May 10, 2021 18:51
3 yrs ago
32 viewers *
German term

Blauasphalt

German to English Tech/Engineering Construction / Civil Engineering
A type of road surface. Seems to have been used more in past decades than it is today, and prone to slipperiness and noisiness.

Discussion

Nat Shockley (asker) May 11, 2021:
I've found sources that say that AB-4C (Flemish/German grade) corresponds to AC 0/10 in the EN standards (e.g. https://www.nynas.com/globalassets/bitumen/knowledge-tank/25... ) and other sources that describe AC 0/10 as coarse or "semi-coarse" dense-graded asphalt. So I think I'm just going to write "coarse asphalt (“Blauasphalt”)" if no one comes up with anything better. It seems likely that there is no exact equivalent in English-speaking countries, so that seems like the safest approach
Mair A-W (PhD) May 11, 2021:
FWIW, AB-4C = AC 10 in english. Don't know if that helps.
Nat Shockley (asker) May 11, 2021:
I have a photo of this Blauasphalt now:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1w7O2WggSIczgmwLAQ-BOt7vZ-Ss...
And also a list of the four layers that make it up. From top to bottom: Asphaltdeckschicht Typ AB-4C, Asphalttragschicht Typ AB-3A, Bodenverfestigung (HVT), frostsicherer Sand (F1)
Nat Shockley (asker) May 11, 2021:
See my comment below on David's answer, regarding "blue asphalt" in English and why I don't think that literal translation is a good idea here. There is very little context: the term appears in a text about automobile proving grounds, and describes a rough road surface used on NVH test courses (NVH = noise, vibration, harshness). It is just one of several road surfaces used which are designed to replicate actual surfaces on poor-quality roads in the real world, such as cobblestones, pitted concrete, etc.
philgoddard May 10, 2021:
Could we have the German context, please. Neither the German nor "blue asphalt" gets more than a handful of relevant hits. I would go for the literal translation, but it would be nice to know what exactly it means.

Proposed translations

+2
13 hrs
Selected

Sett (paving)

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&c... (Dokumentation „Runder Tisch Straßenpflaster) --> "Daneben spielt das verwendete Material eine wichtige Rolle, Blauasphalt ist bei Nässe zu rutschig (Ostertorsteinweg). Auch der Einsatz von getöntem Asphalt kann ästhe-tischen Anforderungen gerecht werden."

OK, so it's probably not coloured asphalt, because that's in the next sentence. However, Ostertornsteinweg (Bremen) is on Streetview: https://www.google.com/maps/@53.0725697,8.8192945,3a,75y,289...

These are setts (cobbly things): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sett_(paving)

OK, that's one indication.

https://www.haz.de/Umland/Ronnenberg/Nachrichten/Stadt-laess... "Die enge Einfassung mit Blauasphalt wird jetzt entfernt" ... again, setts in the picture. It's not completely clear if those are the things that are being entfernt, but it seems likely.

https://www.jura.uni-passau.de/fileadmin/dokumente/fakultaet... "An einer in zwei Fahrbahnen geteilten gewölbten Kurve mit Blauasphalt, der besonders rutschig ist, stellte die Verkehrspolizei nur das amtliche Schild „Schleudergefahr“ auf (VRS 16, 338). " -> This doesn't tell us anything really about what Blauasphalt is, other than it's "besonders rutschig", i.e. not a "standard" road surface.
In a similar vein https://www.ebay.es/itm/Das-Motorrad-03-1954-Reifenheft-Reif... "Reifen ... Das Feinstprofil für Blauasphalt"

And, again: http://www.ptmoritz.de/historisches/schiffbahnpostauto/index... Here, we're back in around the 1950s, so, again, looking at a more old-fashioned type of surface: "Auf der Lahnsteinerstraße zwischen Hotel Rheintal (Teilabschnitt heute: Heinrich Schlusnus Str.) und Blosberg waren zahlreiche Unfälle auch mit tödlichem Ausgang zu verzeichnen. Auf diesem Straßenanschnitt war Blauasphalt verlegt. Bei einsetzendem Regen glich diese Straße einer Rodelbahn."


