Asphalt Pro - January 2024

Get More Tons

PRODUCTION – PROFESSIONALS – PRODUCTS

• Reduce Silica Dust at Conveyors • Unsung Hero Finishes the Mat • Train Dedicated Laborer Positions • NPE 2024 Special Section • Winter 2024 PreservationPro

Expand Into HMA

JANUARY 2024 WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM

ASTEC SERVICE

BUILT ON EXPERIENCE

Astec’s commitment to its customers extends beyond making the sale.

From the beginning, our service team has provided construction services for the equipment we build. Astec construction and relocation services for asphalt plants include plant and equipment installs, plant tear-downs and moves, silo repairs, and industrial piping and tank farm installs.

Efficient planning minimizes downtime, local regulations and permits also play a key role. Astec has an extensive history and experience with permitting and regulations.

Safety, efficiency, and compliance are paramount throughout the process.

Scan QR code to see Astec’s Asphalt Service & Construction offerings.

WE GO the

EXTRA MILE

TO PROVIDE EXCEPTIONAL ASPHALT EQUIPMENT SOLUTIONS & SERVICE TO MEET OUR CUSTOMERS’ NEEDS. 877.457.3938 sales@cwmfcorp.com

cwmfcorp.com

THE LEADER IN PERFORMANCE AND EFFICIENCY

At Gencor®, we’ve led the industry with the most fuel-efficient, environmentally clean and lowest-maintenance design available to the hot mix industry. Gencor Industries remains focused on proactively serving and satisfying its customers from all aspects.

Through improved cost-effectiveness, and quality of its products and services, Gencor’s personnel are dedicated to the principle of providing the highest quality to the industry to maintain a sustainable competitive advantage for Gencor®.

Your Trusted Choice!

Call 407-290-6000 or visit www.gencor.com

INDUSTRIES INC.

CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS EDITOR’S LETTER

asphaltPRO January 2024

40

6 – Only the Paranoid Survive

SAFETY SPOTLIGHT 8 – Suppress, Collect & Contain Silica Dust at the Conveyor Belt

By AsphaltPro Staff

MIX IT UP 12 – How We Gained Extra Air Voids

By Jayanth Kumar Rayapeddi Kumar, P.E.

TRAINING 14 – Select Your Plate Compactor MVP

By John Ball

INTERNATIONAL SNAPSHOT

14

65

18 – International Pathway From Ammann Group

WOMEN OF ASPHALT 22 – Meet a Woman of Asphalt: Modern Hydrogen’s Emily Houston

By Leigh D’Angelo

NEW TECH 65 – Stop Solar Flares from Bringing Construction to a Standstill

By Sarah Redohl

FEATURES 28 – Expand Into Production How to Become Your Own Hot-Mix Supplier Contributing Authors from the ADM Sales and Management Team

Get More Tons

SPECIAL SECTION

PRODUCTION – PROFESSIONALS – PRODUCTS

PRESERVATIONPRO 48 – Securing Sealing at Pennsylvania Avenue

By Sandy Lender 51 – Training and Education in Tampa

By AsphaltPro Staff 52 – Visit the Vendors of NPE From AsphaltPro Staff

36 – Expand Into Paving First Roller Concept

By Dan Sant Anselmo

58 – Three Characteristics of Quality Chip Seals

By AsphaltPro Staff

40 – P&S Scores Statewide Award on I-4

By Sarah Redohl

60 – City of Kelowna Sweeps for Spring

By AMPERAGE Marketing

• Reduce Silica Dust at Conveyors • Unsung Hero Finishes the Mat • Train Dedicated Laborer Positions • NPE 2024 Special Section • Winter 2024 PreservationPro

Expand Into HMA

JANUARY 2024 WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM

ON THE COVER To kick off the 2024 “expand your business” series, a customer success story helps paving companies understand what it takes to step up to production. See related article on page 28.

