In order to achieve sustainable road structures, attention should not only be paid to asphalt paving, but the base layer also plays a decisive role. Only this will allow us to maintain our road infrastructure, which is of primary economic and social importance for future generations.
BSM "Bitumen Stabilized Material" is a material in which the granulates - in this project 100 % reclaimed asphalt - are kept together by maximum 3 % foamed bitumen or bitumen emulsion and 1 % cement. The material remains unbound – and therefore cannot crack – but obtains a very high cohesion.
The Tetra project HBC.2020.2094 "Sustainable base layers through in-situ recycling with foamed bitumen technology" - referred to as the "FOAM project"- has the overall objective of technically, economically and ecologically testing and evaluating foamed bitumen technology for base layers, leading to a more sustainable base layer. The results are disseminated for further implementation. The project started on November 1st, 2020 and was finalised on 31 October 2022. The project was carried out by the University of Antwerp, the Belgian Road and Research Centre, and Odisee University College and was funded by VLAIO.