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Gilson Mechanical Marshall Compactors: A New State-of-the-Art

March 12, 2026

<img loading="eager" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 100%; max-width: 1000px; height: 100%; max-height: 750px;" alt="Gilson Mechanical Marshall Compactors: A New State-of-the-Art" src="/Content/Images/uploaded/blog/2026/Mar/March-2026_Blog_2_hero.jpg" width="1000" height="750" /> The new Mechanical Marshall Compactors from Gilson raise the bar for asphalt specimen testing with improved performance and features, including a fully enclosed compaction mechanism, a safety interlock switch, and reduced noise. Read to learn why a Gilson Mechanical Marshall Asphalt Compactor can benefit your testing lab.

Tags: Asphalt Testing , Asphalt , Marshall Testing , Marshall Compactor , Marshall Stability

Gilson Servo Control Load Frames: Comprehensive, Adaptable, Precise

May 07, 2025

<p><a href="/blog/servo-control-load-frames-comprehensive-adaptable-precise"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="/Content/Images/uploaded/blog/2019/April/load-frames-hero.jpg" alt="Guide to the Gilson Servo Control Load Frames" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 100%; max-width: 715px;" width="715" height="515" /></a></p><p>Laboratory load frames perform multiple test methods on a variety of soil, asphalt, and cement materials simply by changing prescribed components used for load and distance measurements. This blog post introduces Gilson’s innovative Servo Control Load Frames and explores important considerations for selection of a suitable load frame and testing components for your applications.</p>

Tags: Soil Testing , Soil Mechanics , Geotechnical , Asphalt Testing , Compressive Strength , Shear Strength , Marshall Stability , Semi-Circular Bend , Lottman Test , Tack Coat , ISS Method , Load Frames , Unconsolidated-Undrained , Consolidated-Undrained , Consolidated-Drained , Equipment Selection Guide

Performance-Graded Asphalt Binders: A Guide to Tests and Testing Equipment

April 08, 2025

<div><a href="/blog/performance-graded-asphalt-binders-article"><img loading="lazy" src="/Content/Images/uploaded/blog/2025/april/asphalt-binder-hero.jpg" alt="Performance-Graded Asphalt Binders Article" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 100%; max-width: 715px;" /> </a></div><p>Knowing how to properly test and verify asphalt binders is essential to understanding how asphalt will react to various climate conditions. This guide covers the methods used to classify asphalt binders and how to perform these tests to ensure optimal pavement performance and longevity.</p>

Tags: Testing Insights , Resource Guide , Asphalt Testing , Asphalt , Asphalt Binder Testing

Archive

Construction Materials Testing: An Overview

July 09, 2024

<div><a href="/blog/overview-of-construction-materials-testing"><img src="/Content/Images/uploaded/blog/2024/july/construction-materials-testing-blog.jpg" alt="Construction Materials Testing Resource" width="100%" /></a></div><p>The term construction materials testing sounds like a catch-all term for analyzing everything from nails to doorknobs. However, for the civil engineering industry, it has come to mean the characterization of a handful of things by using specific test methods in a construction materials testing laboratory: concrete, aggregates, asphalt, and soils. This blog will take a high-altitude view of what construction materials are, the most important properties to test for, and the right equipment to get the job done.</p>

Tags: Resource Guide , Construction Materials Testing (CMT) , Concrete Testing , Asphalt Testing , Aggregate Testing , Soil Testing

The Gilson Rice Shaker: A Versatile Tool for Specific Gravity Testing

March 07, 2024

<div><a href="/blog/testing-with-the-asphalt-rice-shaker"><img loading="lazy" src="/Content/Images/uploaded/blog/2024/march/Blog-2024-March-Hero.jpg" alt="Asphalt Rice Shaker Article" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 100%; max-width: 715px;" /> </a></div><p>If you regularly perform asphalt theoretical maximum specific gravity (Rice) tests, the Gilson Rice Shaker is a time-saving tool to have in your lab. Find out why this unit is the key to determining accurate specific gravity determinations for asphalt, aggregates, and soils.</p>