Photo courtesy of ADM

E D I TO R ' S L E T T E R

Only the Paranoid Survive

I

’m willing to bet this has been the title of an editor’s note from me at some other point in the past 25 years. Let’s walk down Memory Lane together for a second. Back in 1998, Entrepreneur Bill Neeley owned a publication for which I was promoted to editor. He turned me on to a book titled Only the Paranoid Survive

by Andrew Groves. I happen to have that book on a shelf in my den to this day and it’s a mantra for me.

Fast forward to the Nov. 29, 2023, announcement by The Washington Post that three chemical manufacturers—DuPont, the Chemours Co. and Corteva Inc.—are required to pay $110 million in a settlement to the state of Ohio for environmental damages resulting from Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in West Virginia. Yes, it’s complex. But it relates tangentially to the asphalt industry in the second of the allegations mentioned in the settlement.

There’s an “intro to PFAS” video from the Washington State Department of Health that takes only 3 ½ minutes of your time. https://youtu. be/6aj2Ui2SDdc?feature=shared

The Post writes that the settlement “also resolves claims relating to the manufacture and sale of PFAS-containing products and claims related to firefighting foam containing PFAS.” The firefighting foam mentioned in the lawsuit and settlement has been known to be used in fire training exercises, where the chemicals have—allegedly—found their way into paved surfaces. Consider also the use of firefighting foam at the scenes of accidents on roadways, and regulatory agencies are champing at the bit to imply downstream harm for milling subcontractors.

Think about it. If something harmful is in the surface layer of the pavement and you mill it up and take it to the stockpile at your facility, what happens to the harmful chemical compound? The answer’s currently up for debate, but contractors and material suppliers can safeguard them6 | JANUARY 2024

selves as innocent actors in the PFAS debacle. Jorge Caspary, senior principal at Montrose Environmental, will discuss that exact topic in our Fireside Chat at the National Pavement Expo (NPE) this month.

AsphaltPro-sponsored Fireside Chat with Jorge Caspary of Montrose Environmental takes place Wed., Jan. 24, from 4-5 p.m. on the exhibit hall floor. Use code MIPMEN100P to register for free at nationalpavementexpo.com.

True to its nature, the asphalt industry isn’t standing quietly by when there’s an opportunity to help solve an environmental problem—even though our industry had no hand in creating it.

The last time I operated a milling machine, the industry hadn’t yet come up with the robust systems for suppressing silica dust that we have today. Of course, the cold planer possessed a watering system—the drum was rotating all those teeth against an unforgiving surface, after all. But the more complex concept of directing dust via airflow and collecting the microparticles of silica in filters had yet to become a point of concern. Members of the asphalt industry from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and contractors proactively teamed up to figure out the best way to protect workers from a potential hazard prior to its governmental regulation.

We, as an industry, were proactive in protecting the health of workers and bystanders.

We, as an industry, have an opportunity again in the litigious environment surrounding the probability of PFAS in specific airport (and formerly burned) pavements. Let’s chat about it in Tampa. I look forward to seeing you there!

Stay Safe,

Sandy Lender

January 2024 • Vol. 17 No. 4

asphaltPRO 602 W. Morrison, Box 6a Fayette, MO 65248 (573) 823-6297 • www.theasphaltpro.com GROUP PUBLISHER Chris Harrison chris@ theasphaltpro.com PUBLISHER Sally Shoemaker sally@theasphaltpro.com (573) 823-6297 EDITOR Sandy Lender sandy@theasphaltpro.com (239) 272-8613 DIGITAL EDITOR Sarah Redohl sarah@theasphaltpro.com (573) 355-9775 MEDIA SALES Cara Owings cara@theasphaltpro.com (660) 537-0778 ART DIRECTOR Kristin Branscom BUSINESS MANAGER Susan Campbell (660) 728-5007

AsphaltPro is published 11 times per year.

Writers expressing views in AsphaltPro Magazine or on the AsphaltPro website are professionals with sound, professional advice. Views expressed herein are not necessarily the same as the views of AsphaltPro, thus producers/contractors are still encouraged to use best practices when implementing new advice.

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. For the international digital edition, visit theasphaltpro.com/subscribe/.

DESIGN, DETAILS, AND DURABILITY.

We’ve built our business and reputation through our unparalleled focus on equipment durability, attention to detail, and the ability to customize our products for each customer. We apply these foundations to our complete range of asphalt plants and asphalt plant equipment designed for producers of all sizes.

10106 SMITH ROAD, FORT WAYNE, IN 46809 | (260) 672-3004 | www.ALmix.com

S A F E T Y S P OT L I G H T

Suppress, Collect & Contain Silica Dust at the Conveyor Belt

BY ASPHALTPRO STAFF

I

n June 2023, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) proposed a rule to lower exposure limits for respirable crystalline silica to a permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 50 µg/ m3 for a full-shift exposure, calculated as an 8-hour time-weighted average. “The amendment basically cuts by half the allowance of workers’ exposure to respirable silica dust,” said Jerad Heitzler, lead instructor for Martin Engineering, Neponset, Illinois. Although some in the mining industry might anticipate slow adoption of the amendment, Heitzler said the new rule “has all the teeth it needs to be enforced.”

“If you’re in the mining industry, I think it’s advantageous to get ahead of this and have an idea of if your facility may be exposing workers beyond the permissible level,” Heitzler said. The rule states the companies exceeding the new exposure limits must take immediate corrective action such as changes to job scheduling and job tasks or the use of respirators.

However, as Heitzler reads the rule, MSHA is eventually expecting mines to comply with the rule primarily via engineered controls that remove or reduce the hazard at the source, such as suppression, collection or containment.

During a recent Martin Engineering webinar, Heitzler cited a study of German coal mines, which found that 85% of all dust came from conveyor belts. “That’s only one study, but what we need to take away from it is that conveyor belts contribute quite a bit [of dust],” he said. “That may not be the case at your facility, but you can’t underestimate how dirty and dusty conveyor belt transfer points can be.”

Here, Heitzler walks us through some best practices for the use of engineered controls at the conveyor belt.

Respirable dust (smaller than 10 µm) comprises particles so small that they are invisible under normal lighting conditions. “Airborne dust gets caught up in the mucous membranes of the nose and the throat, nose hair, etc., but respirable dust is so small that it bypasses those natural filters,” Heitzler said.

SUPPRESSION

The first category of engineered controls is suppression, which uses either water or water with surfactant to suppress the dust. “Suppression manipulates the weight of the dust, helping the particles fall out of suspension,” Heitzler said. “It also manipulates cohesiveness, so the dust particles are more likely to attach to one another. If you get enough cohesion of that material, that respirable dust particle becomes bigger and takes less air speed for it to fall out of suspense.”

However, there are several concerns with suppression. First of all, the risk of freezing in colder climates. And second, respirable 8 | JANUARY 2024

silica dust may be so fine that water alone may not be enough; surfactants may be required to change the water surface tension and droplet size. Nozzle configuration is also important here. “Nozzle configuration really causes that water droplet to be smaller, which lets it connect or attach to that dust to increase its cohesiveness and weight,” Heitzler said.

He also cautions on the use of high volume and high pressure suppression. “It’s beneficial to use more nozzles at lower rates than one nozzle at a higher rate,” Heitzler said. According to the Industrial Minerals Dust Control Handbook, which Heitzler highly recommends, one should only start with 0.5% moisture-to-product ratio and the spray nozzle should be at the beginning of the process. Fog nozzles, on the other hand, need to be at the exit.

The other consideration to make with suppression tactics are the potential unintended consequences. “If you keep adding moisture at different points to try to control the dust, you’ve radically changed your product by the end of those processes,” Heitzler said. It can also lead to screens being blinded off, pluggage build up on chutes, and the amount of carry-back resulting in excess cleanup.

COLLECTION

The second method of engineered controls is collection. Heitzler highlights two types of collection systems: central ventilation/dust collection and locally ventralized/insertable dust collection.

The former are widely used in a variety of industries, Heitzler said, but are expensive and require frequent maintenance. He prefers the latter. “Locally ventralized units are machine mounted units that vacuum the dust, in this instance, off of a transfer point and then conglomerate that dust into a filter that is simply changed out.”

