Tack Coat Specifications, Materials, and Construction Practices

20   Tack Coat Specifications, Materials, and Construction Practices

Reduced-Tracking Asphalt Emulsions

Non-tracking tacks are designed to improve the pavement performance by avoiding the
tracking problems associated with traditional tacks. This material is typically manufactured to
harden quickly and adhere minimally to tires. When a hot lift of asphalt is subsequently placed
over the tack, the hardened tack is reactivated by the heat, and bonds the new overlay with
the existing surface (Seo 2016). A significant variety of proprietary emulsions or additives are
available and marketed as non-tracking. However, it is more accurate to call these emulsions
“reduced-tracking,” because they still require at least some time to set, even though the time
is reduced from traditional emulsions. It is not only the speed at which these products set that
reduces tracking. They typically use a harder base asphalt binder that leaves a less tacky finish
at ambient temperatures for reduced tracking while achieving good bond strengths when
reactivated at overlay temperatures.
Although there has been no official standardization of the nomenclature for the “non-tracking”
products to date, many state specifications are using the initials NT or TT to designate these
materials. In the survey for this synthesis, a total of 16 different designations were used by 15 U.S.
agencies to classify reduced-tracking emulsions. Additionally, one Canadian province reported
using a reduced-tracking tack supplied by a Canadian manufacturer.
NCHRP Project 9-40 conducted considerable research into bond strength testing, amongst
other tack-related research. The findings showed that trackless tack exhibited the highest shear
strength of the emulsions tested and CRS-1 resulted in the lowest strength. These results related
directly to the viscosity of the residual asphalt binders at the test temperature of 25°C (77°F).
Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), in report No. FHWA/TX-16/0-6814-1, found in lab test-
ing that the reactivation temperature [the average temperature between the existing surface and
the loose hot mix asphalt (HMA)] significantly affected bond performance. As the reactivation
temperature increased, so did the bond energy. The stiff-residue tack samples had higher bond
energy than soft-residue tack samples.
The paper “Effects of Temperature on Interface Shear Strength of Emulsified Tack Coats
and Its Relationship to Rheological Properties” (Bae et al. 2014) was based off of NCHRP
Project 9-40 work. In the conclusions, they stated, “Within the evaluated temperature range,
the interface shear strength (ISS) of the tacked interface increased with the decrease in tem-
perature. In general, the bonding performance, as measured by ISS, of the trackless emulsion
was superior to that of the CRS-1 emulsion, especially at temperatures greater than 40°C.”
Another conclusion was, “The binder grade for the residue of CRS-1 emulsion was PG 58-28.
The high temperature grade for the residue of the trackless emulsion was PG 82. Trackless
material was brittle at low temperature, and the low temperature PG binder grade could not
be determined.”

Storage and Handling of Emulsions

Documents in the literature review that discussed storage and handling indicated that
tack coat materials of any type must be stored and handled properly to optimize their effec-
tiveness. A literature search of state specifications revealed that tack coat material storage
and handling guidance is typically minimal, and often refers the user to the manufacturer’s
guidance.
Most manufacturers have technical support on hand to provide guidance, and many provide
written guidance. Although many product guides include similar information, a specific example
is Blacklidge Emulsions’ document named “UltraTack®—Anionic NTSS-1HM Trackless Tack®
Product Guide.”

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