Alkali-resistant glass fibers used in slurry surfacing mixes on display at APWA Congress

Updated Sep 4, 2015
Slurry-FIL fibers on top of a hardened asphalt mix for illustrationSlurry-FIL fibers on top of a hardened asphalt mix for illustration

Owens Corning’s Slurry-FIL alkali-resistant glass fibers are being used in road slurry surfacing mixes to act as a fine aggregate with the effect of creating a more flexible and crack-resistant surface.

Slurry-FIL fibers incorporate easily and thoroughly in asphalt slurry mixes.Slurry-FIL fibers incorporate easily and thoroughly in asphalt slurry mixes.

Owens Corning featured the product during the American Public Works Association’s International Public Works Congress (IPWC) and Exposition in Phoenix this week.

The company says Slurry-FIL has a similar specific gravity (2.68) to aggregate and “assures quick and uniform dispersion” when added to mixes in a range of 0.2-0.4 percent by dry weight. No additional water is needed when mixing.

One interesting feature is what happens after 90 days.

At that point, inorganic material starts “growing” around the strands of glass fiber, a process the company says “increases the fibers’ bond to the asphalt matrices, which in turn enhances the peak performance provided by each fiber strand.

The product can be used in either asphalt, as referenced above, or in cement and concrete applications.