Asphalt Pro - March 2011

Bring on the Bonus with Better Paving Practices

General Asphalt Recycles its Batch Plant

1700 TPH Barcelona Bypass How to Pave it Ultrathin MSCR Explained RAS Specs

Warm-Mix: By the Numbers march 2011

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A wheel loader on the paving site helps cut transverse joints and clean up spills. For this demanding commercial project, every tool had careful choreography. See related article on page 26. Photo courtesy of John Ball, Top Quality Paving, Manchester, N.H.

Warm-mix asphalt paving starts at the plant, but carries on at the work zone with best practices and some compaction quirks. See related article on page 18. Photo courtesy of Astec Industries, Inc., Chattanooga.

March 2011 Departments

Articles

Letter From the Editor 5 Don’t Lie to Me

18 Here’s How to Pave with Warm-Mix Asphalt

by Sandy Lender

Around the Globe 6 Safety Spotlight 8 Teetering on the Edge of Safety

by AsphaltPro Staff with information from Chris Wagner, FHWA Mix It Up 10 More Stress is Better When it Comes to Modified Binder Testing

by Sandy Lender and Pamela Turner Equipment Maintenance 12 Inspect the Paver

by John Ball Producer Profile 14 General Asphalt Recycles its Efficiency

by Raluca Loher Equipment Gallery 49 Kasi’s Upgrade Heats Things Up Here’s How It Works 54 PHCo’s Patch King 56 Peterson’s Shingle Grinder Last Cut 58 Winterfill Goes Extinct

by Sandy Lender Resource Directory 60

26 Commercial Paving Takes a Turn Around the Manhole Cover

by John Ball 32 It’s How-to Time in Vegas AsphaltPro teaches IRL at booth 8013 in the central hall

by AsphaltPro Staff 34 Ultra-Thin Meets Challenges in Louisiana High-production process has low life-cycle cost

by Daniel C. Brown 36 Recycle Your Asphalt Shingle Mindset

by AsphaltPro Staff with information from CMRA

38 Pabasa Paving took the paving train across bridges for a major bypass in Spain.

See related article on page 38. Photo courtesy of Vogele, Antioch, Tenn.

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CONEXPO-CON/AGG™ features more equipment, technology, products, services and education than any other construction show. See related article on page 32.

38 Pabasa Makes Quick Pave of Barcelona Bypass

by Brodie Hutchins 42 Shift Into Drive Roundup of the NAPA 56th annual meeting

by Sandy Lender 44 Copy, Paste, Spread the Word Shovel-ready verbiage left a sour taste after ARRA, but grassroots education can clear our name

by Sandy Lender 46 Intermountain Slurry Seal Microsurfaces for UDOT

by AsphaltPro Staff with information from Bergkamp

8 Safety comes in all shapes and sizes. See related article on page 8. Photo courtesy of Carlson Paving, Tacoma, Wash. www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 3

March 2011 • Vol. 4 No. 6

Don’t Lie to Me editor’s note

2001 Corporate Place Columbia, MO 65202 573-499-1830 • 573-499-1831 www.theasphaltpro.com

publisher Chris Harrison associate publisher Sally Shoemaker

sally@theasphaltpro.com (660) 248-2258

editor Sandy Lender sandy@theasphaltpro.com (239) 272-8613

operations/circulation manager Cindy Sheridan business manager Renea Sapp graphic design Alisha Moreland Kristin Branscom creative services Ashley Meyer

AsphaltPro is published nine times per year: January, February, March, April/May, June/July, August/ September, October, November and December by The Business Times Company, 2001 Corporate Place, Columbia, MO 65202 Subscription Policy: Individual subscriptions are available without charge in the United Sates, Canada and Mexico to qualified individuals.

One year subscription to non-qualifying Individuals: United States $90, Canada and Mexico $125.00 and $175.00 all other countries (payable in U.S. funds, drawn on U.S. bank). Single copies available $17 each.

I’m sure there are honest people within the concrete paving industry. I wonder if they’re as irritated as I am by their industry’s misrepresentation of information about our respective pavement products.

I’ve complained in this column before about the Portland Cement Association’s use of incorrect assumptions in their lifecycle cost analyses when comparing asphalt and concrete pavement thicknesses. PCA members didn’t appear interested in facts and figures from members of the Asphalt Institute to make corrections to their equations, so their software remains flawed. The Asphalt Pavement Alliance has since released realistic lifecycle cost analysis software, which can be accessed at http://asphaltroads.org/.

At the 56th annual meeting of the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) in Orlando in early February, presenters showed ads from a $1 to $2 million campaign the concrete industry launched against the asphalt industry last year. It’s frustrating to see an ad in which someone claims asphalt pavements fail in a certain number of years. (It sort of makes their lifecycle cost analysis efforts look silly.)

On a bright note, Howard Marks of NAPA shared a slide in which the actual carbon footprint of HMA sat comfortably on a level just slightly higher than the carbon footprint of WMA with 20 percent RAP. Both were at less than 500 CO2e for the 50-year lifecycle of the pavement. It’s impressive to see how little energy asphalt production requires. On that same slide, there was a tall tower of color that represented the carbon footprint of PCC. It was at nearly 2,000 CO2e for the same lifecycle of the pavement.

Holy cow.

I didn’t realize how bad it was. So I did some research and found a disturbing quote from a May 24, 2009, article at ScienceDaily.com. “Many scientists currently think at least 5 percent of humanity’s carbon footprint comes from the concrete industry…” The article explained that civil and environmental engineering professor Liv Haselbach of Washington State University is evaluating the lifecycle carbon footprint of traditional and new concrete applications, and looking for ways to improve them.

Apparently, they need improvement because the PCC folks are making up concepts like “feedstock energy” to try and make asphalt pavements appear as bad as the concrete industry’s product. According to the collective minds in the concrete industry, the “feedstock” known as petroleum that becomes entrapped in an asphalt pavement is supposed to remain flammable after its entrapment, thus remain capable of emitting bad stuff. Apparently, if you retract the asphalt from the pavement and burn it—and by doing this alone—you can bring an asphalt pavement’s carbon footprint “up” to a concrete pavement’s carbon footprint.

You can also make a concrete pavement appear to save on fuel use if you coast downhill on it. Real physics tells us that smooth pavements cut fuel use—thus costs. Real physics, and profilographs, tells us that asphalt pavements are smoother than concrete pavements. Those are facts that can’t be removed by the guise of coasting downhill and publishing the findings in some PR campaign. If we must find something nice to say about that, I guess it would be that by costing the end user more in fuel dollars, the concrete industry is contributing more substantially to the gas tax than the asphalt industry.

I again invite you to visit http://asphaltroads.org/ to download the free publication “Carbon Footprint: How Does Asphalt Stack Up?” and other items researchers have prepared. These white papers and publications will give you real-world facts and figures you can quote when someone outside of our industry misrepresents information. I find that arming myself with facts and information with which to correct others lessens my irritation.

Stay Safe

Sandy Lender www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 5

AROUND THE GLOBE Industry News and Happenings from Around the World Canada

The Asphalt Institute takes its one-day “Principles of Quality Hot Mix Asphalt Pavement Construction” seminar to British Columbia May 27. If you’re in the Richmond area, sign up for the course that teaches construction of high quality hot mix asphalt pavements.

Get seven PDH credits and a copy of AI’s MS-22 Construction Manual. Visit the Asphalt Academy at www. asphaltinstitute.org for registration information and additional dates and U.S. locations.

Dubai

The 2nd Middle East Bitumen Event (MEB) 2011 will be held at the Shangri-La Dubai May 2 through 4. Its theme is Opportunities & Challenges in Bitumen Trade & Technology for Middle East, Africa and South Asia. Visit www. cconnection.org/conference/MEB/2011/MEBHome. html for more information and to register.

Indonesia

Multiple sources reported the sinking of an asphalt tanker with a Singapore registration, AB9, listing and sinking in less than two hours off the coast of Indonesia Jan. 27. By Jan. 31, Baird Maritime could confirm the ship had sunk off the coast of Pulau Bintan and struck a coral reef. While Baird Maritime reported that the tanker was leaking from its cargo tank, an official for the Indonesian Navy, Tanjungpinang, said that entity is investigating any spill of oil or asphalt from the 1,100 tonnes cargo “to prevent sea contamination.”

In good news, the Indonesian Navy rescued all 14 crew members. Source: BairdMaritime.com

sian oil products.” The terminal is expected to handle 30 million tons of oil products per year and accommodate ships of 150,000dwt once dredging at the port is complete. Source: rzd-partner.com

• Florida Governor Rick Scott pulled the plug on a highspeed rail project that would connect Orlando and Tampa, much like the cities’ airports and highways currently do, at some point in the future. Sources: multiple

United States

Nebraska

For updates, opinion and links concerning funding legislation, be sure to check the blog at www.TheAsphaltForum.blogspot.com. and the website at www. theasphaltpro.com.

California

• Employees of Granite Construction, Inc., headquartered in California, can collectively hold their heads high. Their director and former president/CEO William Dorey stood before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works and testified to the importance of transportation investment on job creation and the American economy Jan. 26 at the full committee hearing titled “Transportation’s Role in Supporting Our Economy and Job Creation.” Listen to his statement at http://tinyurl.com/DoreyTestimony.

• At the association’s annual meeting in early February, the California Chip Seal Association (CCSA) awarded 36-year asphalt industry veteran Bob McCrea, Redding, Calif., with a lifetime achievement award for his work promoting and providing consultation services for asphalt pavement maintenance and preservation strategies. McCrea currently works with Western Emulsions, Inc., Dana Point, Calif.

Allmand Bros., Inc., Holdrege, Neb., has appointed Bill Michalski as its new central district sales manager to coordinate Allmand portable light towers, arrow boards and other on-site needs in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota. You can reach him at (308) 9919663 or billm@allmand.com, or visit www.allmand.com.

Oregon

Proactive planning makes a $49.5 million project to repave 14 miles of Interstate 5 between Ashland and the Siskiyou Summit a first for the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). The stretch of freeway is infamous for expensive car-animal collisions that disrupt migratory patterns, thus genetic diversity, for a host of species. ODOT can solve the slew of problems by working ahead with contractors to plan for culverts, overpasses or substrate on steep embankments for wildlife to traverse. Source: Ashland Daily Tidings

South Carolina

By February, Petrosil News, Mumbai, India, reported that Japan bitumen export fell 71 percent in 2010.

Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy proposed a series of tax increases in mid-February, including a 3-cent gas user fee increase. It could be June before legislators vote on the initiatives. Source: Courant.com

At the end of January, South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) returned all the natural acres of the 9,000 acres on Sandy Island to The Nature Conservancy of South Carolina. The DOT has managed the land in the Pee Dee River Basin since December 1996 when officials purchased it for $10 million as part of a wetlands mitigation bank agreement that allowed highway work in coastal areas to move forward. Nature was preserved from property development and taxpayers saved $53 million. Source: www.scdot.gov

Russia

Florida

Washington, D.C.

Japan

The tanker SCF Neva was the first to leave the new crude oil and petroleum products terminal at the port of Ust-Luga, Leningrad, Jan. 31, with the first shipment of export petroleum products. The Russian Deputy Minister of Transport Victor Olersky said this “represents the launch of a new export route for Rus6 march 2011

Connecticut

• EZ Street Co., Miami, contributed to the Feb. 14 edition of Businessweek in the article “Welcome to the Pothole Nation.” In the piece, EZ Street Co. was able to showcase its EZ Street cold mix patch product in an article that claims “Repairs have become an unaffordable luxury for cash-strapped cities and states.”

The early February proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2012 from the Obama Administration calls for $556 billion for highway, transit and rail projects over the course of six years. As expected, the budget requests $50 billion up front to kick start transportation project funding but offers no mechanism for backing the funding. Sources: multiple.

SAFETY SPOTLIGHT Teetering on the Edge of Safety

by AsphaltPro Staff with information from Chris Wagner, FHWA

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hen motorists drive off the edge of a road, their natural instinct is to quickly turn the steering wheel of their vehicle to get back up on the road. Roads that have vertical pavement edges, particularly those taller than 2 inches, pose a danger in this situation because they cause drivers to overcorrect when driving back up onto the road.

During his presentation at the Rocky Mountain Asphalt Conference and Equipment Show (RMACES), Chris Wagner of the Federal Highway Administration’s Resource Center in Atlanta explained that 53 percent of the fatalities from crashes could be blamed on roadway departures. That translates to one fatality every 27 minutes.

Wagner made it clear: there is a correlation between drop-off height and danger; there is a correlation between edge shape and safety.

If state departments of transportation (DOTs) specify a wedge or angle to a pavement’s edge, safety increases. As it turns out, 15 state DOTs are actively looking at writing a “safety edge” into their specs, Wagner said.

Given the implication of vertical edges being “unsafe,” some DOTs will adopt alternate language. Lawsuits have brought not only this issue, but also the need for careful syntax, to the forefront of the safety industry. Some researchers now refer to the angle as a sloped edge. Whatever its moniker, it’s saving lives.

Here’s how the safety edge affects a contractor.

First, the safety edge is not a proprietary device. Several companies make the hardware that attaches to the screed’s endgate so a sloped shoulder can be created as the paver makes its natural progression down the lane.

Advantage Paving, Albany, N.Y., makes the Advant-Edger™. TransTech Systems, Schenectady, N.Y., makes the shoulder wedge maker.

Troxler Electronic Labs, Research Triangle Park, N.C., makes the Safe T Slope Edge Smoother.

Carlson Paving, Tacoma, Wash., has gone so far as to make the Superior Safety Edge Bevel.

This is a beveled end gate, which Tom Travers of Carlson explained uses electric heat and angle of attack to obtain a heated, screeded, compacted and sealed sloped edge.

8 march 2011

According to Wagner, the devices are all similar in price, hitting the $3,500 to $3,600 range for the hardware. They require minimal additional material when paving because the hot or warm mix is merely being formed and densified by the foot/device instead of sloughing off unsupported. Each device offers a 25 to 35 degree angle of five- to six-inch long shoulder.

Additional shoulder material can be placed to match the pavement surface.

This illustration shows how the shoulder wedge maker from TransTech Systems distributes material from the augers at an angle to create a sloped pavement edge.

As detailed in last year’s safety issue of AsphaltPro Magazine, the shoulder wedge maker from TransTech Systems paves a sloped edge.

Top: Here is the Superior Safety Edge Bevel endgate from Carlson. Middle: The Carlson endgate’s bevel edge lifted to allow a typical, vertical edge. Bottom: The Carlson endgate creating the sloped pavement shoulder.

The Ramp Champ from Advantage Paving is used for both sloped shoulder and longitudinal joint construction.

mix it up

More Stress is Better When it Comes to Modified Binder Testing

by Sandy Lender and Pamela Turner

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As Turner pointed out, and as the Asphalt Institute’s publication he team at the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) has suggests, the MSCR test is conducted with “real” temperatures in mind. been using the new Multiple Stress Creep Recovery Test (MSCR) for Under the proposed MSCR specification, the MSCR test will be run on the past couple of years, according to NCAT’s Pamela Turner. That rolling thin film oven (RTFO) aged binders at a temperature indicated doesn’t mean questions about the test and its potential for specification by the climate in which the asphalt binder will be used,” Turner said. are lessened around the Internet and lab groups at large. To put it in a “The grade of the asphalt binder will change based on the value of the nutshell, the MSCR was designed to take climate into consideration when non-recovered creep compliance, Jnr, with lower values of Jnr indicating testing and showcasing the enhanced permanent deformation resistance improved rutting resistance.

This is intended to replace the traditional of polymer modified asphalt binders. The spec that’s come out of this test method of grade bumping based on traffic speed and traffic level. The could save some money and hassle for states and contractors if traditional goal is to eliminate the current practice of testing asphalt binders at grade bumping gets a fresh look with real-life performance expectations. high temperatures that are never experienced by the pavement.

Turner explained: “The MSCR test was developed as an improved “For example, a PG 82 might be chosen for a high traffic project in a method for evaluating an asphalt binder’s susceptibility to permanent climate where a PG 64 is needed. deformation. The current G*/sin The pavement may never experidelta parameter works well for “The MSCR test is run at higher levels ence a temperature of 82oC but unmodified materials at convenunder the current PG specificational traffic speeds (60 mph). It of stress and strain that allow for tion, rutting criteria is tested does not, however, always capture at that temperature. Under the a better representation of what actually the benefit of elastomeric modifiers, MSCR specification, all testing especially under extreme conditions occurs in an asphalt pavement and will be done at the actual climate of traffic and loading rate. This is A binder tested using allows for a better representation of the temperature. because the low levels of stress and the MSCR specification will have a strain at which the current Dynamic climate-based PG grade as before, strength of the polymer network Shear Rheometer (DSR) test is run do followed by a letter that designot allow for the polymer network in the modified binders.” nates traffic level and speed.” to kick in.

Lab techs will note that the “The MSCR test is run at higher discussion so far has focused on polymer-modified binders. Turner levels of stress and strain that allow for a better representation of what explained that the MSCR is intended to replace only the extraneous actually occurs in an asphalt pavement and allows for a better representatests typically performed on these binders. tion of the strength of the polymer network in the modified binders.”

“These would include elastic recovery, force ductility, toughness and The Asphalt Institute published a document titled Implementation of the tenacity, etc.,” she said. “For the PG specification, the only test that will Multiple Stress Creep Recovery Test and Specification in which its researchers change is the Dynamic Shear Rheometer test on the RTFO aged matestate the MSCR test’s improvements over the shear stress test are these: rial. The G*/sin delta criteria and test will be replaced with the MSCR test 1. Jnr is better correlated with rutting potential than G*/sin delta. at the climate temperature. All other PG testing will be performed as 2. The MSCR test results from just the one test can be used with modibefore.” fied and unmodified asphalt binders, thereby eliminating the need for To be clear, only the G*/sin delta test on the RTFO aged material additional tests to characterize the high temperature performance of is being replaced in this specification. The intent is to showcase the modified asphalt binders. enhanced permanent deformation resistance of polymer modified 3. There is now criteria to eliminate binders that are overly stress sensitive, binders. which would previously have passed the PG criteria and potentially “The MSCR test was originally conceived as part of NCHRP 9-10 been susceptible to rutting in the field.

Characterization of Modified Asphalts. This study was handled by the 4. MSCR recovery is faster and easier to determine than other “PG Plus” Asphalt Institute, but the majority of the development of the MSCR was tests such as the Elastic Recovery test and does a better job of character- done by Hussain Bahia at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After izing polymer modified asphalt binders. the project ended, FHWA picked up the test and refined it to where it 5. The MSCR test is conducted at the actual pavement temperature, is today. FHWA also developed the specification criteria for the MSCR regardless of traffic loading. specification.”

10 march 2011

equipment maintenance

Each part of the paver bears inspection when it comes to ensuring a smooth operation.

Use a biodegradable release agent to clean your machine to make inspection and lubrication easier.

Inspect the Paver

by John Ball

12 march 2011

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e’ve made it clear in AsphaltPro Magazine that a clean machine is a healthy machine.

Start with your eyes, a biodegradable release agent and a rag, and go over every inch of your paver (and your screed) as if it were the lifeline of your paving train.

Use your ears to hear its ticks and whirs. Use your nose, as well as your eyes, to check for leaks or fumes. Don’t forget your hands to check for loose parts. Your mouth reports to the mechanic. The senses are the tools we often forget to employ when it comes to everyday machine maintenance.

When we have completed a thorough cleaning of the paver with these sensory tools on high alert, it’s time for a thorough inspection.

Many contractors have elected to keep older equipment the past few seasons. Many have elected to visit the auction yards to pick up gently used models. This means equipment operators and maintenance personnel have more work to do than they did, say, five or six years ago.

As the tide turns and managers see the need to replace equipment with newer models, routine maintenance is still a must. Just because a paver looks shiny and new doesn’t mean a cracked auger or broken seal won’t cause a delay on tomorrow’s shift. Let’s inspect that machine together.

Check the following before each shift: ✓ the hopper—look for cracks; make sure the rubber flashing is in good condition; make sure lift cylinders aren’t leaking ✓ safety markings and reflective tape for wear or damage ✓ the rubber-track assembly—look for wear; make sure the tension is within ¼-inch maximum droop; inspect for any cuts ✓ the augers—look for cracks, breaks, missing segments; measure circumference (16 inches around); measure width (¾ inch thick) ✓ under the screed—check the slope, check the match height and slope of the extension, check the edge plate wear ✓ the operator area—make sure the operator’s manual is on board ✓ the horn and reverse alarm; emergency/strobe lights ✓ gauges, lamps, instruments, mirrors, seat belts, control levers, seats, flooring—you want everything up to par and in good condition ✓ the automation/laser depth references ✓ the fuel gauge level ✓ the voltage regulator gauge ✓ the water gauge ✓ the hydraulic system’s oil level and temperature—the hydraulic system drives the whole paver! ✓ the external screed control boxes ✓ the engine—look for oil leaks and top the oil level off with SAE15W40 oil ✓ the radiator—keep the cap tight ✓ the cooling fan—top off the coolant with 50/50 anti-freeze ✓ the hydraulic equipment like cylinders, hoses, joints and seals—add AW46 or AW68 oil if you need to; you want no abrasions or cuts on the hoses ✓ engine compartments for leaks in the oil cooler ✓ hoses and hose clamps to make sure nothing’s loose ✓ the battery—clean it off and make sure it’s secure as well as working; 13 volts or better ✓ the air restriction indicator—drain this daily ✓ the charge filter indicators ✓ the fan belt for cracks or frays ✓ the fire extinguisher gauge operating range and gauge date

tion. He will analyze, order parts, schedule maintenance and make the machine safe and efficient again. The written report provides a paper trail for the machine’s lifeline—what the machine has cost over its life and when operators can anticipate component failures.

If the machine has no maintenance items, it’s time for daily lubrication and routine maintenance items. Don’t take shortcuts to get to work. The shift begins early with proper paver maintenance—maintenance that begins with cleaning and inspection for a well-tuned machine. And that type of attention to the machine continues throughout the shift.

John Ball is the proprietor of Top Quality Paving, Manchester, N.H. You can reach him at (603) 493-1458 or tqpaving@yahoo.com.

At the end of inspection, the operator makes out a report that will go to the mechanic for proper attenwww.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 13

producer profile General Asphalt Recycles its Efficiency

by Raluca Loher

Stansteel completed the installation and conversion during the season with a major Miami International Airport project under way. The plant now has the flexibility to run batch mixes or high production recycle projects. The valuable location and plant infrastructure was maintained.

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hen Robert Lopez, president of General Asphalt, Miami, realized a lack of recycling capability at his plant was holding back business, he turned to experts in the industry to find solutions.

In the end, faced with the dilemma of shutting down the facility located in the close vicinity of the Miami International Airport, or modifying the existing plant, Lopez chose the best of both worlds. He brought in some help from Stansteel® for a complete transformation of his strategically located batch plant that not only proved cost-effective, but also provided the recycling power he’d been hoping for.

Lopez is a veteran of the asphalt industry who has worked his way up in the company he now runs. He explained that true competitiveness in the marketplace involves a serious commitment. “You have to spend a dollar to save a dollar, and you have to make the investment so that you can be competitive, and to hopefully repay that investment many, many times over and make sure that you stay around as a company.”

Aside from recycling, Lopez and his team at General Asphalt wanted to update their 40-year-old batch plant to the newest technology available to achieve upgraded productivity, more economical fuel consumption and a more versatile product. For all these reasons, Stansteel engineers customized the Miami operation with a new dryer shell for the existing drum, added in the Rotary Recycle Mixer™, the Accu-Shear™ 14 march 2011

Multi Purpose Warm Mix System, new controls, heavy duty dual recycle bins, scalping screens and feeder control points, and replaced a skip hoist or trolley bucket system, which may be unfamiliar to newer asphalt contractors.

The Rotary Recycle Mixer is designed to produce high-quality hot mix a person normally expects of a batch plant while offering the high yields of drum mix production. According to George Nunez, general equipment superintendent at General Asphalt, the facility saw a higher percentage of recycle in the mix after using the Rotary Recycle Mixer, processing more tons per hour by its continuous operation as well as expanding their ability to recycle.

The huge stockpiles of RAP in the 200,000+ ton range, which earlier had limited the batch plant, now provided excellent recycle on a routine basis, a clear jump from their past yearly 5 percent reported RAP production. Lopez quoted high numbers, “We basically are recycling anywhere up to 30 or 40 percent and everything is working beautifully and we’re very happy.”

According to Stansteel’s Vice President Enrique Tapia, the steam explosion that would occur when adding the RAP to the batch tower posed another a major problem at the Miami plant and had always affected the crew’s overall confidence in processing higher RAP. “After

Figure 1. Before Before the conversion, the 35-year-old silo system still operated with one of the few skip hoist systems remaining in North America. The batch tower severely limited addition of RAP from 4 percent to a maximum of 7 percent due to steam explosions from the high moisture RAP material.

the Rotary Recycle Conversion, everything is done in a continuous mode so any steam or blue smoke is picked up by the process and emission control fan and incinerated,” Tapia explained.

To supplement this new recycling boost, the Rotary Recycle Mixer was also constructed with a unique Accu-Shear Multi Purpose Warm Mix System to facilitate running all different types of mixes—hot mix, foamed warm mix and special cold mix patching material. “We basically have been in business for a long time and we just believe in having top quality,” Lopez added. “Our customers look for us to give them the top quality asphalt when they buy from here.”

Additionally, all of the process equipment prior to the main aggregate dryer was converted over to be able to run in either drum mix or batch modes. Tapia recommends the advantages of this transformation: “This way, the entire facility has the maximum flexibility of being able to batch small loads for special grocery store accounts as well as run efficient higher production through the Rotary Recycle Mixer.”

Process equipment at General Asphalt was also equipped with variable speed feeders, no flow switches and interlocks, so in case of a shortage of one aggregate, valuable RAP, or liquid asphalt alarms or shutdowns would be initiated.

