MICRO-SURFACING: AN ECO-FRIENDLY BAILOUT FOR

INDIAN ROADS
Er. Satish Pandey*, Dr.Sangita* and Dr. N.K.S. Pundhir*
*Scientist, Flexible Pavement Div. Central Road Research Institute, Delhi Mathura Road, New-Delhi
**Assistant Manager, IRCON International Ltd., E-mail: satishpandey.crri@nic.in

Introduction:
A well designed, developed and maintained highway system plays a vital role in socio- economic
development of any country. A well maintained highway network is credited for bringing about
improvements in access to goods and services, education and employment opportunities. It has been very
well accepted worldwide that preventive maintenance of existing roadways is most effective use of available
financial resources. Recent developments in cold mix technology in the area of cost effective preventive
maintenance treatment have resulted durable pavements. Asphalt emulsion based micro surfacing is such a
cost effective and environment friendly, preventive maintenance technology. Microsurfacing was developed
in Germany and now commonly used for road maintenance in numerous countries. In Dec. 2008 Indian Road
Congress has published “IRC: SP: 81; Tentative Specification for Slurry Seal and Microsurfacing” to
standardized this technology for wider application in the country.
Microsurfacing act as a sealant over the pavement surfaces. It prohibits the entrance of water from the
surface course to base course and prolong the service life of the bituminous pavement by 3 to 4 years.
Besides acting as sealant it helps to maintain good riding quality for vehicular traffic.
Micro-surfacing and It’s Ingredients:
Micro Surfacing is well proportioned mixture of polymer- modified cationic emulsified asphalt, mineral
aggregate, mineral filler, water and additives which are mixed and spread with a machine over a properly
prepared surface. Micro-surfacing system is used not only as sealants but also for surface texturing and rut
filling of pavement. The maximum size of aggregate is between 6.3 and 9.5 mm and it is always 100%
crushed. The cationic emulsion is modified with a heavy polymer loading; varies between 3% to 4%. The
fines content ranges from 7% to 10%, and the residual bitumen content (by wt. of aggregate) ranges from
5.5% to 10.5%, depending upon the aggregate gradation. Portland cement and Hydrated lime are commonly
used as mineral filler in Micro surfacing mix. Every ingredient of micro surfacing has specific role in
properly designed micro surfacing mix.
Polymer Modified Bitumen Emulsion:
The bitumen emulsion shall be a polymer modified bitumen emulsion. Addition of polymer in to the bitumen
emulsion enhances stone retention and reduces thermal susceptibility. Incorporation of polymers in to the
bitumen emulsion consequently improve the softening point and flexibility of the residual bitumen and thus
help to obtain crack resistance micro surfacing layer. Natural rubber and Styrene Butadine rubber in latex
form are commonly used polymers for bitumen modification. As the majority of Indian aggregates are
siliceous in nature hence cationic bitumen emulsion is used for most of the paving works. The minimum
amount of polymer modifier / latex modifier shall be determined by performing the mix design. The
minimum amount required will be based on bitumen weight content. Following physical and chemical
requirements are laid down in IRC:SP:81-2008, for polymer modified bitumen emulsion:

Table 2.1: Requirements of Modified Bitumen Emulsion for Micro surfacing

 Table 2.2: Typical composition of SBR Modified emulsion

S.No Material Concentration

1 Bitumen 63.5% residual bitumen content

2 SBR Latex (63% solid) 3 % by wt. of bitumen

3 Cationic emulsifier 1.8 % by wt. of emulsion

4 Hydro Chloric Acid 0.3% to bring pH 2

5 Stabilizer 0.2 %

Mineral Aggregate:
The mineral aggregate used shall be the type specified for the particular application requirements of the
micro surfacing. The aggregate shall be a crushed stone such as granite, slag, limestone, chat, or other high-
quality aggregate, or combination thereof. To assure the material is 100 % crushed, the parent aggregate will
be larger than the largest stone in the gradation used.

Table 2.3: Required characteristics of the Aggregate

S.No. Test Test Methods Specified Value in
IRC:SP:81

1 Sand Equivalent Value, Avg. IS: 2720(part 37) Min. 50

 2 Soundness
a) Sodium Sulphate Max.12 %
b) Magnesium Sulphate IS:2386(Part 5) Max 8 %

3 Water Absorption IS: 2386(part 3) Max. 2

Aggregate gradation directly affects the amount of emulsified asphalt required for a Micro Surfacing.
Variations in aggregate gradation, even within the allowable specified ranges will change the total aggregate
surface area to be coated by emulsified asphalt.

