SCDOT Asphalt Roadway Technician Practice Exam

Asphalt cements are best thought of as viscous, semi-solid binders used in asphalt pavements. They’re solid or very thick at room temperature and are heated to a fluid state for mixing and application, providing the cohesive strength that holds aggregate together in hot mix asphalt. That makes them fundamentally different from cutback asphalts (asphalt dissolved in volatile solvents), emulsified asphalts (asphalt dispersed in water with emulsifiers), or tack coats (thin bonding layers used between pavement courses). So, the general material type for asphalt cements is a viscous, semi-solid binder used in paving.