Other major components included heavy duty dual recycle bins, scalping screens and feeder control points. The recycle bins can now feed different sizes of RAP and blend them together to get a premium hot mix or warm mix asphalt, saving the plant money. Stansteel made provisions for the bucket elevator to either feed to the batch plant or to the Rotary Recycle Mixer, increasing the overall versatility of the operation.

Lastly, a solid asphalt plant with complex production needs would not be in perfect condition without an extremely reliable and

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comprehensive control system, Tapia said. So, naturally, a key part of the conversion at General Asphalt was adding the electronic control system—Stansteel’s Accu-Track™ Total Plant Control. This unit is set up to sequentially start and stop feeders, asphalt pumps and other parts of the blending process, while a unique system stop allows the plant to temporarily pause at a given production rate and then start up all aggregate, RAP and liquid AC at the exact same ton per hour rate.

The old batch plant received some extra touches that didn’t have to do with recycling capabilities, but everything to do with technology advancement and overall production increase. The existing dryer shell was completely re-engineered and its new flighting system now creates proper retention of aggregates and the maximum thermal heat transfer.

16 march 2011

“This shell within the first two weeks of operation had taken their high moisture condition from an average of 150 TPH up to 230 TPH. Fuel consumption per ton was reduced by more than 35 percent,” Tapia said.

Moreover, Nunez mentioned a skip hoist system that previously would receive a batch from the pugmill and then use a trolley car type device to take the mix up to the top of the four 200-ton silos and dump into a carousel/chute arrangement. This was cumbersome and outdated, Tapia and Nunez both agreed, so Stansteel custom-engineered a premium, heavy duty 90-foot main slat conveyor, three bintop slat transfer conveyors and four anti-segregation batchers for the top of the silos, allowing continuous feeding and operation of the Rotary Recycle Mixer in the drum mixer mode.

Figure 2. After After the conversion, a heavy duty Stansteel replacement dryer permitted higher TPH and superheating the virgin aggregate to 500O F or more to combine with the RAP. The Stansteel Rotary Recycle Mixer™ permits the plant to function as a continuous counterflow dryer/mixer and produce higher TPH, 35 to 50 percent hot mix, warm mix, cold patch and other high-end paving products.

The silos, heating system and foundation infrastructure were salvaged and a comprehensive upgrade was completed featuring a 400 TPH main slat, top of silo transfer conveyors and four antisegregation batchers.

Like the rest of the plant, these silos are now more efficient because of the retrofit work done to upgrade them, Lopez concluded.

“We have a capability of being able to get more volume and more production. If we know we have a certain workload coming up the next day, we can just fill up the four storage silos and start out the day with 650 tons already mixed. That gives us a certain amount of flexibility for large projects.”

Overall, the transformation at the General Asphalt Miami plant was a complex process, but well worth the investment and work, according to everyone involved. In a situation like this, Lopez recommends working with a trustworthy company that will stand by the customer through the years of operations, with good reputation and a history of successful projects.

Stansteel and its affiliates, according to Tapia, boast a total of 1,500+ years of combined industry experience and both Nunez and Lopez concurred that this made a difference on the job. “We have had a very good experience,” Lopez said. “They’re very helpful, they’re very available and when we’ve had any kind of problem, they’ve gotten right back to us.” Nunez concluded, “They’re always trying to help us in any way.”

For more information, contact Stansteel Asphalt Plant Products at (800) 826-0223 or visit www.stansteel.com. www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 17

Here’s How to Pave with WMA

by Sandy Lender 18 March march 2011

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erhaps you’ve heard the stories of paving crews working with hot mix asphalt (HMA) and not noticing when the foreman surreptitiously signaled for the plant to send warm-mix asphalt (WMA) instead. The crew members kept right on paving and working the mat as if nothing had changed. This anecdotal evidence of WMA’s behavior characteristics proves the mix’s similarities to HMA in the field in a handful of cases.

Paving consultants don’t recommend you trick your crews on a regular basis.

They also don’t recommend you overestimate the ease of compacting a WMA mat. WMA does behave similarly to HMA, according to most experts interviewed for this article, but subtle differences require attention to ensure you get density in the mat. Depending on the mix design, according to Bomag’s Chuck Deahl, some WMA mats have proved easier to achieve density than their HMA counterparts.

Let’s take a quick look at WMA and its entry into the asphalt industry before we discuss the secret to paving successfully with it.

WMA Defined

First, you want to define WMA by its temperature, not its process.

There are two additive processes—chemical and organic—and a mechanical process of foaming to create an asphalt mix in which the temperature can be reduced.

The National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) says conventional HMA is produced at 280 to 320oF (140 to 160oC) while WMA is produced at 212 to 280oF (100 to 140oC). The Texas Department of Transportation (TexDOT) currently has districts writing the maximum delivery temperature allowed on a warm-mix project as 235oF into their WMA spec. Those are numbers you can take to the bank.

We also want to look at the way we compare WMA to HMA. Yes, the asphalt industry is reducing emissions with the use of WMA. But remember HMA already has a low emissions rate. We’re making an environmentally friendly product even better. At the end of 2010, NAPA showed nine states with permissive specs for WMA and an additional 21 states with a spec that allowed its use. What we wish to do now is apply our best paving practices to the WMA mat so its use is exemplary.

Consider Behavior

The warm-mix asphalt (WMA) process starts at the plant with a mechanical or additive process. Here, Scotty’s Contracting has a Double Barrel Green to foam its mixes. Photo courtesy of Astec Industries, Inc., Chattanooga.

The secret lies in the mix design and lift thickness.

Brad Arnston is the vice president of construction for Knife River Corporation’s north central division in Sauk Rapids, Minn. His division has performed two WMA projects to date and he supports the lift-thickness theory. The first project they performed was an overlay paving 2 inches of Minnesota’s MV3 mix.

“On this job, we were able to get better results on density and lower fuel consumption. On the second job, we paved 1.5 inches of SP440. With this mix, we couldn’t make density no matter how many rollers we put on the road. The conclusion was the material was too coarse for only laying 1.5 inches of mix.”

Bill Rieken, paver application specialist at Terex Roadbuilding, Oklahoma City, agreed that there are minor differences in the way WMA behaves in the field from HMA. Essentially, best practices should prevail.

www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 19

“It is typical that the two [WMA and HMA] perform the same, although they are not identical. It is always best practices to following the current paving techniques,” Richard Kramer of Roadtec said.

Here, a crew keeps a level head of material at the auger. Photo courtesy of John Ball, Top Quality Paving, Manchester, N.H.

Cat Paving Consultant Rick Mings (foreground) checks the WMA mat temperature while Cat Paving Consultant Terry Humphrey advises the screed operator. Photo courtesy of Caterpillar Paving Products, Peoria, Ill.

“There are some minor differences in how warm mix behaves in the field, and much of this will have to do with how it’s compacted,” Rieken said. “Modified rolling patterns to achieve density, the number of compactors in the paving train, and the temperatures that each compactor hits the mat, etc.”

“That’s an even, steady pace that eliminates starts and stops,” he said.

“There’s plenty of time to use a tamper screed that accomplishes up to 90 percent of density before the breakdown roller even approaches the mat.”

No matter what type of density you start with, make sure the roller approaching the mat is approaching at its hottest. Rolling zones are a function of time and temperature. They also require certain equipment and contractors should be wary of removing any of that equipment.

Lay a Test Strip Don’t forget about the test strip. Richard Kramer of Roadtec, Chattanooga, listed this best practices tip as vital for working with the warm-mix mat.

“The roller men have to learn the proper breakdown and temperature zones for rolling patterns,” he said. “Quality assurance people should be very helpful for this. They should check passes for how much is needed and when.”

That means taking readings with a non-destructive device often. All presenters at the warm-mix seminar at the NAPA annual meeting agreed that testing was vital for a project’s success. Test and re-test throughout the project to make sure you’re achieving density. Those shady spots that affect an HMA mat affect a WMA mat, too. Put your density gauge there and see what kind of reading you get.

Breakdown The first step of finding the proper breakdown zone is solved for you right here. Everyone agrees: get on the mat directly behind the screed. Don’t wait. In fact, Brodie Hutchins of Vogele, Antioch, Tenn., likes the idea of getting more compaction with the screed so the breakdown roller hits a mat that’s already at 90 percent density.

“When the mix isn’t cooked as hot, it’s not as viscous and the screed floats,” Hutchins explained. He recommended using a tamper bar on the screed to achieve a level of compaction in the WMA mat prior to breakdown rolling. “If compaction’s in the plate first, you get more time. You’re getting on at 90 percent instead of 80 percent.”

While that theory offers the crew more compactive effort at the screed, it slows the paving train. But Hutchins is a proponent for paving speeds of 30 to 40 feet per minute to set up continuous, non-stop paving that’s coordinated with the plant and delivery vehicles.

20 march 2011

Equipment Removal

Perhaps you’ve heard stories of crews that were able to take a roller off the train because they were achieving density with only two machines. That’s a great anecdote and a nice fuel and time savings for that particular crew with that particular mix on that particular day. Don’t assume that’s the norm.

“For WMA, we’re using the same asphalt plants, just with modifications,” Deahl said. “We’re using the same paving equipment and the same rolling equipment. Here’s where I want to caution AsphaltPro readers. Don’t assume you can remove a roller because you’ve heard of other contractors who’ve done it. We’re using the same equipment for a reason.

“The number and type of rollers you have on a job is mix-dependent,” he continued. “Compaction of warm mix and hot mix asphalt follow basic best practices. Depending on the mix design, warm mix has been easier to compact, and we have reduced the number of rollers, but this is the exception.”

Four Forces of Compaction

Compaction is affected by mix design; shape, gradation, soundness and absorptiveness of the aggregate; asphalt cement type; lab and field density; climatic conditions; paver type; paving method; mat and ambient temperature; weather; and subgrade. No matter what’s affecting your compaction results, there are four forces that make compaction happen.

1. Pressure: a downward force 2. Impact: a hammer blow 3. Vibration: a rapid series of impact blows (particle rearrangement) 4. Manipulation: kneading in a confined manner Source: Chuck Deahl, Bomag

Thermal imaging cameras, temperature guns and density gauges all work in tandem when it comes to testing and checking and re-checking your project. This is a windrow from a belly dump truck. Photo courtesy of Roadtec, Chattanooga.

Case Studies

For a project Deahl assisted on, the company added Sasobit at the plant to create a WMA mix design of PG82-22 polymer-modified. The temperatures in this example hover near what most would consider the high end of the WMA spectrum. The crew paved 12-foot wide passes at 25 feet per minute. The lift was 2 ½ inches loose.

• Plant temp: 315oF • Project temp: 287 to 305oF (off the screed) • The breakdown zone for the 66-inch double-drum vibratory roller (at 3,000 vpm) was 150 feet in the 287 to 305oF range and achieved 90 to 92% density • The intermediate zone for the 66-inch double-drum vibratory roller (at 3,000 vpm) was another 150 feet back in the 200oF range and achieved 92 to 94.3% density • The finish roller was a 66-inch double-drum oscillating drum roller set at vibrate going in and static coming out in a 5-pass pattern; achieved 94.7 to 95.6% density at less than 200oF Tony Limas of Granite Construction presented his company’s successes with WMA at NAPA’s 56th annual meeting in Orlando in early February. He reported that the company has 60 plants retrofitted with WMA mechanical foaming devices and has placed 400,000 tons of WMA to date. His discussion showed a variety of projects that ranged from normal to challenging.

In one instance, Granite crews performed an emergency repair in the cold and snow after a landslide damaged a pavement. They not only had to de-ice the roadway before paving with WMA, they had to wait on a truck for three hours when it broke down with a load of mix in its bed.

Limas reported that the truck arrived with mix at a temperature of 260oF. The mix went down “just fine, with no problems.” Here are the stats from that project.

• Plant temp: 275oF • Project temp: 268 to 273oF • 92 to 93% RICE • Limas reported that the 3-inch lift helped retain heat in the mat to aid in compaction.

22 march 2011

For a project at the Anchorage airport, Limas reported the crew used the Evotherm product to create a PG64-34 polymer-modified mix. It was a ¾-inch dense-graded top lift.

• Plant temp: 235oF • Project temp: 230oF • 95% RICE • For this project, the crew used two DD-130 steel wheel rollers to get compaction and removed the pneumatic-tired roller.

Limas also discussed a project where the crew created a notch wedge joint with no difficulties.

• Plant temp: na • Project temp: 250oF • Ambient temp: 55oF • 92 to 94% RICE For a three-month detour on SR70, Granite crews worked on a 5 percent grade with a ½-inch PG64-16 with Evotherm additive.

• Plant temp: 240oF • Project temp: 230oF • 92 to 94% RICE The equipment achieving these results depends on well-trained and skilled operators. As Deahl explained, the basics still apply. The paver and roller operators still need training and skill; they still need to know the best practices for achieving best results. (See “Four Forces of Compaction” sidebar.)