Fig. 2.1: Typical Aggregate blend for Type-II Microsurfacing

Mineral Filler:
Mineral filler play a vital role to control the mixing time characteristics of micro surfacing slurry. It can be
any recognized brand of non air entrained Portland cement, hydrated lime or the material having same
characteristics. The type and amount of mineral filler needed was determined by the mix design. Besides
controlling the mixing time characteristics it improve the performance gradation as well as performance of
the final mix. Mineral filler should be the part of the aggregate gradation.
Water:
Water forms an important part of the Micro surfacing slurry and it percentage of the total mix is a major
factor determining consistency of the slurry. Water can be incorporated in the micro surfacing mix in three
forms:
• As moisture already in the aggregate
• As pre-wet water
• As constituents of the emulsion.
For any given combination of aggregate and emulsion, stable Slurries can be formed over a limited range of
pre-wet water concentrations; normally between 6 to 11 percent of the weight of the dry aggregate. If the
Slurries containing less than 6 percent of pre-wet water could be too stiff to spread, and those containing
more than 11 percent could become unstable, as evidenced by setting of the aggregate and floating of the
asphalt and fines4.
Additive:
Additives may be used to accelerate or retard the breaking-setting time of the micro surfacing slurry, or to
improve the resulting finished surface. They can act as retardants to the reaction with emulsions, either as a
prophylactic, slowing the emulsifier’s access to the aggregate surface, or by preferentially reacting with the
emulsifier in the system. Additives include emulsifier solutions, aluminum sulfate, aluminum chloride, and
borax. Generally, increasing the concentration of an additive slows the breaking and curing times. It also
helps to control the workability of the mix and to obtain the slurry of required consistency.
Mix Design:
Key parameters; serviceability and durability of micro surfacing layer are largely depend upon the quality of
aggregate and its subsequent interaction with the polymer modified emulsion. To control the various
performance related parameters of the micro surfacing slurry the optimum quantity of various ingredients
shall be determined through very well established mix design guidelines. IRC:SP:81:2008 laid down the
following mix design criteria for Microsurfacing mix:
Table 2.4: Mix Design Criteria for Microsurfacing Mix
S.No. Test Test Methods Specified Value
in IRC:SP:81

1 Mix time, minimum *ISSA TB 113 120 s

Consistency, maximum
2 ISSA TB 106 3 cm

Wet Cohesion, within 30

3 ISSA TB-139 12 kg. cm
minute, minimum
Wet Cohesion, within 60
4 ISSA TB-139 20 kg. cm
minute, maximum
Wet stripping ,pass %,
5 ISSA TB 114 90
minimum
Wet Track Abrasion loss, (one
6 ISSA TB 100 538 g/m2
hour soak), max.
* International Slurry Surfacing Association

Microsurfacing Process
Emulsifier
Bitumen & Chem. Water Polymers Quarry
Source Additives Source

Emulsion Plant
Chemical
Emulsion Aggregate Water Cement
Retarder
Chemicals
Service Lab Mix Design
Marketing
Tools
Critical components Microsurfacing Machine

Production and Application On Roads

Fig. 2.2: Shows the flow chart for microsurfacing mix preparation and application
Field Trials in Delhi:
Keeping in view the merits of microsurfacing technology, Public Works Department, Delhi had carried out
preventive maintenance of several bituminous roads in Delhi using Micro surfacing. The preventive
maintenance works were executed on the following roads and CRRI had carried out quality control tests
before and during execution.
 Siri Fort Road
 Link Road between NH-8 & Samalkha Chowk,
 Ambedkar Road New Delhi
 Road No. 29 Pashim Vihar
 Dr. K.N. Katju Marg Rohini
 Rao Tula Ram Marg
 Road No. 42A Deepali Chowk, Rohini.
 Ashram Chowk to Nizamuddin
 Rajghat (Ring Road)
 Captain Gaur Marg
The Experimental work was completed in several phases i) evaluation of ingredients in laboratory ii)
evaluation of ingredients at site iii) Calibration of machine and development of mix for thin surfacing and
iv) evaluation of manufactured mix and loss on Wet Track Abrasion Test in laboratory. Out of the total 11
locations, detailed performance evaluation was carried on four locations as agreed by PWD.
1. Dr. K.N. Katju Marg Rohini
 Road No. 42A Deepali Chowk, Rohini.
 Ashram Chowk to Nizamuddin
 Captain Gaur Marg
Performance Evaluation of Test Sections:
One of the objectives of the performance evaluation i.e. condition survey was completed by taking photo
graphs before and after Micro surfacing. The surface condition of road sections before and after execution of
Microsurfacing is shown in photographs 4.1 to 4.4.

Photograph 4.1: Condition of Test section before Microsurfacing on Dr. K.N. Katju Marg, Rohini
 Photograph 4.2: Microsurfacing work in progress on Dr. K.N. Katju Marg, Rohini

Photograph 4.3: A close view of Dr. K.N. Katju Marg, Rohini after two year of Microsurfacing application

Photograph 4.4: Condition of Test section before Microsurfacing on Road No.42-A Deepali Chowk, Rohini
 Photograph 4.5: A close view of Road No.42-A Deepali Chowk, Rohini after microsurfacing application

