Johns-Manville presents a 1960’s color movie called “Modern Paving Techniques with Asbestos Fiber in Asphalt Mixes.” The purpose of the film is to show how asphalt can be strengthened through different mixing techniques, including using asbestos — a natural fibrous mineral that was later banned due to its terrible health effects. Asphalt presented significant risk to workers prior to the 1970s when asbestos was commonly added to asphalt used to construct roads. Asbestos added strength to asphalt which was especially important in colder climates where roads break down more easily. Workers who constructed those roads were put at risk of inhaling asbestos fibers. Today, workers and residents who live near these roads may be at risk as older, asbestos-containing asphalt roads are broken down for repaving.
The film opens with a car driving down the highway. Different roads are shown, 1:00. Traffic in the city, 1:20. Weathered roads that are cracked, 1:47. Potholes, 1:55. Different defaults in the asphalt are shown, 2:05. Pothole at a bus stop, 2:18. Plane lands on runway, 2:35. Old car on mud road, 2:50. Old Model T Ford car stuck in the mud, 3:00. Cars get stuck in 1 lane traffic, 3:15. Old footage in the city with cars buzzing, 3:40. Modern road with heavy traffic, 3:55. Asphalt being laid and flattened, 4:15. Asbestos is added to asphalt and laid on the ground. Ratios of asbestos to asphalt are shown, 4:41. Adding asbestos causes no loss of stability, 4:55. Asphalt is mixed, 5:03. Asbestos is mixes from bags into asphalt, 5:22. Asphalt is laid by crew and rolled, 5:50. Asphalt mix is flattened, 6:08. United States map is shown – over 150 authorities are evaluating asphalt pavement, 6:30. The Jeffrey Mine in Asbestos Quebec, Canada, 7:00. The Jeffrey Mill, 7:18. Asbestos fibers occur in veins in the rock, 7:31. Individual asbestos fibers, 7:38. Asbestos under the microscope, 7:55. Floor tiles, 8:17. Roofing with asbestos, 8:25. Roof decks, joint fillers, bridge planks, 8:40. Large trucks, 9:03. Trucks go up the mountain, 9:32. Johns Manville research center, 10:05. Scientists test asbestos properties, 10:24. Representative from Johns Manville research center, 10:35. Asbestos graphic, 11:00. Scientists administer tests, 11:10. Man talks to camera, 11:34. Weathering tests, 11:55. Cracking tests are administered, 12:25. The scientists run varying tests on asbestos mixed with asphalt, 12:50. Test results are revealed, 13:00. Pavement sections made under laboratory control, 13:30. Wheel machine goes around on a turntable to test asphalt, 13:50. Durability testing, 14:10. Man continues to talk to camera, 14:40. Test strip in Manville, New Jersey. Constructed in 1959. Side by side with standard pavement is an asbestos/asphalt surface, 15:15. Side by side comparisons of standard asphalt versus asbestos/asphalt mix, 15:35. Cracked asphalt, 15:54. Side by side testing results, 16:10. Thin overlays, 16:24. Tight impermeable asphalt surfaces, 16:45. Beautiful neighborhood roads, 17:05. Fifth wheel assembly, 17:18. Wet roads are created, 17:30. Men lay asphalt for a bus stop, 17:51. Extruded curbing, 18:00. 340 degrees Fahrenheit, 18:15. Durability. Bridge decks, 18:40. Coal patch maintenance, 18:48. Vinton A. Savage, Engineer of Primary Highways of the Maine Highway Commission, 19:20. Mr. Savage speaks to the camera, 19:45. Paul Martin, General Crushed Stone Company, Easton Pennsylvania. Mr. Martin speaks to the camera, 20:30. Mr. Curtis B Watrouse of the Peckham Road Corporation White Plains, NY. Mr. Watrouse speaks to the camera, 21:25. Asphalt is rolled, 21:51. Men working on the road, 22:10. Asbestos helps to reduce weathering, flexural fatigue, raveling, flushing, shoving, rutting, 22:27. Highway scene, 22:40. Use asbestos for heavy duty pavements, joint fillers, cold patching, curbing and thin overlays, 22:50. Johns-Manville, Paving Engineers.
We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: “01:00:12:00 — President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.”
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