“Best practices still apply,” Deahl said. “Know the specifications of the project. Know the layout. Know the operation of each roller. Balance production. Establish a pattern to achieve coverage, density, smoothness and balanced production. Speed can kill. Double-drum vibratory rollers should be traveling at 2 to 4 miles per hour. Pneumatic-tire rollers at 2 to 3 miles per hour. And static steel wheel rollers at 3 to 5 miles per hour.”

Hand Work

The workers doing hand work have another take on the discussion.

Experts agree that WMA makes hand work such as luting and raking more difficult. Be aware of this on urban projects where manhole covers, utility cuts and other structures require detailed touches. Knife River’s Arnston said his crews would rather work with hot mix when it comes to hand work.

“Our crews would rather use HMA when there is a lot of hand work to do; the mix is hotter and easier to rake. With the lower mix temperature of WMA you will have more residue on all of the above [augers, endgates, shovels].”

Clean-up may require a little more of your favorite biodegradable release agent, but crews can breathe easier when working around WMA. Make sure crew members remember to wear safety gloves even though they’re working with a cooler product than they’re used to. Mix cooked to a temperature of 212oF or higher can offer a blister on exposed skin.

This is still asphalt and it still requires a healthy respect.

“What contractors have to remember is WMA is basically the same mix design as hot mix,” Terex’s Rieken said. “The only exception is the agent—whether that’s water, as is the case with the Terex system, or an additive—that allows mixing temperatures to be lowered. Therefore, warm mix has the same propensity for material and thermal segregation as if it were produced as hot mix.”

“Listen to the people who have had experience with WMA,” Roadtec’s Kramer advised. “Then apply what you learn. This is true in all paving practices.”

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Commercial Paving Takes a Turn

Around the

Manhole Cover

by John Ball

I

n a typical street paving project, you construct manholes by first placing a steel plate over the drain to be protected. You place gravel over the plate, pave the street like normal, take a jackhammer to the round spot and put a manhole riser in place. In other words, the normal procedure is to build the structure as you build the road.

26 march 2011

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figure 1

When the Grace Pacific team arrived to pave the new development roads, it found the gravel surface littered with 11-inch-high manhole structures and covers. There was even a water shut-off valve to pave around (see photo at right). Notice the “wet” look to the gravel is a moisture membrane the crew had to allow to cure for 24 hours prior to paving.

Last fall, Grace Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii, didn’t have a normal job. The design engineers wanted the road built up to a series of manholes that were already in place (see figure 1). Each manhole was 11 inches high.

This meant the crew pulled four lifts of 3 inches, 3 inches, 3 inches and 2 inches around existing structures. There were four streets of three lanes and a turning lane, all curbed with concrete. The surface was gravel with a moisture membrane in place that had to set for 24 hours before we began work.

Just because the owner of the project set up challenges to a smooth paving surface didn’t mean the crew could give up all hope. Grace Pacific’s team was determined to perform well.

We set up a straight line going up the left of the paver, which was important for joint construction. We used an 8-foot, Blaw-Knox, track paver with an 8-foot model 4410 extendable screed so we could zig and

zag out as necessary to get around the 11-inch structures sticking up from the surface.

That’s one place automation comes in handy for a crew. The screed operator, Jason, could stand next to the paver and control the tow point cylinder, extension, and feeder delivering material to the auger to control the head of material (see figure 2). He could signal the screed’s movements in for 8-foot paving or out for 10-foot paving lane widths.

Something that made paving around structures a little easier to handle was our selection of support equipment. I recommend a skid steer loader on any paving project to help clean up spills from haul trucks or to help get extra material to trouble spots, but our wheel loader proved indispensable on this project.

We found that no matter how skilled the screed operator, the team will need to hand-manipulate mix around the manhole cover or other

figure 2

Jason has worked the screed for Grace Pacific for three years. In this picture, you can see he’s got the control box in his hand. It connects to the paver through a cable that carries his commands. They’re paving a width of 10 feet because the screed has 1-foot extensions on each side. Jason adjusts for depth, angle of attack and a fully charged head of material so we have no lines when we take off. The red and white paint you see on the machine show when the top of the spring-loaded endgate is level with the screed.

28 march 2011

Just because the owner of the project set up challenges to a smooth paving surface didn’t mean the crew could give up all hope. Grace Pacific’s team was determined to perform well.

You can see in these pictures that the paver often had to extend or pull in the screed to “go around” a manhole cover, or pick up and move over an existing structure. Rollers face the same problem because they can sometimes shove the manhole. A plate compactor solves that problem and gets into the tight spots that even our smaller roller couldn’t quite tackle. The Grace Pacific crew has fully brushed up on their handwork skills. www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 29

The Sakai 750 vibratory pneumatic roller was one of three rollers on the project. It has a 77-inch reach. The Bomag roller had an 84-inch reach. We also used plate compactors to get right up against the manhole covers.

structure sticking up out of the street. The wheel loader can deliver and take away mix that a shovel and wheel barrow takes far too long to deal with. The two-way bucket opens in a half-shell that allows the operator to dribble out mix and control the delivery of mix as needed. The shell design also lets him remove mix when we have too much in one spot.

I like the two-way bucket from Case, which lets the operator cut a line with the front of the bucket without any shoveling. This has eliminating shoveling injuries on my projects.

To compact a “broken up” project like this, the roller operators had to consider the objects in their rolling paths. We had three rollers on the job plus hand compactors. Considering the turning and moving we had to do with the paver to get around the manholes, there were a lot of blemishes to roll out of the mat. The Sakai 750 vibratory pneumatic with 14-inch tires really helped us get compaction. It’s a rubber-tire roller with a 77-inch reach that kneads the road like a piecrust. It has three tires in front and four in the back that are flat and hold 70 pounds of pressure— no more, no less. The skirts confine the heat and keep the wind from blowing the heat away. It just purrs down the road.

For those places where a big roller can get in, we used plate compactors. For those times when we had to pick up and move the paver, we had 24 feet of handwork to tackle—that’s the length of the paver. You’ll see in figure 3 there’s a line next to the extension that had to open up

to catch the curb. All of that kind of manipulating and moving required handwork and sort of individual compaction.

Remember that plate compactors come in handy around existing manholes in any pavement maintenance project, too. Sometimes rollers can shove the manhole so the plate compactor solves that problem while getting density next to the structure.

As I’ve mentioned before, teamwork is essential to any project’s success. For this kind of project where the crew finds challenges poking up like video game monsters from the surface to be paved, teamwork takes on a new role. We elected to use a smaller paver, even though there were 1,200 tons per day to lay. That brought us close together. We worked in close proximity on purpose. We kept the buddy system in working order, of course, to make sure everyone stayed safe, but we made changes to keep communication just that much tighter.

Automation took on a greater role with MOBA joint-matching automation and depth matching guiding us for a smooth, level mat. We kept a correct depth with our four lifts. All those paving basics that we learn in the briefing room and in our toolbox talks make a big difference when we can put them into practice on a challenging job like this. I was proud to be a part of Grace Pacific’s success and proud to help the crew meet their goals for a smooth, clean asphalt pavement.

The screed operator stands off to the side, checking the material flowing beneath the mat. The paver operator has a view of everything and all his controls within arm’s reach.

30 march 2011

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It’s How-to Time in Vegas AsphaltPro teaches IRL at booth 8013 in the central hall

by AsphaltPro Staff

W

elcome to CONEXPO-CON/AGG. If you’re standing in the bright sunshine of Las Vegas while you peruse this publication, then the staff of The AsphaltPro Magazine invites you inside the central hall to booth 8013. We have the obligatory freebies to give away that we’re sure will bring a smile to your face, but we also have our content—live.

We’ve brought the how-to, technical content that the AsphaltPro staff members initiated 25 years ago to Vegas with our popular Ask The Expert sessions. Do you have trucking, paving, yield or compaction questions? Come to the booth Wednesday morning between the opening of the show and noon to visit with John Ball, proprietor of Top Quality Paving, Manchester, N.H. Do you have asphalt plant or production questions? Come to the booth Wednesday afternoon between 1 and 2:30 to visit with Jan Callahan, president of Palmer Paving, Palmer, Mass.

These experts join our experienced staff, which has about 40 years of asphalt industry knowledge among them, to make sure your asphalt questions are answered. Do you have publicity or media questions? Editor Sandy Lender’s got you covered there. Join her and a fast-filling audience in the north hall for her education sessions. Thursday from 1 to 2:30, she presents TH35, Using Online Social Media to Get Construction Work. Friday from 1 to 2:30, she presents F36, Building a Blog for the Construction Industry and Marketing with It. Of course there’s more to do at CONEXPO-CON/AGG than brush up on your asphalt industry knowledge. This is the largest tradeshow you’ll see this year. You can read any official tradeshow rag to get the staggering stats. Or you can look up and see the crowds pushing and shoving to check out the newest equipment and technology at the booth nearby. You want to meet Mike Rowe at the Caterpillar booth, but weigh the time spent standing in line against the precious minutes you get per display to see everything at the show. Of course, there are 38 tradeshow hours...We at The AsphaltPro Magazine hope you spend a few of them around central hall booth 8013.

Stop by during our Ask The Expert hours to pose specific questions about your paving or production operation.

Here John Ball shares stories with Ray Eisner of Asphalt Specialties in Colorado. John will be on hand throughout most of the show, but will have specific hours Wednesday morning until noon for your training convenience.

Meet and greet your AsphaltPro publisher, associate publisher and editor, whether they’re handing out goodies or answering your asphalt-related questions. Here Chris Harrison and Sally Shoemaker drew the grand prize of $1,000 cash to hand to a lucky winner at the World of Asphalt show in February 2010.

Tweet to Avoid Vegas

If you’ve elected to avoid the crowds and fees associated with CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2011, you can track what’s happening in up-to-the-minute snippits. Follow our editor or our page on Twitter. Sandy will use hashtag #conexpoconagg to report on new equipment, technology and information that’s relevant to asphalt professionals. http://twitter. com/SandyLender or http://twitter.com/AsphaltPro 32 march 2011

No matter what time of day, the AsphaltPro booth draws a contractor crowd. Our team started the how-to, technical information innovation in magazine publishing that your crews crave. And we’ll continue it

www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 33

Ultra-Thin Meets Challenges in Louisiana High-production process has low life-cycle cost The Roadtec SP200 paver sprays down an emulsion in front of the hot mix being placed.

by Daniel C. Brown

Traffic accidents on Louisiana Highway 20 in Lafourche Parish during the past few years encouraged the state to improve the skid resistance of the asphalt road. It was in good structural condition,

but had oxidized and incurred some minor surface cracking. Last fall, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development decided to overlay 9 miles of the two-lane roadway with an Ultra-Thin Bonded Wearing Course (UTBWC).

To lay the ultra-thin asphalt overlay, contractor E.J. Breneman LP chose a Roadtec SP-200 paver, which sprayed down a membrane of polymer-modified emulsion directly in front of the screed at a rate of 0.20 gallons per square yard. Behind the membrane the paver placed a ¾-inch (0.75) layer of hot mix asphalt (HMA) that used a PG70-22 binder. It was a gap-graded mix with a nominal maximum aggregate size of a half-inch.

Besides improving skid resistance, the UTBWC stretched the agency’s road dollars further than a traditional mill and fill project. The Louisiana 20 project cost the state just $1.3 million for 127,431 square yards of ultra-thin overlay, Chris Rogers, P.E., project engineer for the Louisiana DOTD said.

In fact, a study from the Louisiana Transportation Research Center says the life-cycle cost of the UTBWC is $3.34 less per square yard than a 2-inch milling followed by a 3.5-inch overlay. Authorities say the UTBWC doesn’t necessarily last as long as an HMA overlay but when you run the life cycle cost, they consider it an excellent investment.

34 march 2011

A Shuttle Buggy helps speed production by feeding mix directly to the spray paver.

Eric Baker, marketing manager for Roadtec, said the UTBWC offers several advantages over slurry seals or microsurfacing. For example: • It improves smoothness.

• It offers better resistance to reflective cracking.

• It has better skid resistance.

• It can be applied on concrete pavements.

• It offers some structural gain.

State officials were pleased. “This was my first project with this type of overlay, and I was impressed with it, and so were my inspectors,” Rogers said. “We were impressed with the speed of the project. It took just five days to pave the nine miles.”

It was a high-production project, Mike Polak said. He’s the general partner with E.J. Breneman, which has offices in Reading, Pa., and Zephyrhills, Fla. “The Roadtec paver moved along at 80 to 90 feet per minute,” Polak said.

The Roadtec SP-200 spray paver features gravity flow to carry the hot mix from the 11-ton hopper directly onto the augers. Breneman employed a Roadtec SB2500 Shuttle Buggy to feed hot mix to the paver. The Shuttle Buggy is the only way to load the paver; there is no open-topped hopper as with a conventional paver.

“This was my first project with this type of overlay, and I was impressed with it, and so were my inspectors. We were impressed with the speed of the project. It took just five days to pave the nine miles.”