Photograph 4.5: View of test section with freshly laid Microsurfacing

The structural adequacy and roughness of surfaces, paved with Microsurfacing technology were assessed
through “before and after study” using Bankelman Beam Deflection (B.B.D) and Bump Integrator (B.I)
respectively. Performance of these roads was monitored on yearly intervals for three years (2006 to 2009) to
study the progression of roughness and deflection. The observed values are shown in tables 5.1 and 5.2.
Table- 5.1: Observed Roughness Values on the Test Sections
Location of Direction Average Roughness, (mm/km)
Test Section Before After After Microsurfacing
Microsurfacing Microsurfacing Ist IInd IIIrd
(Post year year year
construction)
Road No LHS1 2642 1940 2042 2384 2542
42A,Rohini RHS2 2850 2081 2246 2605 2570
Dr. K. N. Katju LHS3 2549 1723 1781 2250 2469
Marg, Rohini
RHS4 2300 1687 1756 2170 2292
1 : T Point to D.D.A office 3: P.T.I to Outer Ring Road
2 : D.D.A office to T point 4: Outer ring road to P.T.I
Table 5.2: Test Results of Benkelman Beam Deflection Study
Location of Direction Average Deflection (mm)
Test Section Before After After Microsurfacing
 Microsurfacing Microsurfacing Ist IInd IIIrd
(Post Const.) year year year
Road No LHS 1.58 0.74 0.79 0.93 0.99
42A,Rohini RHS 1.77 0.87 0.94 1.05 1.10
Dr. K. N. LHS 1.16 0.48 0.69 0.91 1.22
Katju Marg, RHS 1.01 0.40 0.51 0.62 0.80
Rohini
Traffic Survey:
Traffic survey was conducted at above mentioned four locations only once in 2010 i.e. after three years of
laying the test sections. The traffic census data is reported in Table 6.1.
Table 6.1: Traffic Census Data as collected in May 2010 for 24 hours
Location of Direction Bus Truck LCV Other Total no.
Test Section Multi Axle of
Vehicles vehicle
/Day
Road No LHS 202 39 102 6 349
42A,Rohini RHS 386 101 209 81 777
Dr. K. N. LHS 569 47 292 81 989
Katju Marg, RHS 890 102 501 71 1564
Rohini

Discussion:
From the observed roughness values shown in table 5.1, it is evident that the application of Microsurfacing
slurry invariably improved the riding quality of the bituminous wearing course. Besides delaying the
progress of roughness, Micro surfacing slurry helped to seal the hair cracks present in the bituminous
wearing course and prevented further intrusion of water into the pavement layers. Test results summarized in
table 5.2 indicate that the application of microsurfacing slurry prevented the further deterioration of the
existing bituminous layer as well as the base and sub base course (in absence of ingress of moisture) and
ultimately prolong the service life of the pavement. Traffic survey data indicate that this technology can be
used successfully on low to medium traffic roads. Since Microsurfacing mix seals the surface effectively and
prevents ingress of moisture in pavement which prevents progressive development of distress and therefore
the deterioration of surface was not noticed even after three years of service life except the reflection of
cracks noticed during visual observations. Enhancement in service life of the pavement resulted in savings,
in terms of application of bitumen overlay, which is normally implemented through hot mix technology.
These Hot Mix Plants emits various air pollutants i.e. particulate matter (PM10), sulphur dioxide (SO 2),
nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO) and other hazardous air
pollutants (HAPs). As the microsurfacing is a cold mix technology where heating of bitumen and other
ingredients is not required hence it involves very less emission of air pollutants comparatively to Hot Mix
Asphalt. The cost of Microsurfacing on aforesaid test sections was varies between Rs. 97 to Rs. 100 per
square meter which is substantial economical compare to conventional hot mix asphalt treatment.
Conclusion:
Preventive maintenance technology i.e Microsurfacing could be a cost effective alternative of thin hot mix
asphalt renewals for structurally sound bituminous roads. As the microsurfacing paved surfaces can be
opened for traffic within 2 to 3 hours time, hence it is one of the most appropriate options for maintenance of
urban roads. As no substantial hauling of raw materials is involved in the application of Microsurfacing
slurry, there is minimal environment deterioration. Microsurfacing laid test sections under low to medium
traffic conditions considered in the study comply various serviceability criteria including riding quality,
continuously for three years.
Acknowledgement:
The authors are thankful to Dr. S. Gangopadhyay, Director CRRI to provide the opportunities to conduct
above mentioned studies. A special thank is also due to Shri B. M. Sharma and Dr. P.K.Jain,
Scientists, CRRI to provide necessary guidance and support to principal author during study period. Al last
but not least, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all divisional members of Flexible pavement
division for their valuable guidance and consistent support.
References:
[1]Report of Caltrans Division of Maintenance, June 16, 2009, MTAG Volume- I, Flexible Pavement
Preservation, 2nd Edition.
[2]International Slurry Surfacing Association (2010), Recommended performance guidelines for
Micro-surfacing, A-143.
[3]Indian Road Congress (Dec. 2008), I.R.C: SP: 81:-2008 Tentative Specifications for Slurry Seal
and microsurfacing.
[4]Satish Pandey et.al, (Jan. 2010), Formulation of Mix Design procedure for Micro-Surfacing mix
with Industrial waste materials like Fly Ash and Marble dust (OLP-0454), CRRI.
[5]Sangita et.al, (Dec. 2010), Detailed performance evaluation of microsurfacing test sections on
various Delhi roads (OLP-429) final report flexible pavement division, CRRI.