According to studies Martin Engineering has performed on insertable units, the company has found they usually cost 50% less than a central unit and save 35% of the energy. “I’m not sure what the savings on maintenance would be, but I imagine they’re significant,” Heitzler said.

If using a central unit, Heitzler said pick up points should be at least six feet away from the end of a transfer point and air speeds inside of a transfer point should be less than 500 feet per minute. “If they’re more than 500 feet per minute, a dust collection system is going to be ineffective.”

CONTAINMENT

“The most effective way to control dust at a conveyor point transfer point is containment,” Heitzler said. “In many cases, we’ve completely eliminated a facility’s reliance on collection or suppression simply by manipulating the air speed inside of a transfer point to eliminate the need for suppression or collection.”

According to Heitzler, dust isn’t a problem unless it’s exposed to air speeds that can carry it around. “By slowing down these

BLAW KNOX UNIVERSITY 2024

2024 DATES • Week 1: January 22-25 • Week 2: January 29-February 1 • Week 3: February 5-8 • Week 4: February 12-15 REGISTRATION CLASS SIZE IS LIMITED! To secure your seat, please register before December 15, 2023 DETAILS Details can be found at www.blawknox. com/training or call us at 407-290-6000 ext. 342.

The Blaw-Knox University, now in its 58th season, is dedicated to training paver operators and foreman on proper Paver Operation and Maintenance and applied Best Paving Practices through classroom-style and hands-on application courses.

For over a half a decade Blaw-Knox has earned its reputation as the go to source of training and instruction on hot mix paving.

Blaw-Knox provides improved technical and problem solving skills on a variety of paver operations and maintenance topics. Course instructors share decades of field and teaching experience with attendees, including training on the latest DOT requirements.

Blaw-Knox offers multiple dates to satisfy the demand for its popular courses.

BE PART OF THE BLAW-KNOX

E X P E R I E N C E

5201 N. Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando Florida 32810

S A F E T Y S P OT L I G H T air speeds to under 200 feet per minute, the dust falls out of that air flow.”

Heitzler provided one example of a facility using rubber to block excess air from escaping at the transfer point. “The less air that you have to deal with exiting the transfer point, the slower the air speeds will be, the less dust you’ll have,” he said.

In another example, the facility used a passive dust collection system of bags.

“The idea of this is the air will hit a curtain as it exits, and the path of least resistance for that air will be up into [a] bag,” Heitzler said.

“Some of that air will vent through that bag, but the respirable dust will be captured by that bag and fall down back onto the cargo.”

Skirt board exit curtains are an important part of an effective containment strategy. “The idea of these curtains is that the curtains don’t interrupt the cargo, but the curtains do disrupt the air.

It helps slow the air speed to under 200 feet per minute,” he said, adding that the traditional arrangement of spacing curtains about a belt width apart tends to be the least expensive and most effective, though “you might need multiple sets depending on what the overall airspeeds are.”

Heitzler said containment is more effective when the vertical fall of the material is minimized. “If you’re dropping cargo 50 feet from one belt to another, you might need some suppression or collection,” he said. “If you’re dropping 20 feet or less, you should take a strong look at containment because it’s incredibly effective at those drops.”

What about PPE? In the rule, MSHA states respirator use must be non-routine and that workers wearing respirators to reduce their exposure must undergo medical evaluations. “The way I understand it is that respirators can be used until you get those engineered controls [established],” Heitzler said. The problem with respirators, he continues, is that workers are protected so long as they wear the respirator, however, once they remove the respirator, that dust remains on their hair, clothes, etc. “Then they inhale it all day long until they wash it off, so it could still be problematic.”

Whether you find suppression, collection or containment to be the best strategy for your facility, Heitzler stresses the importance of minimizing dust—and not only because of the new MSHA standards.

“We underestimate how important [dust containment] is to attracting and retaining workers,” he said. “If we bring a new operator to the mine and on his first day he walks in and is exposed to that dust and has to wear a respirator, guess what he’s doing when he comes home at the end of the day? He’s searching for a new job.”