- Chris Rogers, P.E., project engineer for the Louisiana DOTD “The Shuttle Buggy helps with speed, because there is no down-time spent in backing up trucks to the paver,” Polak said. “The trucks simply back into the Shuttle Buggy and unload their material while the paver continues to lay hot mix.

“The Ultra-thin Roadtec paver laid a great mat,” Polak continued. “The machine is both fast and accurate in its delivery and placement of the new mix.”

Polak says a primary advantage of the ultra-thin overlay is that the highway agency does not need to raise guard rail and other structures along the roadway because the lift is so thin. “And you don’t have to pre-mill the surface,” Polak said. “You can lay it with little or no milling in front of the operation.”

Splash and overspray are reduced, as well. Water enters the open-graded aggregate on the surface, sinks to the membrane, and runs to drainage areas, Polak explained. Plus, the granular surface of the thin overlay quiets the pavement. “And it doesn’t polish very readily, so you maintain skid resistance,” Polak said.

Rogers said the Louisiana 20 could re-open to traffic within an hour of paving the UTBWC. For compaction, Breneman used two double-drum rollers operating in static mode. The rollers simply seat the aggregate into the membrane, so the vibratory mode is not needed.

The Roadtec SP-200 paver is a unique machine. “The paver is gravity fed, so it has no conveyors and no bottlenecks,” Baker said.

“It can pave from 10 feet wide up to 19 feet 6 inches. And it’s very versatile; you can pave conventional hot mix with it as well.”

Baker said the heating system on the paver’s emulsion tank can go up to 450 degrees, so one can run straight liquid asphalt, which needs to be maintained at 300 to 350 degrees. For emulsion the tank maintains a temperature of 150 to 170 degrees F. The tank holds 2,100 gallons for long production runs.

“The spray system on the paver is computercontrolled,” Baker said. “The operator just plugs in the application rate he wants and the paver will do the rest.” He said the spray system was designed by Bearcat, which specializes in liquid asphalt handling systems. “I don’t think this paver would be nearly as successful without our partnership with Bearcat.”

He said the screed is a standard vibratory screed.

Polak warned against using the UTBWC on a badly rutted road. Water will run into the rut depressions. “They laid the ultra-thin on some rutted roads in the Pittsburgh area, and water got into the stone matrix,” Polak said. “Then when the road freezes and thaws, it blows apart the overlay. You cannot put the ultra-thin on a badly-rutted road.” A scratch course or leveling course of 9.5-mm hot mix should be used to take out any ruts before applying the UTBWC, Polak suggested.

E.J. Breneman paved the Louisiana project as a subcontractor to Coastal Bridge Co., Baton Rouge, La. Coastal Bridge did the patching work prior to paving, handled traffic control, and changed mail boxes along the route.

“Hopefully this ultra-thin will hold up real well and we’ll get to use it a lot more,” Rogers said. In fact, the UTBWC has been shown to last more than 10 years in some cases. . www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 35

Recycle Your Asphalt Shingle Mindset

by AsphaltPro Staff with information from CMRA

Editor’s note: The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality uses the abbreviation RAP to denote recycled asphalt products, which includes both recycled asphalt pavement and recycled asphalt shingles. To avoid confusion, the customary abbreviation for recycled asphalt pavement will not be used in this article.

I

n an effort to help producers and contractors take on the responsible role of incorporating recycled asphalt shingle (RAS) material into their asphalt mixes, the Construction Materials Recycling Association (CMRA) in conjunction with ShingleRecycling.org has organized a series of technical webinars on the subject. During the second of these webinars, Dale Rand, the flexible pavements branch director for the Texas Department of Transportation (TexDOT) spoke in detail about the spec TexDOT has adopted for recycled asphalt products. David Morton, the quality control manager for APAC-Texas, Inc., offered specific guidance for producers who want to dive into the RAS arena. Other presenters had advice and information to offer as well, such as Mike Gould of the Air Permits Division of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

Rand explained that Texas officials initially allowed the use of manufactured waste shingle material similarly to the way they allowed recycled asphalt pavement in mixes: in a memo released in March 2006, TexDOT stated the material could be processed in the same manner as recycled asphalt pavement through a counterflow drum at up to 15 percent.

By February 2009, a new memo approved the use of residential tearoff shingle material, with a caveat. Someone in the supply chain had to certify that the material was free of asbestos. Also, the material could not come into contact with a burner flame during production.

Gould pointed out that the TCEQ disallowed the use of shingles with asbestos and the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) set up an asbestos program with training and licensing. In other words, people were trained to detect when this hazardous material was present in shingles—and to keep it out of the asphalt paving industry.

According to Gould, the current hot mix asphalt (HMA) permit and new specification in Texas for the use of RAS allows recycled asphalt product-authorized contractors to use either post-manufactured RAS or post-consumer RAS (up to 15 percent RAS and 1.5 percent deleterious materials) as long as the product complies with all regulatory requirements stipulated by the TCEQ. The spec allows contractors to use RAS as the sole addition to a mix or in conjunction with recycled asphalt pavement. If the contractor is not authorized to use recycled asphalt products, then an amendment to the contractor’s permit is required before the use of RAS can be approved.

The spec also discusses elements of handling RAS that lead to best practices. Presenters during the webinar reinforced these best practices and offered counsel for producers who are ready to take shingles off the local landfill’s hands.

One of the items outlined in the Texas spec is grinding. “Process the RAS by ambient grinding or granulating such that 100 percent of the 36 march 2011

particles pass the 1/2-inch sieve and 95 percent pass the 3/8-inch sieve when tested in accordance with Tex-200-F, Part I.” While that particular language may or may not find its way into a spec in every state, it’s something APAC’s Morton agreed with.

“Grind shingles so that 95 to 100 percent passes the 3/8-inch sieve,” he said. “One of the areas of concern with RAS is when RAS is not ground fine enough.”

Like everyone else, Morton talked about the stockpile after grinding.

Because shingles have a tendency to clump after grinding, you want to make sure loader operators work the stockpiles with care. Don’t let them drive loaders onto the piles under any circumstance.

To keep clumping to a minimum, producers will often add sand to the ground shingle pile. The Texas spec allows the addition of sand, or fine RAP, if the supplier shows “the materials as two separate bins on the mixture design job mix formula (JMF) even though the combined materials are added using a single cold feed bin.”

As you would with a RAP pile, beware of moisture. Morton reminded producers that ground shingles tend to retain moisture, so building carport-like structures to protect the RAS piles from weather is a wise stockpile management plan. Be aware of condensation.

Morton reminded producers to keep RAS clean and free of trash.

Don’t mix tear-offs with manufactured waste. (If you do elect to use tearoff shingles, he recommended you check them daily to verify gradation.)

In fact, the Texas spec is clear on this point.

“Prior to use, remove substantially all materials that are not part of the shingle, such as wood, paper, metal, plastic, and felt paper.” The spec only allows up to 1.5 percent deleterious material to find its way into the stockpiled RAS. Contractors have to submit a sample to the engineer so the department can test for deleterious material of RAS to determine compliance. No one wants junk getting into an asphalt mix.

Table 1. Binder Percentages Not every state will specify the same percentages once RAS specs gain momentum, but here are the numbers Texas has settled on.

Mix Description Max Ratio of Recycled

Binder to Total Binder (%)

Surface Mixes.........................................35 Non-Surface Mixes...............................40 <8 inches from surface Non-Surface Mixes...............................45 >8 inches from surface Source: Recycled Asphalt Shingles in Texas presentation by Dale Rand

If producers seek explicit direction for working with tear-off asphalt Something Morton reminded producers of is the propensity to exceed the virgin binder ratio. By maintaining a proper feed ratio at the shingle material, the CMRA has developed a Best Practices Guide availplant, you can more easily monitor ratios. The Texas spec outlines just able at www.ShingleRecycling.org. The Texas Department of State Health how much asphalt binder from recycled sources is allowed (see Table 1).

Services also offers information and guidance that can help contractors Once the mix is made with the corprepare a quality control plan for keeping rect percentage of RAS, Morton advises asbestos out of their RAS equation. Visit “Process the RAS by ambient contractors to watch tarping and haul grinding or granulating such that www.dshs.state.tx.us/asbestos/default. distances. The RAS-modified mix tends to shtm or call the Asbestos Program at (800) crust more severely in the truck bed on 100 percent of the particles pass 572-5548 ext. 2454. The Small Business Local Government Assistance (SBLGA) long hauls. He said it also has a tendency the 1/2-inch sieve and 95 percent and also provides assistance to contractors to stiffen more quickly than standard hot seeking help in expanding environmenmix asphalt mixes, especially with a higher pass the 3/8-inch sieve…” tally sound practices. The team there performance-graded binder involved. works with industries and manufacturers to implement pollution prevenHe suggested that producers watch the feed rate at the plant and be sure not to exceed binder ratios. Blend the RAS with sand—or fine RAP— tion, recycling and innovative environmental programs. www.tceq.state. tx.us/assistance/sblga/sblga.html You can call the Austin office main line to minimize clumping. Above all, develop and maintain a well-thoughtat (800) 447-2827. If you’re not in Texas, look up your state’s department out and written quality control plan for working with RAS. of the environment or department of transportation to see what services TCEQ’s Gould suggested the quality control plan should contain they offer to institute green practices such as RAS. excellent records. He stated it’s vital that the producer maintain custody document records for shingle material. www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 37

f o e v a P k c i u Q s e k a M a s a Pab

by Brodie Hutchins

The 2010 construction of the B-40 orbital motorway bypassing Barcelona took European paving muscle.

Pabasa crew members fed a stone matrix asphalt mix to an MTV, which fed the Super 3000-2 paver. Notice the wide set of the screed for the wide paving pass.

38 march 2011

With an investment volume of €1.9 billion (nearly U.S. $2.6 billion), the 50-kilometer (31-mile) bypass around the Catalan capital represents one of Spain’s most significant infrastructure projects. Directly after taking delivery of its new Super 3000-2 paver from Vögele America Inc., Antioch, Tenn., which was introduced at Bauma 2010, the team at Pavimentos Barcelona S.A. (Pabasa) moved the paver to the job site for its first job: the wearing course.

The new B-40 orbital motorway to bypass Barcelona is one of the most important economic and transport policy projects of Spain. The motorway runs to the north and Spain’s second largest city and connects the cities of Abrera, Terrassa, Granollers and Sant Celoni. The forecast traffic volume for the route is about 40,000 vehicles per day.

To build the new section near Viladecavalls, Pabasa wanted a paver designed for large-scale projects. The width of the job site varied from 12 to 18 meters (39 to 59 feet) with a paving width between 10.5 and 15.5 m (34 to 51 ft). They placed the wearing course in one pass at 4 centimeters (1.6 inches) thick.

www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 39

The Pabasa team was proud of a job well done.

These widths proved no problem for the Super 3000-2. It features a maximum laydown rate of 1,600 mtph (1,763 tph) and a maximum pave width of 16 m (52.5 ft). Conveyors and augers ensure the right amount of mix is available in front of the screed at all times, even when operating at the maximum pave speed of 24 m/min (79 fpm).

To make sure mix from the feed trucks was fed smoothly to the paver, the crew deployed a Vögele MT 1000-1 Mobile Feeder upstream of the Super 3000-2. Trucks delivered a stone matrix asphalt to the material transfer vehicle (MTV), which transferred the mix to the paver via a belt conveyor. Due to non-stop feeding, paving proceeded without interruptions, making the roadworks extremely cost-effective. Furthermore, the non-contacting transfer of mix from the feeder provided a high quality of paving, eliminating bumps and surface discontinuities.

Also important for a high quality pavement was compliance with the specified evenness. The maximum permissible deviation was +4 millimeters (0.16 in) over a distance of 4 m (13 ft).To stay within these limits, the Pabasa team equipped the Super 3000-2 with two Vögele Big MultiPlex Skis—one of the right and one on the left side of the machine. The binder course served as a reference.

The Big MultiPlex Ski is a sensor system operating with three multi-cell sonic sensors attached to a modular beam ranging from 5 to 13 m (16.4 to 42.6 ft) in length. An average is calculated from the measured values, transmitted to Niveltronic Plus—Vögele’s system for automated grade and slope—and compared with the specified value. If necessary, corrections are initiated. The Big MultiPlex Ski is especially suited for job sites where long irregularities need to be leveled out.

40 march 2011

The Pabasa paving crew equipped the Super 3000-2 with two Vögele Big MultiPlex Skis to measure and transmit data to the Niveltronic Plus—Vögele’s system for automated grade and slope.

With an average pave speed of 3 to 4 m/min (10 to 13 fpm), the contractor’s team achieved a very good paving result. Hamm rollers— two HD 130 tandem rollers and a GRW 18 pneumatic roller—compacted the asphalt layer to its final density.

Brodie Hutchins is the general manager for Vögele America Inc., Antioch, Tenn. For more information, contact him at (717) 264-3200 or bhutchins@vogeleamerica.com.

www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 41

Shift Into Drive Roundup of the NAPA 56th annual meeting

by Sandy Lender

C

ommon threads at the 56th annual meeting of the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) in Orlando Feb. 7 through 9 ran along the challenges the asphalt industry faces today. Each session from the opening Monday morning with former U.S. Navy Blue Angels lead solo pilot and motivational speaker John Foley to discussions on warm-mix asphalt experiences and liquid asphalt cement supply and demand carried a sense of warning. The warning: it’s past time to shift into drive.

