On Season 1 of The Hot Mix Podcast, we had an absolute legend in the studio sharing his vast knowledge and experience–Phil Blankenship of BATT Lab.
Phil shared with us how he got started in the industry, why he branched out on his own to start BATT Lab, and all about the fundamentals of BMD.
Phil’s Background
Phil has worked at the Asphalt Institute, Koch Materials, and now he runs his own company in Kentucky called BATT Lab. Originally, he was a structural engineer. He was working on bridges, having a good time walking high steel, inspecting the concrete. The next thing he knows, he has an opportunity to do intern work with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
He’ll tell you his favorite equation, the one that's had the most impact, is what's being done with IDEAL-CT. It’s a close tie between that and 1+1=2.
The Fundamentals of BMD
If you’re new to the asphalt industry, you’ve probably heard the term BMD, or Balanced Mix Design. You may not know what that is, but Phil simplifies it as ”end result testing” or “performance engineering”. It's a simple way to look at the channeling or rutting that could happen in a roadway. The reason we call it “balanced” is due to the balancing of rutting and cracking.
Phil believes we’ll see full adoption of BMD in paving within 10 years. More and more states in the US want to research BMD and implement it. As far as Phil is concerned, Balanced Mix Design is here to stay
What’s Phil’s favorite color?
While Phil would say he “bleeds blue” (the BATT Lab logo has the color palette of the University of Kentucky after all), he’d also tell you his favorite color is pink. Why? Because he’s a big supporter of Women of Asphalt.
If you’re unfamiliar with it, Women of Asphalt is an organization that shines a light on women in the industry. But you don’t have to be a women to join–Phil himself is a supportive member. And as far as he’s concerned, Women of Asphalt is making the industry a better place.
_______________________________________________________
💻 Watch our full conversation with Phil on The Hot Mix Podcast:
📱 Get more content like this by subscribing to The Hot Mix on YouTube, where we interview experts, unbox new asphalt testing products, and share industry knowledge.
🎧 You can also check out the Hot Mix on Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Leave a comment: