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the parking lot sooner for line marking and thus opening much sooner for traffic than without an additive added to the pavement sealer . This means the contractor can do more work , faster , and make more money !” Clearly , additives save production time . “ Notwithstanding the performance enhancement , fast drying additives alone , have enabled the contractor ’ s faster turnaround on sealcoating projects ,” Dubey said . “ The jobs like sealcoating in early spring and late fall , night time sealcoating , applying under not-so-ideal conditions are done with the use of additives . Performing some of these sealcoating jobs was considered unthinkable before the advent of specialty additives .” Most additives are made with polymers and specialty chemicals . They are commonly formulated as water dispersible products . The ability of additive in performance enhancement depends on the type of polymer used to make it . It is important to understand the benefits of choosing the right additive for the sealcoating job . According to Dubey additives can be categorized as follows :
• Performance boosting additives : They are designed to improve the overall performance of the sealcoating in terms of better overall longevity , flexibility , toughness , resistance to water , salt , and petro-chemicals . Such additives are based on rubber polymers and have been a part of most performance-based specifications , e . g ., FAA , ASTM , etc .
• Fast drying additives : Even under unfavorable drying / weather conditions , these can speed up the drying time thereby reducing labor cost and allowing traffic to open sooner on the surface .
• Uniform Dry Color : These additives help in uniform drying of sealcoating even under sun or shade . Thus , resulting in a uniform dry color .
• Thickening : Such additives are commonly used to suspend large amounts of sand , and or where the sealer has been excessively diluted with water . Besides thickening the sealer , they do not contribute much to sealer performance . Generally , thickeners introduce permanent water sensitivity in the cured sealer film , therefore , should be used with caution . The problem is that sometimes they are used to thicken a “ watered down ” sealer , thus putting down an inferior product , which most likely will show premature wear . Sealer performance is driven by what stays on the pavement ( dry film thickness ), after the full cure . Sealcoat additives fortify the sealer film by reducing surface tension and by adding flexibility , which helps to prevent raveling and moisture damage . Additives thus extend the life of a sealcoating . They also can give the sealer the deep black color desired in a freshly sealed pavement .
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