Granite Construction’s Jim Roberts had it right when he got up in front of a crowded general session Tuesday morning and said we have to ramp up our implementation of positive, environmentally friendly practices. We have to get our collective act in gear. It’s time to put our recycling foot forward and show Congress and the state departments of transportation (DOTs) that the asphalt paving industry is a force to be reckoned with.

Speakers thereafter brought our expectations back to reality by reminding us that’s not the way state DOTs work. Engineers and materials specifiers take their time and demand years of reports and findings before they “ramp up” a new practice—whether that new practice is saving the environment or not. And watching Congress languish over the transportation program has been disheartening, to say the least.

Change is inevitable and challenge is part of growth.

I don’t want to give the impression that the annual meeting spelled gloom and doom for the construction industry, thus the job market and economy, thanks to government inactivity and trepidation. The annual meeting actually offered hope and opportunity in all sectors of the asphalt industry.

The general session on “Road Building—The Past, Present and Future” showed a glimpse of the environmental changes our industry is already implementing. We can look forward to the increased use of conveyors and covered plant components to take wheel loaders and dust out of the HMA production equation. I’m sorry. Am I still referring to our mix as hot? That will someday all be warm-mix, according to the experts. With RAP and RAS commonplace.

Contrary to what other publications may have printed, you can’t go out and purchase a pod to deliver HMA from your plant to your road at this time. But Dallas Reeves from Volvo laid out technology that may some day not only take multiple haul trucks off the road, but may also keep material from experiencing thermal segregation and keep errant fume from escaping while being transported efficiently to the paving site with only one operator at the controls.

Change is inevitable and challenge is part of growth. If I learned anything from the 56th annual meeting, it’s that the stalwart members of the asphalt industry still plan and grow even during the tough economic times. Blair Williamson of S.L. Williamson Co., Inc., Charlottesville, Va., said her company has more highway work lined up for this season than they’ve had in years. Then she went up to collect her award for Outstanding Website for 2010.

Anyone with a competitive bone in his or her body should have come out of the NAPA annual meeting ready to take on Congress, the state DOT, the state concrete association (see my editorial column on page 5). As Jim Roberts said, we do need to take advantage of our momentum with our green practices. We need to take the positive message of asphalt to the specifiers who can increase our market share. I encourage you to visit the Asphalt Pavement Alliance site frequently to copy and use the tools posted there. http://asphaltroads.org/ 42 march 2011

2011 NAPA Annual Meeting Sponsors BLS Enterprises, Inc. Bomag BP Caterpillar CNA Insurance Doggett Machinery Services Dynapac Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions, Inc. Gencor Honeywell Kenco Engineering, Inc. The Lane Construction Corp.

Lehman-Roberts Co. LeeBoy Oldcastle Materials Pennsylvania Asphalt Pavement Assoc.

Roadtec Volvo Vulcan Materials Co. Wirtgen America

Congratulations to all the crews who won 2010 Quality in Construction awards.

The ceremony at the 56th annual meeting culminated in the presentation of the Sheldon G. Hayes award to Staker Parson Companies, Salt Lake City, for their I-15 project for the Utah DOT. Visit www. theasphaltpro.com for a complete listing of 2010 QIC winners.

Copy, Paste, Spread the Word Shovel-ready verbiage left a sour taste after ARRA, but grassroots education can boost our good name

by Sandy Lender

I

ndustry professionals from Jay Hansen at the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) to John Horsley at the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) have pointed out a disturbing mindset in the American public. Not all voters and motorists fully understand the bidding and letting process. Fewer understood the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and how little of its stimulus funds were directed to roads and highways. They heard media pundits say “Projects all over the nation are shovel-ready and ARRA’s giving states the money to perform the projects.”

John Q. Public looked out his front window a week or two later and could still see a pothole. He assumed the construction industry had fallen down on the job. He was mistaken, but that’s the outraged opinion he clung to.

Now industry voices tell us we need to educate Congress—and their constituents—that the construction industry used its portion of ARRA stimulus funds professionally and successfully.

As a social media maven, I see a host of uneducated commentary concerning this and other topics. When the fervor began to mount, I posted a note on my facebook page to help at least my 2,000+ followers understand how road construction works. The following information is nothing new to this audience, but maybe you’d like to copy it for the general public following you. I’ll post it to www.TheAsphaltForum.blogspot.com so you can cut and paste it easily to share in your networks. Please include a line that it’s taken with permission from The AsphaltPro Magazine.

Here’s How Road Construction Works (for Better ARRA Understanding) Note: This note is oversimplified to make it a quick-n-easy read for the general public.

When a state department of transportation (DOT) has a project for new capacity or a repair, the staff puts it “up for bid.” Contractors in the area estimate what it will cost them (and their subcontractors) to tackle the project. They build in a little extra to pay themselves. But not too much extra. They’re bidding against competitors in the area who are doing the same thing. The one who bids the lowest wins the bid.

The state DOT “lets” the project to the lowest bidder. That company may have to work during a certain time specified in the contract or may have the luxury of starting the project when ambient temperatures or traffic loads are most advantageous to the project’s success. Depending on where the materials (rocks, liquid asphalt, machinery, geotextiles, etc.) for the project are located, the contractor may need to get a permit 44 march 2011

to put a portable plant (the facility that makes the asphalt for the road) nearby for a short period of time. Permits take time to acquire depending on opposition from neighbors and special interest groups.

Once the project is complete (sometimes while the project is under way) the state DOT inspectors check parts of the new pavement to make sure the contractor has done a good job and met all the specifications for the project. Once those tests check out, the DOT figures up how much of the contracted price the contractor will get paid. In some cases, the contractor can lose money if the pavement doesn’t fall within exact specs in some spots. If there are several of those spots, the DOT can require the contractor go back and redo the pavement.

So if you’re looking at the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) funds and wondering why 90 percent of the projects have been let, but a majority of the money is still sitting around unpaid, it’s because some of the projects are large and will take quite some time to complete.

Thus they will take quite some time to get paid.

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) reported in August 2010 that “more than 74,000 direct, on-project jobs were created or sustained in the highway and transit sectors in July as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act— an increase of 15 percent from June and 81 percent since March.” In other words, even though only $6 billion had been paid out as of August 2010, workers were still working at that time.

Now, in most areas of the country, outdoor construction of any kind has seasonal layoffs. This has been happening since the dawn of the construction industry and is not new to the current economic downturn.

When a company hires 10 workers for summer crews to supplement the six or seven fulltimers, those 10 workers know that they will have a five- or six-month lapse during the cold-weather off-season when construction isn’t possible. (Some workers choose to collect unemployment during that downtime; others take parttime jobs elsewhere. I’ve heard of both scenarios because construction workers are aware of the seasonal nature of their occupation.)

During the past five years, the U.S. asphalt paving industry has introduced an even more environmentally friendly method than its usual processes* called Warm-Mix Asphalt (WMA) that allows companies to extend the paving season into colder months. When a company hires a roller operator in April or May, that operator may stay on through November, even in some northern states.

AASHTO reported that employment on ARRA-funded highway and transit projects had been steadily increasing during the spring and summer months of 2010, when construction peaks throughout most of the country. Whether or not we care to have our tax dollars going to a recovery program isn’t part of the equation here. The point is it’s taking time for the recovery monies to get from Point A to Point B because construction work takes time.

I’ve spelled out one of the systems for you. What’s nice is people had been put back to work during the 2009 and 2010 seasons because the recovery monies were out there. We want to see people back to work in future years thanks to a robust, reliable highway bill next.

ARRA Succeeded—A New Highway Bill Will Succeed, Too Here are just a handful of the people still working thanks to the highway and transit projects funded by ARRA: 1) DOT officials, inspectors, lab technicians

Even students, professors and university departments have more secure funding resources when a successful, reliable highway bill supports the industry that researchers strive to improve. Photo courtesy of UC Davis Test Track.

2) Original equipment manufacturers who make construction equipment (engineers & designers, assembly line workers, electricians, painters, welders, etc.)

3) People who sell construction equipment (this market has suffered in the current economy) 4) People who repair construction equipment 5) Asphalt producers (plant operators, wheel loader operators, crusher operators, miners, lab techs, truck drivers, etc.)

6) Asphalt contractors (paver operators, roller operators, pavement testers, stripers, tack truck drivers, flaggers, safety directors, etc.)

7) Other construction workers (concrete industry, architects, commercial project industry) 8) Ad agencies who help OEMs sell equipment 9) Employees of publications who cater to the construction industry (I’m in that category) 10) What others can you think of? Who do you know who sweats out the highway funding reauthorization that Congress has neglected? Do you have any friends or family who labor in some way to make the nation’s roads and bridges safe?

Please check out asphaltroads.org for some great information on the environmentally responsible uses of asphalt pavement, such as porous asphalt, reduced urban noise, reduced urban heat, LEED credits, perpetual (sustainable) pavements, recycled asphalt pavements, recycled asphalt shingles, and more, to see how asphalt pavement projects not only put people to work, but also put people to work for an environmentally responsible task.

www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 45

Intermountain Slurry Seal Microsurfaces for UDOT

by AsphaltPro Staff with information from Bergkamp

Editor’s Note: As part of the best paving practices issue, The AsphaltPro Magazine explores a pavement maintenance practice that uses polymermodified asphalt emulsions to bond materials for a smooth, sealed surface.

While this practice doesn’t require an asphalt plant to produce the mix, it requires a refinery to get the specialized materials to seal the deal.

F

or the past few years, Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) workers regularly patched and repaired a 9-mile section of Interstate 80 that begins at the top of the Wasatch Mountain summit and extends to Salt Lake City. Tourists commonly use this section while traveling through the beautiful Parley’s Canyon and to the popular resort town of Park City. It was also a highly used route to the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.

Deryl Mayhew, the resident engineer for UDOT and overseer of the project, said, “We were patching potholes constantly because the surface was cracking severely. We have many freeze and thaw cycles here because it might be in the 20s in the morning and then up into the 50s by the afternoon.”

The DOT engineers wanted to see if microsurfacing, with its 50-year history, could do a good job for that pavement.

That history goes back to late 1960s Germany. According to the International Slurry Surfacing Association (ISSA), German scientists pioneered microsurfacing in the late 1960s. ISSA goes on to write that microsurfacing begins with the selection of quality materials—asphalt, aggregate, emulsifiers, water and additives. Each must pass special lab tests, individually and when combined. ISSA’s broad range of tests is designed to ensure the end mix has specific characteristics.

The ISSA website states that first, the end mix must be capable of being spread in various thick cross-sections. After initial traffic consolidation, the mix cannot further compact throughout the entire design tolerance range of bitumen content and variable thicknesses to be encountered. It also must maintain good macro-texture in variable thick sections throughout the service life of the application. There’s plenty more information where this came from at www.slurry.org.

A member of ISSA, Intermountain Slurry Seal, Salt Lake City, won the Parley’s Canyon I-80 microsurfacing bid. It consisted of six total lanes over a stretch of nine miles. Intermountain performed a 1 ½-inch mill to remove the existing surface layer before applying the microsurface. They used a fine head mandrel with milling tools only a 1.4-inch apart to create a smooth milled surface that appeased ongoing traffic and provided a better bond between the existing road and the new microsurfacing treatment.

That ongoing traffic reached a volume of 51,000 vehicles in each direction each day. Intermountain and UDOT set up general guidelines to keep traffic moving as efficiently as possible. During rush hours, the contractor was allowed only a single-lane closure, while off hours allowed for a double-lane closure. Failure to comply meant a penalty of $1,500 for every 15 minutes in violation.

“We did all of the milling work at night due to traffic restrictions,” Rusty Price said. He’s the general manager for the Utah-based branch of 46 march 2011

Intermountain. “We cut the road the full width every night so it would be ready for motorists the next day. That meant backing up the mills and doing smaller stretches than normal. On an average night, we would cut between 4,500 to 5,000 feet.”

Half of the job included work around the water shed reservoir that supplies drinking water to area residents. All mill tailings had to be cleaned from the road each day to prevent water contamination. Parley’s Canyon draws a lot of pop-up rain showers, so the crew watched the weather constantly to ensure the rain didn’t wash anything into the reservoir. In addition, as a highly traveled road, the crew made sure everything looked professional to the public so passersby could feel confident the drinking water would be kept safe.

Then the crew used the M1 full-size continuous microsurfacing paver from Bergkamp Inc., Salina, Kan., to apply two layers, or a total of 1,211,553 yards, of Type III microsurfacing treatment. Due to temperature fluctuations and the considerable amount of snow the Parley’s Canyon area receives, proper bonding of the new microsurface to the existing pavement was crucial. Intermountain thoroughly cleaned the surface so the pavement would adhere directly to the new treatment. Nearly all of the microsurfacing was done during the day because it adheres better in warmer temperatures, so the contractor was forced to keep a concise schedule.

