Patent 7972429 was granted and assigned to MeadWestvaco on July, 2011 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
This invention relates to bituminous compositions and methods of producing the same. More particularly, the invention relates to the production of bituminous compositions formulated with performance-graded bitumen-containing solvent-free bitumen emulsions which exhibit controllable, temperature-dependent interfacial rheology. When employed in paving applications, these bituminous compositions develop adhesive strength and load-bearing strength properties at rates comparable to traditional hot mix paving compositions and at rates faster than traditional cold mix paving compositions.