Engineers from the University of Granada (UGR) have created a “smart and sustainable” asphalt from used tires and other recycled materials that has captured the interest of the International Automobile Federation’s (FIA) Formula One World Championship.
The new asphalt for the “roads of the future” was developed by engineers María del Carmen Rubio and Fernando Moreno at the UGR Civil Engineering Laboratory. high mechanical performance and precision or self-healing capacities.
Asphalt is designed from Sustainable, Automated and Intelligent Asphalt Materials (Masai) and Made from recycled tires and other recycled materials.
University of Granada takes part in Formula 1’s “paddock” (part of the track) due to the interest created by the Masai referrals in the statement made by the academic institution.
According to UGR, these sustainable and highly innovative materials are in line with the goals of “Formula One Management” (owner of F1), Banco de Santander and Ferrari to achieve a circular economy model for competition.
Masai started to be used and applied on Andalusian roads in 2017, thanks to the joint work with the Ministry of Development and some companies in the sector.
Among the most important advantages, high mechanical and functional performance, material reuse and recovery minimizing fossil fuel consumption and emissions to the environment during milling and production from degraded pavements and recycled polymers.
Benefits for Formula 1
Also, these materials can integrate sensors to measure voltages transmitted by vehicles or their speed.
In the particular case of Formula 1, Masai aims to contribute to the design of asphalts by: more tidiness and grip thanks to the use of recycled materials capable of creating a map of stresses at different points on the track, either from the track itself or from associated residues such as “graining” produced in the tires during the race, or which improves the performance of single-seaters.
In recent years, Masai and Civil Engineering Laboratory, many accolades and awards and the interest shown by Formula 1, according to UGR, shows once again that the University of Granada is a world benchmark in road engineering.
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Contact address of the environment department: [email protected]