The Parley’s Canyon section of I-80 is steep with eight percent grades.

It’s windy and has limited visibility at night. The project was also unique because the microsurfacing treatment was put on top of a milled surface.

In most cases, it is laid over the existing pavement. Microsurfacing mixes use four main ingredients, including a polymer-modified emulsion that produces a chemical reaction to force the moisture out and allows it to set in less than an hour so traffic can return quickly. In total, Intermountain used approximately 16,000 tons of Type III aggregate, 1,850 tons of polymer-modified emulsion and other ingredients.

Due to the environmental restrictions, all of the materials had to be stored at one end of the job. Each day, Bergkamp’s M1 was first loaded with all of the necessary materials at the stockpile site. Then four Bergkamp mobile support units and three Flow Boy support units were loaded with material and stationed at specific intervals in front of the continuous paver. As the paver ran out of material, a support unit slowly backed up to the paver, connected and transferred materials so it could keep running. Those support units then went back to the stockpile and refilled.

“This process reduces the number of construction joints, or bumps, in the final surface,” Price said. “We also used Bergkamp’s variable width spreader box to adjust to varying pavement widths and prevent overlap and gaps. Combined with a continuous paver, this makes the road smooth and consistent for easy driving.”

To ensure a smooth and long-lasting surface, Intermountain put the microsurfacing treatment down in two layers. The first was used as a scratch coat to smooth and level the milled road. It was applied thicker at about 27 pounds per square yard. The second coat was applied as the final driving finish to provide improved skid resistance and protection against the extreme weather conditions. It was applied at 25 pounds per square yard.

Mobile support equipment delivers material at one end of the job site.

Crews were able to close two lanes during non-rush-hour times to apply two layers of microsurfacing treatment.

“When microsurfacing east, we had a traffic control plan where the heavier trucks ran on the right shoulder and the other vehicles ran in the normal right lane,” Price said. “This allowed us to work in two lanes at one time and still meet the UDOT’s requirements. When going west, there wasn’t enough room to do this so we had to perform most of the microsurfacing in one-lane increments and the center lane at night. With this microsurfacing treatment, I am confident it will hold up better and won’t delaminate from the pavement because it keeps precipitation out.”

Intermountain is a wholly owned subsidiary of Granite Construction Co. With a specialty in various pavement preservation methods, Intermountain’s three branches in Utah, Nevada and California work together and cover most of the western United States. As a company that prides itself on innovation, it decided to add Bergkamp’s new M1E continuous paver to its arsenal and used it to complement the original M1 unit’s preservation of I-80. The difference between the two units is that the M1E uses the EMCAD (Electronic Mix Control and Diagnostic) system to simplify maintenance and calibration and help the owner or operator better monitor production rates and costs. Intermountain grew excited about the paver’s new technology and bought it after seeing how the technology performed on other Bergkamp pavers.

This was the sixth job that Intermountain used the new paver on. UDOT’s Mayhew drives the I-80 route every day to work and said the results have been favorable.

“Last winter, we only observed about seven total potholes going both east and west,” Mayhew said. “… The microsurfacing treatment has held up well and doesn’t have the cracking that we saw with the previous treatment.”

With the instability of the economy today, many states turn to pavement preservation to keep their roads safe. “If you want roads to last for 20 or more years, it’s important to have a consistent plan of how to treat them,” Price said.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is having a positive effect on pavement preservation contractors as well. Each state is handling its money differently. Some governments are using the money to do new asphalt overlays as a preferred preservation method.

“Looking at the past 10 years, I fully expect pavement preservation to continue to grow,” Price said. “Whether it’s directly or indirectly related to the stimulus, people have definitely caught on to its benefits. The future looks good.”

Bill Cooper is the vice president at Bergkamp, Inc., Salina, Kan. For more information, call (785) 825-1375 or visit www.bergkampinc.com.

Winning Gold 4 Years in a Row

In recognition of the obstacles the crew overcame to successfully preserve I-80, Utah-based Intermountain Slurry Seal was honored for a fourth straight year with the International Slurry Surfacing Association (ISSA) President’s Award. The President’s Award is presented to the contractor that exhibits the highest quality of workmanship, while complying with the best standards of practice. Each candidate is judged on overall customer satisfaction, innovation of the project, appearance of the road, completion time and safety.

“This is very important to the crew that performed the work on I-80 and motivates them to continue to raise the bar,” Price said. “We’ve had an opportunity to do some complicated and challenging jobs over the past four years, and this is an excellent way to pat them on the back for the excellent work and attention to quality they have shown.” www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 47

48 march 2011

EQUIPMENT GALLERY

Kasi’s Upgrade

Heats Things Up

LEFT: Kasi Infrared has a new upgrade option for the heating chamber of its pavement heater ABOVE: Kasi Infrared’s pavement heater brings all the pavement repair equipment to the site

T

he research and development team at Kasi Infrared, Claremont, N.H., have redesigned the heating chamber of its pavement heater with a new upgrade option that makes seamless asphalt repair faster, deeper and more uniform, according to the manufacturer. The upgrade also doubles the chamber’s longevity to more than 10 years.

What makes this possible is a new 9-inch-wide, Inconel alloy, heating converter, mesh design. This greater heating coverage softens asphalt to be patched up to a 3-inch depth in as little as four minutes, according to the manufacturer. The more uniform heat coverage eliminates potential hot or cold spots, making the raking or “scarifying” of existing asphalt to remove seams.

Unlike traditional “saw, cut and remove” or “crack filler” asphalt repair techniques, Kasi’s infrared asphalt repair has no seams for water and ice to penetrate. Instead, Kasi’s infrared restorations are designed to fuse to

Pradeep Trading Company’s Bitumen Extractor

Pradeep Trading Company, New Delhi, India, offers bitumen testing equipment, including bitumen extractors. The company’s bitumen extractors are used by highway departments, contractors, engineers and testing labs, according to the manufacturer, in applications such as sampling, Penetro-meters, flow cups, bitumen flow, softening point, ductility and road surfacing testing.

For more information, contact Ravi Lal at pradeep_tradingco@gmail.com or visit www.pradeeptradingcompany.com.

the existing pavement, creating a continuous surface. This eliminates the need for tack-coating the edges, enhances durability and allows roads to be opened to traffic immediately. It also makes the repair process less expensive because existing asphalt is recycled and only a single truck or trailer is used. Check out the longitudinal joint building and repair article at www.theasphaltpro.com for additional information.

Kasi’s infrared asphalt repair equipment is commonly used by both public and private maintenance/transportation managers for asphalt repair of potholes, utility cuts, trenches, depressions, joints ad other irregular pavement issues. Lab studies show there’s no change in asphalt integrity from the use of Kasi infrared equipment.

For more information, contact (800) 450-8602 or visit www.kasiinfrared.com.

Cardinal Scale’s EPR+

The EPR+ Plus truck scale from Cardinal Scale Mfg. Co., Webb City, Mo., is engineered with state-of-the-art robotics and 60 years of scale manufacturing experience. It’s available in impervious hydraulic or electronic load cell types. Each scale bridge features interconnecting load blocks and receives for efficient, no-bolt installation. Rodent protection is standard throughout the scale. Heavy-duty no-bolt access covers over the load cells and surge suppression boxes are designed to be easy to remove for routine cleaning.

Every EPR+ Plus is 100 percent assembled and tested in the Cardinal factory before shipping to your location. The deck arrives at your site www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 49

EQUIPMENT GALLERY ready for the pouring, and no rebar or other materials are required. This is made possible with Cardinal’s exclusive CON-LOCK system. Every EPR+ Plus includes receiving brackets for installation of optional side rails.

Additionally, the mounting brackets are flush mounted onto the scale deck to allow for pit-type applications.

For more information, contact (800) 441-4237 or visit www.CardinalScale.com.

Repurposed Materials’ Vinyls for Tarping

Asphalt producers and contractors seeking an environmentally friendly way to keep the weather off equipment and material can check out the vinyl product from Repurposed Materials Inc., Denver. Owner Damon Carson pointed out that billboards have been repurposed for a few years now, but nobody had taken their use “mainstream” until he introduced the concept to the construction market. Now contractors from commercial and residential building to road crews have a green alternative to the blue tarp.

Recycled advertising billboard vinyls cover anything from lumber and open roofs to asphalt truck bodies and driveways before paving day.

With a 20-mm thickness, they’re a heavier material than the 5-mmthick tarp a contractor would buy at the hardware store and heavy duty enough to stretch over the framework used to cover aggregate or recycle stockpiles. Carson said they’re also about 75 percent less expensive than store-bought tarps of similar quality.

50 march 2011

ABOVE: While this image shows a lumber load, asphalt haul trucks can also use the repurposed billboard vinyls to keep heat in and moisture out while traveling from the plant to the paving site.

BOTTOM: The repurposed billboard vinyls are merely old billboard advertisements on one side and black wasted space on the other. Now they have a constructive purpose when their advertising time is up.

If a contractor needs one larger than the common 10- by 30-foot, 12by 42-foot, or 14- by 48-foot sizes, he can “glue” two together with a vinyl cement that makes a waterproof seam.

For more information, contact Damon Carson at Repurposed Materials Inc. at (303) 478-6193 or damon@repurposedmaterialsinc.com. Also visit www. recycledbillboardtarps.com or www.repurposedmaterialsinc.com.

RPM Tech’s Cameleon

The Cameleon from R.P.M. Tech, Inc., Quebec, Canada, is a multifunction vehicle with dual traction modes. Contractors in need of a quick cleanup behind the milling operation can affix a broom to the Cameleon for angled sweeping, but what caught this editor’s eye at the Rocky Mountain Asphalt Conference and Equipment Show was its versatility for use on the paving crew. Put a blade on this machine and you can cut back longitudinal joints on your next airport job.

The Cameleon features a quick hitch system with two hydraulic cylinders and 10 hydraulic couplers with a water line. Its rear hitch towing capacity is 6,000 pounds (2,722 kg). The certified ROPS and FOPS aluminum cabin is mounted on air ride suspension and shock absorbers.

It includes a Perkins turbocharged Diesel Tier 3 engine of 130 horsepower (97 kW) and four cylinders. It has a Sauer Danfoss hydrostatic transmission and works at 15 miles per hour (24 kph).

For more information, e-mail info@rpmtechgroup.com or visit www.rpmtechgroup.com.

www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 51

EQUIPMENT GALLERY material flow concept of the EVO models eliminates all restriction to the flow of the material throughout the entire plant. For example, the discharge chute under the crusher is 4 inches wider than the inner width of the crusher, and the subsequent discharge belt is another 4 inches wider than the discharge chute. Material is thus transported away from the critical area under the crusher, with flow rate increased, and wear reduced.

For more information, visit Kleemann at http://www.kleemann.info/en/.

Cat’s AP555E Comes to CONEXPO

Kleemann’s MR 110 Z EVO The new MR 110 Z EVO is a universally adaptable plant designed for processing blasted natural stone, asphalt and demolition waste. Despite its comparatively small crusher inlet dimensions of 3.6 by 2.6 feet (1100 by 800 mm), it can achieve maximum input capacities of 350 tph.

The new EVO concept matches refinements for all individual components with a new material flow concept. The new, highly efficient

52 march 2011

The AP555E asphalt paver with the C4.4 engine that Caterpillar Paving Products, Peoria, Ill., released January 2010 will show up on the CONEXPO tradeshow floor. When equipped with the AS2252C screed, the machine has an operating weight of 35,290 pounds (16,005 kg). Or contractors can select the AS3251C screed for an operating weight of 35,810 pounds (16,240 kg).

The paver features dual operating systems, Advisor Monitoring System (AMS), tilting consoles, exclusive Mobil-trac™ undercarriage, high capacity cooling system, belt-driven generator, and unique material handling system with independent auger and conveyor controls.

For more information, contact Terry Sharp at (763) 712-3001 or visit www.cat.com.

Mix the Future

Safely T

here’s more coming up in the next few issues of The AsphaltPro Magazine than a review of the new products from CONEXPO-CON/AGG. While we’re sure to give you the skinny on the new technology and solutions that will enhance your bottom line, we’ve got plans for our how-to, technical information.

April/May 2011

The April/May issue is a combined edition to make your season start-up mail bag a little less full. Because we’ve combined months, we’re bringing two important topics in one jam-packed magazine.

First, you’ve got to move it. Check out our tips for moving material.

Everything from liquid AC to aggregate to shingles to WMA has to get from Point A to Point B safely and efficiently. We’ve got experts lined up to advise you on the best ways to do that in today’s marketplace.

And speaking of moving things safely, the April/May issue also focuses on safety. Safety at the plant, in the lab, in the work zone all requires your company take on a safety culture.

Jerry Hedke of Safety and Construction Supply, Inc., Denver, shared that he once worked for a company where safety infractions were taken so seriously that employees faced a pink slip and an escort off the premises if they neglected their eye protection at any time. He stated that there are companies that purchase the newer hearing protection with the metal bearings inside so metal detectors in doorways can assess whether employees have the devices in their ears or not. If an employee walks into an area where protection is required with the devices in a pocket, the employee gets either a warning or the dreaded escort out to the car with his or her belongings. Safety is part of the company culture.

