characterized by their physical properties:
Softening Point: Range of temperatures that the asphalt softens using a ring and ball technique. Sometimes thought of as the melting point. ASTM D-36
Penetration (at a prescribed temperature): How far a weighted needle or cone will sink into the asphalt during a set period of time. ASTM D-5
Viscosity (at a prescribed temperature): An indication of how thick or thin the liquid asphalt is at various temperatures (measured in poises, centipoises (cps), centistokes (cSt), or SSU). ASTM D-2170, D-88
Flash Point: Temperature that the heated asphalt will flash (ignite briefly). ASTM D-92
The softening point and penetration are usually the most commonly used measurements for classifying an asphalt's properties. Generally, when comparing asphalts, as the softening point increases, the viscosity also increases, the penetration drops and the flash point rises.
Products (a partial list):
Ziegler Chemical makes products that meet a variety of ASTM, AASHTO, Government, Military, industry, and internal specifications. We pride ourselves in the ability to tailor a product to meet our customer's needs. Listed below is a sampling of some of the products that are available from our plant:
This is only a partial list, contact our office if there is a specialty that you would like us to make for you!
ASTM D-312 Built Up Roofing Asphalt
ASTM D-41 Waterproofing Primer
ASTM D-449 Damproofing Asphalt
ASTM D-1190 Rubberized Joint Sealer (Also Federal Spec. SS-S-164)
ASTM D-3405 Rubberized Joint Sealer (Also Federal Spec. SS-S-1401C)
AASHTO M-81 Rapid Curing Cutback Asphalt (all grades)
AASHTO M-82 Medium Curing Cutback Asphalt (all grades)
ASTM D-2521 Canal, Ditch, and Pond Lining Asphalt
MIL-C-450C Type II Asphalt CutbackMIL-C-3301C MIL-DTD-3301D
MIL-C-16173D Grade 2
MIL-A-356A
| ANSI/NSF Standard 61 Potable Water Pipe Coatings
Centron® Pipe Coatings, Sealkote® HF, Drion® FD-5, Dri-Seal HF, WB-10 Water Based Coating, S-18 Thinner, S-20 Thinner |
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Various Water Based Asphalt Emulsions
Various State Road Crack Fillers
Specialty Electronic Compounds
Granular Asphalt (Mineral Rubber or MR)
Asphalt Cutbacks made with VM&P Naphtha
Asphalt Cutbacks made with Mineral Spirits
Electrical Potting Compounds