Content supplied by SAMI
New centre strengthens testing, research and performance-based assessment capabilities.
SAMI Bitumen Technologies has officially opened its new SAMI Technical Centre (STC), a purpose-built facility designed to support advanced bitumen and asphalt testing, research and development across Australia’s road infrastructure sector.
The new centre represents a significant investment in technical capability and innovation, strengthening SAMI’s ability to support contractors, road authorities and infrastructure partners with specialised laboratory testing and performance-focused analysis.
Located within a two-storey, 700 square metre facility, the STC includes dedicated laboratories for binder, asphalt, emulsion and cold mix testing, alongside meeting rooms, training areas and collaborative spaces designed to support industry engagement and technical development.
For SAMI Bitumen Technologies, the new centre marks an important step forward in consolidating research, development and quality control activities into a modern, purpose-built environment.
“The previous facility had served us well over many years, but it was no longer sufficient for future growth, new equipment and optimised workflows,” says Hamidreza Sahebzamani, R&D and Technical Support Manager – SAMI Bitumen Technologies.
“What we wanted was a more streamlined site with better workflows, improved collaboration and an environment designed specifically around technical innovation and testing.”
The STC laboratory is equipped to undertake both conventional and advanced testing across a wide range of bituminous products, including bitumen, polymer modified binders, crumb rubber modified binders, emulsions, hot mix asphalt, cold mix asphalt, microsurfacing and spray seals.
The facility includes advanced equipment such as Dynamic Shear Rheometers (DSR), Bending Beam Rheometers (BBR), , Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF), wheel tracking testers, fatigue testing systems, gyratory compactors and other specialised rheological, chemical, and physical testing equipment.
Importantly, all testing is conducted within a NATA accredited laboratory environment.
Beyond testing capabilities, the STC has also been designed to support collaboration with universities, researchers and international technical teams across the broader Colas network, including the Colas Core Centre in Paris and Tipco’s advanced R&D laboratory in Bangkok.
According to SAMI, one of the key advantages of the STC is its ability to combine laboratory testing with practical product knowledge and field understanding.
Unlike independent third-party laboratories, SAMI’s technical teams also work closely with the manufacturing and supply of bituminous products across Australia, allowing testing outcomes to be assessed within a broader operational and performance context.
This capability was recently demonstrated during a regional sprayed seal project where a contractor faced a potential non-conformance after binder testing results fell outside conventional specification limits.
While the results initially triggered concern, there were no clear signs of poor field performance, creating uncertainty around whether the material should be rejected based solely on specification limits or assessed against actual performance behaviour.
The contractor engaged the STC team to undertake a more detailed technical assessment.
The investigation included NATA-aligned re-testing, advanced rheological analysis and evaluation against both specification requirements and performance-based criteria.
Rather than focusing only on pass/fail outcomes, the assessment considered binder relaxation behaviour, cracking susceptibility and likely field performance under real operating conditions.
The resulting technical report provided a clearer understanding of the material’s behaviour and supported transparent discussions between the contractor and client.
The findings confirmed the binder continued to meet performance intent despite borderline specification results.
As a result, the client accepted the technical findings, the non-conformance was closed through an agreed extension of the project guarantee period, and the contractor secured full project payment.
This project highlights the growing importance of performance-based assessment in situations where specification limits alone may not fully represent how materials behave in the field.
The company says the STC has been established not only as a testing laboratory, but as a collaborative technical centre capable of supporting innovation, investigation and practical problem solving across the infrastructure sector.
As Australia’s road construction industry continues to evolve, SAMI believes facilities such as the STC will play an increasingly important role in supporting material performance, technical confidence and long-term pavement outcomes.
