Overview
Prime and tack coats have a purpose in the pavement construction process, yet it is often possible to misuse or eliminate them during project execution. Road construction projects may fall vulnerable to deleting prime coats, and occasionally tack coats, because of convenience, time constraints, and/or contractor pressure without consideration technical perspectives.
Environmental concerns and regulations relating to the use of cutback asphalts and asphalt emulsions have impacted the use of prime and tack coats. Due to air pollution concerns, in many jurisdictions the use of cutback asphalts is restricted either entirely or during certain times of the year. Oil spill regulations and requirements have resulted in a reluctance to use liquid asphalt products in all but essential operations.
While most of the time no harm appears to occur to the roadway from the deletion of prime or tack, and thus may be viewed as acceptable, technical guidance is warranted to assure appropriate usage. Many state departments of transportation (DOT) have moved away from using prime, and to some extent, tack. Prior to 2005, the Central Federal Lands Highway Division (CFLHD) had no guidelines; hence, it commissioned a study to produce a publication for project development and field personnel that provides decision-making guidance on how to use, when to keep, and when to eliminate prime and tack coats.
The target audience for this course is civil engineers who oversee road construction projects using hot-mix asphalt. Course material is based on Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) publication FHWA-CFL/TD-05-002.
Specific Knowledge or Skill Obtained
This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:
- Various aspects of prime and tack coats
- Purpose & usage
- Materials
- Surface preparation
- Application methods
- Curing
- Environmental issues
- Usage trends in state departments of transportation (DOTs)
- Decision-making guidance for including or deleting these coats from a project
Course
Click on the following link to the PDF document to review the course material before taking the quiz for credit.
Guidelines for Prime and Tack Coats
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