RPA library offers research reports on CRM asphalt pavements

More than 135 reports on the performance of crumb rubber modified asphalt pavements and sealants are housed in the new RPA library.
The material from federal, state, and industry sources includes studies on performance, recyclability, emissions, noise reduction, and cost effectiveness. Many of the federal performance reports were conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineering under the Construction Productivity Advancement Research (CPAR) program.
A large number of the state reports were prepared by the Arizona and California DOTs, the most experienced and advanced users of CRM asphalt. Among the industry reports are several from the Asphalt-Rubber Producers Group (ARPG), the predecessor to the RPA.

Four of the performance reports were presented at TRB this year. They are:

1. Arkansas' Experience with Crumb Rubber Modified Mixes Using Marshall and SHARP Level 1 Design Methods by the University of Arkansas.
2. Development of Rubber/Asphalt Binders by Depolymerization/Devulcanization of Scrap Tires by the Ministry of Transportation in Ontario, Canada.
3. Short- Term and Long- Term Aging Behavior of Rubber Modified Asphalt Paving Material by the University of Akron.
4. Babbitt, Minnesota: A Case Study of Pretreated Crumb Rubber Modified Asphalt by the University of Minnesota.

The RPA library will soon include several research papers of the late Charles McDonald, inventor of the asphalt-rubber "wet" process, as well as all available material from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program's (NCHRP) CRM project. Under the direction of Jon Epps, University of Nevada at Reno, the two-year program produced a catalog of CRM data.
The additions make the RPA library one of the most comprehensive in the country. For a listing of available reports, call the RPA office.

Reed leaves for medical school

Sean Reed, RPA public affairs director, has resigned to attend medical school at Tuft's University in Massachusetts. He served in RPA's Washington office for nearly four years.
"Sean will be missed by the association but we wish him well in his preparations for a new career," said Jay McQuillen, RPA director.

Industry mourns death of asphalt- rubber pioneer

The asphalt rubber industry is mourning the death of Charles McDonald, inventor of the asphalt- rubber "wet" process.
An engineer for the City of Phoenix, McDonald's work to seal a trailer roof led to research into asphalt modifiers and his presentation of the paper "The Need for Greater Flexibility in the Surface of Flexible Type Pavements" at a Tucson conference in 1954. We will have more on McDonald's career in a future issue.

Statement of Purpose

The RPA is a nonprofit 501 (C)6 organization incorporated in 1993 to encourage the increased and proper use of asphalt pavements containing recycled rubber. RPA works to share information among countries, states, and members of the paving industries on the cost, performance, recyclability, and emissions of pavements containing recycled rubber. RPA members provide guidance to federal and state policy makers on means of ensuring quality control and capacity of these processes while encouraging their use. RPA is comprised of companies, organizations and individuals involved in producing asphalt pavements containing recycled rubber and crumb rubber from scrap tires.