Flexible Pavement

Not knowing where you are from it's kind of hard to determine the definition you want. Here is one definition from here in the states. Hope it helps.

Cutback Asphalt

Petroleum solvents used for dissolving binder are sometimes called distillate, diluent, or cutter stock. If the solvent used in making the cutback asphalt is highly volatile it will quickly escape by evaporation. Solvents of lower volatility evaporate more slowly. On the basis of relative speed of evaporation, cutback asphalts are divided into three types:

(1) Rapid-Curing (RC) - asphalt and a volatile solvent or light distillate, generally in the gasoline or naphtha boiling point range

(2) Medium-Curing (MC) - asphalt and a solvent of intermediate volatility or medium distillate, generally in the kerosene boiling point range

(3) Slow-Curing (SC) - asphalt and an oily diluent of low volatility.

Slow-curing (SC) asphalts are often called road-oils. This term originated in earlier days when asphaltic residual oil was used to give roads a low-cost, all-weather surface.

The degree of fluidity obtained in each case depends on the grade of asphalt cement, volatility of the solvent, and proportion of solvent to binder. The degree of fluidity results in several grades of cutback asphalt. Some are quite fluid at ordinary atmospheric temperatures and others are somewhat more viscous and may require heating to melt them enough for construction operations.

Cutback asphalts can be used with cold aggregates, with a minimum of heat. RC and MC types of cutback asphalts are used in a variety of highway construction. Among the more important uses are road mixing operations, stockpiling mixes, and spray applications such as prime.

Hi John,

Thanks for the clear and concise explanation on dirty and smelling items, Gil.