[Explanation] Highways are not unfamiliar to the public. In everyone's impression, building roads is the physical work of laying cement and asphalt. In fact, it is not so simple.
Recently, the reporter came to Gansu Provincial Highway Traffic Construction Group to reveal the "science and technology model" behind the road construction.
In the laboratory, Li Xiaomin, director of the main center of the group's science and technology innovation center, and his colleagues tested the physical indicators of asphalt.
He told reporters that the premise of road construction is that scientific researchers need to develop and select suitable materials according to local temperature, geology and other conditions, so that the paved road can be stable for a long time.
[Concurrent] Li Xiaomin, Director of the Main Center of the Science and Technology Innovation Center of Gansu Highway Transportation Construction Group
In fact, from east to west in Gansu, except for the marine climate, the rest of the climate has, (highway) it undergoes temperature changes, humidity changes and climate changes.
At the same time, there are also changes in materials.
How can the road be made durable?
How can there be no pits?
This is a problem that our transportation industry must face to solve.
[Explanation] Gansu is located in the intersection of the Loess Plateau, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Inner Mongolia Plateau, with complex geological conditions and changeable climate.
In Li Xiaomin's view, Gansu is one of the most difficult provinces to build roads in the country, and it is necessary to propose corresponding solutions for different problems.
[Concurrent] Li Xiaomin, Director of the Main Center of the Science and Technology Innovation Center of Gansu Highway Transportation Construction Group
In (Gansu) Hexi (region), the road surface temperature during the day reaches 70 degrees, possibly at night.
Its temperature is only 30 degrees. Under such a large temperature difference of 40 degrees, the destruction of this material is accelerated.
(And) it is generally faced with saline soil, so salt, in fact, has a relatively large impact on our highways. First, it will corrode the bridge structure, and the second is to cause the uplift of the road surface.
[Explanation] Liu Yang, who introduced talents, was attracted by the unique geographical location, so he chose to come to Gansu to engage in the research of highway raw materials.
[Concurrent] Liu Yang, researcher at the Institute of High Performance Materials of Gansu Highway and Transportation Construction Group
(Gansu) It basically covers the field of road construction and can encounter various complex challenges.
(On the other hand) This actually (provides) diversity for our experiments.
We hope that the road in Gansu will be smoother.
[Explanation] The rubber compound asphalt technology developed by Li Xiaomin's team has been applied to the 120-kilometer highway from Jiayuguan City to Guazhou County to relieve the pressure on the highway caused by the large temperature difference.
In the mixture laboratory, Wei Dingbang, deputy director of the Institute of High Performance Materials, and his colleagues operated equipment to simulate the road rolling process and test the strength of the steel slag mixture.
Wei Dingbang said that Gansu, an industrial province, produces about 3 million tons of steel slag waste every year. How to use industrial waste to "turn waste into treasure" and introduce it into highway construction is one of their research projects.
[Same period] Wei Dingbang, deputy director of the High Performance Materials Research Institute of Gansu Highway Transportation Construction Group
After more than 4 years of technical research, steel slag can be used on (asphalt) pavement, such as the current semi-rigid base, and asphalt pavement (etc.).
(Also) After grinding into fine powder of steel slag.
Applied to cement concrete, saving our current cement consumption.
[Explanation] It is reported that Gansu's highway industry has been exploring unique innovative technologies. Li Xiaomin's team completed the first domestic test of steel slag improvement loess roadbed, and the results were put into use on the G312 Qingfu Highway.
Ai Qinglong reported from Jiumeidan, Lanzhou, Gansu
Responsible editor: [Chen Wentao]