Tags: Testing Insights , Product Insights , ASTM D2041 , AASHTO T 209 , ASTM C128 , AASHTO T 84 , ASTM C188 , AASHTO T 133 , ASTM D854 , AASHTO T 100 , Asphalt Testing , Rice Test , Theoretical Maximum Specific Gravity , Specific Gravity , Relative Density , Aggregate Testing , Soil Testing

Asphalt Mix Design Methods Compared: Hveem, Marshall, Superpave, and BMD

October 05, 2023

<div><a href="/blog/types-of-asphalt-mix-design"><img loading="lazy" src="/Content/Images/uploaded/blog/2023/october/asphalt-mix-design-article.jpg" alt="Asphalt Mix Design Article" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 100%; max-width: 715px;" /> </a></div><p>The list of essential ingredients for hot mix asphalt is exceedingly short for a composite material with such complex characteristics: asphaltic cement and mineral aggregates. Modern, flexible pavements with different mix designs are simply variations in the properties and ratios of the essential ingredients and adjustments to temperatures, handling, and placement methods. This article is an overview of past and present asphalt mix design methods and equipment, including Hveem, Marshall, Superpave, and Balanced Mix Design (BMD).</p>

Tags: Testing Insights , Equipment Selection Guide , Asphalt Testing , Asphalt , Asphalt Mix Design , Pavement Design

Balanced Mix Design: A New Way Forward

March 08, 2023

<div><a href="/blog/balanced-mix-design-article"><img loading="lazy" src="/Content/Images/uploaded/blog/2023/march/balance-mix-design-blog.jpg" alt="BMD for Asphalt Pavement" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 100%; max-width: 715px;" /> </a></div><p>Balanced Mix Design is a practical and common-sense approach to constructing long-lasting asphalt pavements. The design of asphalt mixes traditionally follows a prescriptive, volumetric path. Materials are selected and combined to meet the requirements of the specification with little evidence of what their real performance will be in a localized application or a certain environment. Researchers and practitioners alike have concluded that just mixing the specified ingredients in the stated volumes is a poor predictor of long-term asphalt pavement performance. As one prominent paving engineer put it, “Let’s stop using the recipe to determine if the cake is good.”</p>

Tags: Resource Guide , Asphalt Testing , Asphalt , Asphalt Binder Testing , Pavement Design

Rheology and Viscosity Tests for Asphalt Binder: Methods and Equipment

July 07, 2022

<div><a href="/blog/rheology-viscosity-testing"><img loading="lazy" src="/Content/Images/uploaded/blog/2022/july/rheology-viscosity-tests-blog.jpg" alt="Rheology and Viscosity Tests for Asphalt Binder" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 100%; max-width: 715px;" /> </a></div><p>Asphalt binder is a fundamental and surprisingly complex component in the design of modern asphalt pavement mixes. Of the many properties of bitumen that affect its performance in a modern asphalt paving mixture, two are crucial to the long-term success of pavements, viscosity, and rheology. This blog post will explore binder viscosity tests and rheology tests, their applications, benefits, and testing equipment.</p>

Tags: Testing Insights , Resource Guide , ASTM D2170 , AASHTO T 202 , ASTM D2171 , AASHTO T 201 , ASTM D4402 , AASHTO T 316 , Asphalt Testing , Asphalt Binder Testing , Viscosity Testing , Rheology Testing

Measuring Asphalt Permeability, The Methods and Equipment Needed

April 06, 2022

<div><a href="/blog/permeability-of-asphalt"><img loading="lazy" src="/Content/Images/uploaded/blog/2022/april/asphalt-permeability-test-hero.jpg" alt="Asphalt Permeability" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 100%; max-width: 715px;" /> </a></div><p>Measuring the permeability of asphalt mixes is a powerful tool to predict and improve the service life of flexible pavements. In this blog post, we will discuss methods and the testing equipment needed for two basic asphalt permeability tests to mitigate pavement problems over the long term.</p>

Tags: How-To , Resource Guide , Permeameters , Asphalt Testing , Asphalt , Asphalt Permeability