Application of Bitumen Emulsion by Spraying

Bitumen emulsions have found wide use recently in construction and road repairs. Straight bitumen has long been the only binding material, but with the emergence of bitumen emulsion, the situation started to change, because emulsion have several apparent benefits compared to the traditional binding material, including:

• savings on heating;
• no harmful emissions into the environment;
• improved adhesion of the pavement to the base layer;
• extension of construction season.

Application of bitumen emulsion is generally problem-free, but there are certain specifics. One of them is even distribution of the emulsion over the treated surface. It is achieved by using flush coaters (also known as black toppers).

What is a flush coater?

A flush coater or black topper is a road construction machine for transportation and application of bitumen, bitumen emulsion or another organic binding substance to the surface. The idea of the sprayer is not only to spray the emulsion, but to do it evenly. The rate of material application per unit of square are must be constant, regardless of the vehicle’s speed.

Flush coater selection

Waterproofing, paving, creation of tac coating: here are some of the tasks that required a flush coater. The machine can be rented or purchased, but how to make the right selection? Below we look at how to select bitumen sprayers for construction and repair works.

First, consider the size of the are to apply emulsion or bitumen to. If it is a pedestrian crossing or a small parking lot, a manual sprayer should be ideal. The container volume is less than 200 liters, and the material is sprayer through a special line, directed by a human onto the required spot.

For medium scale jobs, a towed machine is preferable. The trailer can be attached to a car or a truck. The material can be sprayed either from a line or a ramp. Emulsion container volume is usually up to 1000 liters.

For large scale projects, a motorized emulsion distributor is the only option. The machine is installed on a truck. The volume of the emulsion container reaches 7000 liters. The emulsion is distributed through a ramp. Such systems are more complex in design and operation, so they are equipped with sensors and automated controls.

GlobeCore emulsion sprayers

GlobeCore is one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers or road construction and repairs equipment. We manufacture RBE-0.2 and RBE-2.5 mobile bitumen emulsion sprayers. This equipment accelerates repair works and increases work quality.

Benefits of GlobeCore RBE series:

• stand-alone operation;
• simple design;
• mobility;
• compatible with almost any vehicle from your fleet.

See below for comparative specifications of RBE-0.2 and RBE-2.5 emulsion sprayers.

GlobeCore RBE specifications

No	Parameter	RBE-0.2	RBE-2.5
1	Container volume, m3	0.18	2.5
2	Weight, kg	250	1010
3	Emulsion pump capacity, l/min	34.2	40
4	Motor power, kW	2.2	5
5	Dimensions (deployed), mm
	length	2160	4700
	width	990	3600
	height	1471	1700