The Primary Difference Between Asphalt and Concrete
People often wonder what the true difference is between asphalt and concrete. Asphalt is considered flexible and concrete rigid, both definitions are a reflection of how the material reacts to various loads applied to them and the environment below them.
Asphalt pavement consists of a wearing surface, laid as a hot material, 200+ degrees, and compacted upon a base material. Typically this base material, often referred to as road base, is made up of different rock sizes and sand that works as a binder. This base coarse is compacted as well and forms a solid or semi-solid surface.
Concrete pavement or rigid pavements consists of portland cement mixed with various sizes of rock depending on the desired strength. This material is poured as a liquid and then chemically harden over time creating a rigid surface or pavement. This material is often laid on top of a compacted sub grade or base coarse as well. Both materials have their place and perform differently. Concrete has the ability to be colored and textured, whereas asphalt tends to be an ever varying shade of grey, somewhere between light gray to jet black although there are some technologies and processes that allow you to texture and color asphalt.
Please have a look at our work, a true collection of a quarter of a century worth of paving. The early pictures are fun and obviously do not offer the clarity of technology that is available today.