May it be part of your culture, too.

June/July 2011

We’ll save you some time again with a combined June/July edition that focuses on lab techniques, technologies and testing for your QC/QA team. For the producers and contractors in the crowd, we’ll also bring you how-to tips on working with those funky mixes: from polymer-modifiers to WMA additives, crumb rubber to shingles, different parts and pieces come together to make the asphalt industry not just innovative and environmentally responsible, but challenging at times. We’ll take a look at how these mixes and materials work and how they get placed for optimum efficacy. www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 53

here's how it works

PHCo’s Patch King

T

o make asphalt maintenance projects easier, Process Heating Co., Seattle, offers its tried and true Patch King asphalt patcher in three different models. All three models are burnerless and employ an electric heating system. They provide an alternative to the old throw-and-go method of trying to tackle potholes and bigger patches. Here’s how it works: First, the worker preheats the hopper. He opens the hydraulically operated loading doors for top-loading of the Patch King. He pulls a truck with the Patch King under the silo at the hot mix asphalt (HMA) plant. After loading, he pulls the unit to a safe distance from the silo, closes the Patch King’s doors and heads to the first work site.

54 march 2011

At the patching site, the operator controls the unit with a lever at the back of the truck.

The lever actuates a hydraulically-powered, rotating auger into motion.

The auger turns in a trough and pulls material from the bottom of the box to a pivoting chute at the back of the box. An antibridging device above the auger includes paddles that can be momentarily energized in the event the material tunnels around the auger.

The pivoting chute directs the flow of material to the area to be patched.

The electronically heated, 110-cubic-foot capacity box keeps HMA at pliable, workable temperatures ranging from 50 to 350 degrees F (27.8 to 194 degrees C). The box has 3-pound

density fiberglass insulation to keep any leftover material heated overnight.

For more information about the Patch King or other PHCo. heating products, contact Rick Jay at (206) 682-3414 or visit www.processheating.com

Show us How it Works If you’re an equipment manufacturer with a complex product, let us help you explain its inner workings to the readers of AsphaltPro magazine. There’s no charge for this editorial department, but our staff reserves the right to decide what equipment fits the parameters of a HHIW feature. Contact our editor at sandy@theasphaltpro.com.

www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 55

here's how it works

Peterson’s Horizontal Grinders

G

etting 20 to 30 percent liquid asphalt cement (AC) out of old or factory waste asphalt shingles instead of dumping them in a landfill is an environmentally smart way to do business. The engineers at Peterson Pacific Corp., Eugene, Ore., have designed a three-stage grinding machine to reduce asphalt shingles into an ingredient for hot mix asphalt (HMA) while minimizing oversize material. Here’s how it works: Wheel loader operators deposit shingle bundles, rolls or piles onto a horizontal conveyor, which allows ground personnel to sort out tear-offs or debris. The conveyor and a rotating wheel at the front of the grinding chamber pull the material to the first of three grinding stages.

56 march 2011

An up-turning drum-style rotor forces chunks of asphalt shingle up into the grinding chamber, pulling material in for its first breakdown. In this grinding area, water spray bars provide moisture to keep material lubricated and temperatures down.

For secondary reduction, the material hits a close-fitting AR500 anvil with Chromium Carbide hard facing.

As the material churns, it contacts its third stage of reduction along the outer curve of the grinding chamber. Grates of 500 Brinell Hardox® or Carbide overlay line the chamber to provide final sizing.

The ground material falls through the grates to a waiting, one-piece conveyor, which carries material to a stockpile.

In the event that heavy or oversized material gets past the sorters and into the grinding chamber, the Peterson Impact Release System™ opens the anvil and first grate section to eject it, saving wear and tear on the equipment.

For more information, contact Michael Spreadbury at (541) 607-7911 or visit www.petersoncorp.com.

Show us How it Works If you’re an equipment manufacturer with a complex product, let us help you explain its inner workings to the readers of AsphaltPro magazine. There’s no charge for this editorial department, but our staff reserves the right to decide what equipment fits the parameters of a HHIW feature. Contact our editor at sandy@theasphaltpro.com.

www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 57

the last cut Winterfill Goes Extinct

by Sandy Lender

I

t’s no secret that the refining marketplace became reactionary between 2006 and 2010. Refiners didn’t enjoy losing money on a byproduct so they increased the price of liquid asphalt cement (AC) as the price of crude oil, thus liquid AC production, rose. Austin Miller of Valero Energy Corp., San Antonio, spoke at the recent National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) 56th annual meeting in Orlando about this topic, and said there’s a delay in how asphalt reacts to crude, but the relationship is there. “If crude goes up,” he said, “asphalt will move. But ‘when’ will it move?”

He also stated that refiners have switched asphalt’s status from a byproduct to a specialty product. It’s following the price of crude, but it’s being used as a money-maker. That specialty use affects its availability for the domestic winterfill price savings that HMA producers have seen in the past. Let’s look at why.

Nasreen Tasker of Argus Media, Trumbull, Conn., also spoke on the topic of asphalt supply and outlook, and shared that the United States’ imports of liquid AC peaked in 2006 and have fallen steadily since. The United States has become a nation that exports liquid AC—the highest exports being from the Gulf Coast.

The United States exports to the Asian market, which Tasker showed is growing as a rate of 15 percent, as well as others. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the “world oil consumption grows by an average of 1.5 million barrels per day (bbl/d) each year…” In Liquid Asphalt Cement Prices "average per ton" Company, State

the past five years alone, the United States has dropped from 35 percent to 25 percent of the world’s asphalt consumption, and as Tasker said, that’s substantial.

Miller concurred, saying “U.S. export trends are affecting asphalt’s availability and cost. Winterfill is extinct. It’s dangerous to stock up in the winter and fill your tanks now because we can’t judge prices anymore.”

He explained that in the past, refiners would price product down to keep it from going into storage at a facility. The last thing the salesman wanted was to seek out a place to house a perishable liquid material. Now, refiners have holding and storage capacity designed to keep material on hand long enough to get the price they want while it awaits export or waits out an HMA producer’s need.

There are no more wintertime price breaks from refiners. Take a look at the Liquid Asphalt Cement Prices table on this page to see the steady rise since November when prices were equal to or lower than what you see listed for December. Waiting until wintertime to stock up on liquid material was a losing proposition in the fall of 2010.

The good news Tasker and Miller could offer was they didn’t see a sudden interruption in supply. As Tasker pointed out, 2010 was the first time since her company began tracking asphalt information in 1983 that production was greater than demand. Production has been falling since 2005 to 26.7 percent of what it was then. Demand has also been falling to 33.7 percent of what it was then.

As long as refiners continue to produce this specialty product for both domestic and foreign consumption, it will continue to make money for them, and they’ll continue to like it contributing to their bottom line.

Unfortunately, that means the HMA producer gets to pay the fluctuations with the ebb and flow of crude oil prices.

Dec ’10

Jan ’11

Feb ’11

$457.50

$482.50

$482.50

NuStar Energy, Ga.

455.00

455.00

495.00

NuStar Energy, N.C.

455.00

455.00

495.00

NuStar Energy, S.C.

455.00

455.00

495.00

NuStar Energy, Va.

466.67

466.67

495.00

Assoc’d Asphalt Inman, N.C.

460.00

475.00

485.00

Assoc’d Asphalt Inman, S.C.

460.00

475.00

485.00

Assoc’d Asphalt Inman, Va.

460.00

475.00

485.00

Marathon Petroleum, Tenn.

460.00

460.00

460.00

Jan 3

3.331

Marathon Petroleum, N.C.

455.00

455.00

455.00

Jan 10

3.333

Valero Petroleum, Va.

460.00

470.00

470.00

Jan 17

3.407

Massachusetts Average

460.00

467.50

487.50

Jan 24

3.430

California Average

450.60

477.10

488.90

Jan 31

3.438

Missouri Average

426.25

450.00

451.25

Feb 7

3.513

ConocoPhillips, Tenn.

Data for Southeast region, Source: ncdot.org; Data for Massachusetts, Source: mass.gov; Data for California, Source: dot.ca.gov; Data for Missouri, Source: modot.mo.gov 58 march 2011

Diesel Fuel Retail Price (dollars per gallon)

Feb 14 3.534 Source: Energy Information Administration

U.S. Crude Oil Activity futures spot data

stocks in millions bbls

Jan 7

$91.55/bbl

346.0

Jan 14

$91.54/bbl

335.7

Jan 21

$89.11/bbl

340.6

Jan 28

$89.34/bbl

343.2

Feb 4

$89.03/bbl

345.1

Feb 11 $85.58/bbl 345.9 Source: Energy Information Administration

resource directory ACE Group........................ 27, 43 Contact: Carl McKenzie Tel: 888-878-0898 sales.enquiries@ ashaltacesales.com www.asphaltace.com AquaFoam LLC....................... 25 Contact: Paul Schwan Tel: 513-874-0201 www.aquafoamllc.com Asphalt Drum Mixers.......... Gatefold Cover, 47 Contact: Steve Shawd or Jeff Dunne Tel: 260-637-5729 sales@admasphaltplants.com www.admasphaltplants.com Asphalt Plant Products................................. 52 Contact: Tom Holley Tel: 866-595-3268 Cell: 706-466-3678 www.asphaltplantproducts.com Asphalt Solutions.................. 59 Contact: Pat Ronyack Tel: 623-853-2273 Nosmellasphalt@msn.com www.asphaltsolutions.com

B & S Light.............................. 57 Contact: Mike Young Tel: 918-342-1160 Sales@bslight.com www.bslight.com

EZ Street........Inside Back Cover Tel: 800-734-1476 Info@ezstreet-miami.com www.ezstreetasphalt.com

Bullis Fabrication................... 15 Contact: Greg Bullis Tel: 866-981-8965 gregbullis@bullisfabrication.com www.bullisfabrication.com

Gilson Co................................. 28 Contact: Jim Bibler Tel: 740-548-7298 Email: jbibler@gilsonco.com www.globalgilson.com

CEI............................................. 4 Contact: Andy Guth Tel: 800-545-4034 info@ceienterprises.com www.ceienterprises.com

Hauck Manufacturing…….45 Contact: Michael Blantz Tel: 717-272-3051 Mblantz@hauckburner.com www.hauckburner.com

E.D. Etnyre.............................. 29 Contact: sales@etnyre.com Tel: 800-995-2116 www.etnyre.com Eagle Crusher......................... 31 Tel: 800-25-EAGLE Sales@eaglecrusher.com www.eaglecrusher.com Emerson.................................... 9 www.emerson-ept.com Customer service 1-800-626-2120

Humboldt Manufacturing..... 50 Contact: Robin Bailey Tel: 800-544-7220 Rbailey@humboldtmfg.com www.humboldtmfg.com Hydronix................................. 15 Tel: 888-887-4884 or 231-439-5000 Enquiries@hydronix.com www.hydronix.com Libra Systems......................... 13 Contact: Ken Cardy Tel: 215-256-1700 Sales@librasystems.com www.librasystems.com

Heatec, Inc..................Inside Front Cover Contact: Sharlene Burney Tel: 800-235-5200 sburney@heatec.com www.heatec.com

Maxam Equipment................ 39 Contact: Lonnie Greene Tel: 800-292-6070 lgreene@ maxamequipment.com www.maxamequipment.com

Homestead Valve................... 60 Tel: 610-770-1100 Sales@homesteadvalves.com www.homesteadvalves.com

Meadwestvaco....................... 41 Tel: 800-458-4034 www.evotherm.com www.mwv.com

NAPA....................................... 24 Warm Mix Conference www.hotmix.org Reliable Asphalt Products...................Back Cover Contact: Charles Grote Tel: 502-647-1782 cgrote@reliableasphalt.com www.reliableasphalt.com Roadtec..................................... 7 Contact: Sales Tel: 429-265-0600 Sales@roadtec.com www.roadtec.com Rotochopper, Inc................... 55 Tel: 320-548-3586 Info@rotochopper.com www.rotochopper.com Stansteel Asphalt Plant Products....................... 11 Contact: Tom McCune Tel: 800-826-0223 tmccune@stansteel.com www.stansteel.com

Stansteel................................. 48 Contact: Dawn Kochert Tel: 800-826-0223 dkochert@hotmixparts.com www.hotmixparts.com Systems Equipment............... 23 Contact: Dave Enyart Sr. Tel: 563-568-6387 Dlenyart@ systemsequipment.com www.systemsequipment.com Tarmac International, Inc............. 51, 53 Contact: Ron Heap Tel 816-220-0700 info@tarmacinc.com www.tarmacinc.com Transtech Systems................. 33 Tel: 800-724-6306 Sales@transtechsys.com www.transtechsys.com Wirtgen America.................... 21 Tel: 615-501-0600 Info@wirtgenamerica.com www.wirtgenamerica.com

AsphaltPro’s Resource Directory is designed for you to have quick access to the manufacturers that can get you the information you need to run your business efficiently.

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www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 60