ALL ABOUT ASPHALT
ALL ABOUT ASPHALT
Asphalt
Also Known As:
- Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA)
- Asphalt Pavement
- Blacktop
- Asphalt Concrete (AC)
- Plant Mix
- Bituminous Concrete
- Bituminous Pavement
How Asphalt is Made
Today modern asphalt is manufactured at state of the art automated asphalt plants that produce material far superior and more consistent than any other time in history.
- Hot liquid asphalt binder is delivered to the asphalt plant in tanker trucks and pumped into heated storage tanks.
- Varying sizes of crushed aggregate are delivered to the asphalt plant in dump trucks and placed in separate stockpiles.
- Front-end loaders transfer the aggregate to separate cold feed bins according to aggregate size.
- The cold feed bins distribute the correct amounts of the different-sized aggregate onto the conveyor according to the mix type being produced (Surface Mix, Intermediate Mix, Base Mix).
- The conveyor carries the aggregate to the drum dryer, it is dried and heated
- The conveyor feeds the aggregate into the mixing chamber.
- The heated liquid asphalt binder is pumped into the mixing chamber.
- The two materials are uniformly blended together to form hot mix asphalt. (Asphalt)
- The conveyor carries the asphalt to the storage silo, where it is typically held at around 300°F+.
- Dump trucks pull under the silo, the plant operator discharges the correct amount of asphalt into the dump bed and the asphalt is ready for delivery.
How hot mix asphalt is made.
Asphalt
Also known as Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA)
Asphalt Pavement
Blacktop
Asphalt Concrete (AC)
Plant Mix
Bituminous Concrete
Bituminous Pavement
THE HISTORY OF ASPHALT AROUND THE WORLD
THE HISTORY OF ASPHALT AROUND VIRGINIA
(Early 1900s) the majority of the roads in northern Virginia like the rest of the United States were just dirt or gravel. They had uneven surfaces riddled with pot holes and poor drainage, dusty in dry weather, muddy in wet weather making them difficult to travel on.
Northern Virginia State and Local Agencies began the huge undertaking of constructing and upgrading our public roads with asphalt surfaces to improve travel conditions and year round safety. The adoption of asphalt surfaces for paving public roads has played a critical role in supporting the explosion of growth in Northern Virginia over the years.
From major highway infrastructure projects keeping communities better connected to residential driveways, private roads and pipe stems asphalt has played a major role over the years in the quality of life in Northern Virginia communities
WANT TO KEEP LEARNING ABOUT THIS TOPIC?
Return to the TOPIC PAGE to continue exploring related information.
WANT TO EXPLORE A DIFFERENT TOPIC?
Return to the HOME PAGE to browse other topics and find the information you’re looking for.
WOULD YOU RATHER TALK TO A TEAM MEMBER DIRECTLY?
If you need further assistance or would like a free estimate and prefer to speak with someone in person, give us a call.