Asphalt Institute, PRI debut binder specification database.

The Asphalt Institute Inc., Lexington, Ky., and PRI Asphalt Technologies Inc., Tampa Fla., have developed a new state Binder Specification Database.

Available on the Web at www.asphaltinstitute.org as downloadable PDF files, each document summarizes a particular agency's asphalt binder specifications. All 50 state highway agencies and several additional agencies are available on the site.

In addition, a standardized format is used to list specification methods and criteria, PG-plus tests and requirements, typical grades, exclusions, as well as the originating agency's Web site where the specifications can be found.

The Asphalt Institute will periodically contact the binder or material engineer listed on each document to review the agency's information for accuracy.

The Asphalt Institute has also developed a new Proficiency Sampling Program for Roofing Asphalts, similar to the program administered by the AASHTO Materials Reference Laboratory (AMRL) for paving-grade asphalt binders.

"Although other round-robin studies have been performed in the past, we believe that this offering represents the first time that a formal proficiency sample program has been initiated for tests on roofing asphalt binders," says Mike Anderson, the Asphalt Institute's director of research and laboratory services. "We hope that the program will lead to a better understanding of the variability in testing roofing asphalts."

Participation in the program is $270 per sample. Enrollment forms can be found by visiting the Asphalt Institute Web site www. asphaltinstitute.org.