https://www.wn.de/Muenster/Stadtteile/Roxel/2015/05/1981575-... "... aus ebenem Großpflaster (geschnittener Blauasphalt)" here is clear: the Blauasphalt (geschnittener) is being installed as paving.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&c... this one ("Europäischer Dorfwettbewerb") "... eine über 50 Jah-re alte, lärmintensive Straße aus Blauasphalt" -> it's old, and it's noisy. And the picture is, again, of pavings.

http://www.a-k-s.de/Blick06-13.pdf on p.4 "Die Straße Großhorst ... durch... Blauasphalt". I found this picture of Großhorst: https://www.haz.de/Umland/Isernhagen/Gemeinde-Isernhagen-wil... and it's again, pavings.

And finally, this: https://docplayer.org/109717793-Oberurseler-woche-maeusel.ht... in 2010, "durch leiseren Blauasphalt angesprochen worden. Im Bereich der Oberen Marktplatzstraße..."
Well, here's the area in 2020: https://www.google.com/maps/@50.2027259,8.5769259,3a,75y,320...

I can't find anything that is more of a definition of Blauasphalt, or a translation-into-English, but from all these contexts, the dates, the pictures, the slippery characteristics these pavings seem most likely.

"Also known as Belgian blocks, blocks or sampietrini". Take your pick.

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Note added at 14 hrs (2021-05-11 08:58:35 GMT)
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PS I would certainly check with the client, if possible!
Note from asker:
Thanks for your research! I have managed to get some more info from the client, including a photo, which makes it clear that it's not any kind of cobblestones (Belgian blocks do come up in the text, but they are "belgisches Pflaster"). I've added the new info in the discussion above
Peer comment(s):

neutral Barbara Schmidt, M.A. (X) : I can confirm that Ostertorsteinweg is VERY slippery, since I live in the area. Not sure though what causes it. It's largely cobblestones and tram rails with some asphalt in between.
20 mins
wondering if it is actually granite, but in any case my blauasphalt seems to be quite different from the asker's photo...
agree Lancashireman : Blue cobblestone (granite?) Picture and commentary here: https://3sistersabroad.com/2020/09/19/cochem-castle-germany/ PS Asphalt (DE) = tarmac (EN-GB)
2 hrs
my local!
agree TonyTK : Nice research. My gut feeling is that Andrew may be on the money, but it's tricky. // Just seen Nat's added note. Hmmm ...
6 hrs
wondering if it is actually granite, but in any case my blauasphalt seems to be quite different from the asker's photo...
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3 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
+1
7 hrs

blue (surface) asphalt

Sensors to measure temperatures of the blue surface and uncoated asphalt are installed for a period of 18 months. The readings from the sensors ...

Qatar's 'cool pavement' project aims to reduce road ...https://www.aljazeera.com › gallery › qatars-cool-pave...
Aug 25, 2019 — The 200-metre stretch of blue road near Souq Waqif paved with the ... The temperature of the dark asphalt that usually covers the roads was ...
Note from asker:
I don't think this can be correct, and in fact this is exactly why I don't think I can just say "blue asphalt" in English: because that term is now being used to refer to the substance in the Al Jazeera article you have quoted, which is a new synthetic substance with useful properties. It's therefore definitely not the old-fashioned and undesirable Blauasphalt of the German term.
Peer comment(s):

agree Rama Bhave
3 hrs
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Reference comments

10 hrs
Reference:

BLUE ASPHALT Cold self-compacting asphalt for road maintenance

BLUE ASPHALT Technical Data Sheet
Cold self-compacting asphalt for road maintenance
http://www.nordbitumi.it/en/blue-asphalt-Nordbitumi.pdf
Example sentence:

BLUE ASPHALT Cold self-compacting asphalt for road maintenance MATCO Srl - Via Campagnola, 8-37060 SONA (VR) ITALY - www.nordbitumi.it DESCRIPTION BLUE ASPHALT is a bituminous mix to be used cold consisting of grit, fillers, modified bitumen and structu

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