What is tarmac?
Asphalt and Tarmac appear identical from the surface. However, they have significant differences.
Different names are used to describe the surfaces, such as bitumen tarmac or tarmac asphalt. There are many things to take into consideration when choosing between asphalt or tarmac, regardless of what the surface is called.
Tarmacadam or tarmacadam is a strong, long-lasting surface. Tarmac is created when crushed stone is coated in tar. Tarmac has a high strength, water resistance and aesthetic appeal. It is therefore most commonly used for tarmac driveways.
Today, tarmac has been replaced almost entirely with bitmac that is less prone than tarmac to being damaged from accidental spills of petrol or diesel.
Bitumen and tar are removed to make bitmac. This creates a new surface that is more like asphalt. The difference between bitumen or asphalt is the higher content of filler and sand in bitmac.
Asphalt is a mixture of more dense aggregates and bitumen. A surface created by mixing a specific blend of aggregates with bitumen to bind them.
Asphalt is a very popular road surface. It is inexpensive and can be used for large areas. It can be expensive for smaller surfaces. Asphalt tarmac can sometimes be confused with asphalt tarmac.
Asphalt is more durable than tarmac, but asphalt is less resistant to constant scuffing from car tires.
This is another important difference to be aware of when comparing asphalt surfacing and bitmac. Asphalt is much more durable to extreme weather conditions and requires a lot less maintenance. This is a crucial factor when choosing between asphalt or tarmac.
Another reason asphalt is preferred over tarmac? Asphalts are much more gentle on the environment. Asphalt can be recycled when it becomes old, and then reused quite easily elsewhere. It is important to remember that driveways can be asphalt concrete, even though they are called asphalt driveways. This is a different type.
Asphalt concrete is a mix of asphaltic cement with sand or gravel. It provides a long-lasting, hard-wearing surface. These surfaces can be much more costly than asphalt and tarmac and are also harder to fix. The temperature fluctuations can cause asphalt concrete to be more susceptible to damage.