“Not only is dust control critical to protecting your workers,” he continued, “but I think as we move forward in the mining industry, we’ve got to make these facilities cleaner and safer in order to retain workers.”

RIGHTValve RIGHTPrice RIGHTNow! Dependable, Economical, Available …

Valve Types Full Port – Standard Port 2-Way Shutoff and 3-Way Diverter Patterns n 1"- 8" Flanged and 1/2"- 4" Threaded n Steam/Hot Oil Jacketed n Transflo Plug n Proportioning Plug n

Since 1892, Homestead continues to be the most reliable manufacturer of asphalt valves.

With cast iron and ductile iron material options, we offer a complete source of valves for any liquid asphalt application.

Our full line of hot-jacketed 2-way shutoff & 3-way diverter valves provide a ready solution to meet your flow requirements.

Homestead’s cutting-edge actuation design allows you to easily add actuators to your existing Homestead valves, in-line, without modification.

n

Valve Materials n n n

Our fully stocked warehouse of valves and actuators offers you security in knowing that the valve you need is only a phone call away.

Cast Iron – to 450° F Ductile Iron – to 650° F High Temperature Seals

Actuator Types Pneumatic Electric Open-Close n Modulating n n n

THE ASPHALT VALVE EXPERTS

®

610-770-1100 asphaltvalves.com Fax: 610-770-1108 sales@homesteadvalve.com

10 | JANUARY 2024

©2024 Olson Technologies, Inc.

It’s all about the setup.

For a Successful RUN, every plant and race needs to master 1,001 Details.

Countless hours are spent ensuring that a race car runs at peak performance.

If the setup is wrong and details are missed, the race is lost before it starts.

The same is true for an asphalt plant. Proper setup and attention to details ensures quality mix is delivered consistently and on time. Stansteel/Hotmix Parts & Service can provide the parts, service and technology needed to make sure your facility wins the race.

Proud sponsor

800-826-0223 | Stansteel.com | HotmixParts.com

MIX IT UP

How We Gained Extra Air Voids FOLLOW THE SCIENCE

BY JAYANTH KUMAR RAYAPEDDI KUMAR, P.E.

U

sing activity tracking devices is a popular way to track the number of calories burned. I’ve always worn mine on my left hand. Recently, because of a cut on my left wrist, I wore it on my right— dominant—hand. When I checked the activity tracker at the end of the first day, I was thrilled to see I had burned about 500 calories more than usual. The same trend continued for the next seven days, and I was so pleased with the calorie upturn, I happily indulged myself with one double fudge brownie after dinner every night.

When my left wrist healed, I swapped the activity tracker back and noticed the number of calories I burned was closer to pre-injury numbers. Although this surprised me, I conveniently blamed it on my inactivity.

To my bewilderment, the next few days followed the same trend. Sadly, this put a temporary stop to my double fudge brownie gratification.

A Google search and several days of research later took me to a user review that explained how users need to set up their activity trackers based on which wrist they prefer to wear it on. The calorie-burn calculation is different based on the user’s preference to wear the tracker on the dominant or the non-dominant hand.

My mistake was changing the tracker from my non-dominant to dominant hand without changing the settings. The tracker kept indicating higher calories burned.

We relate this to asphalt by looking at the settings.

THE VOIDS CHANGED

Earlier in 2023, the lab team at Jas. W. Glover Ltd formulated an asphalt mix with design air voids of 3.5%. The mix was approved for production for a large project. Before the production day, we made a test batch in the lab to verify the mix volumetrics. To our shock, the average of two compacted samples resulted in air voids between 8 and 9%.

We tried molding two more samples, but the result was no different.

This set off alarm bells.

12 | JANUARY 2024

We learned the importance of checking the gyratory compactor’s settings prior to testing.

We started to investigate the root cause.

We reviewed the batching sheet, talked about the sample preparation, confirmed mixing and compaction temperatures, ensured correct conditioning time was followed, verified the number of gyrations, checked the gyration angle, and so on. We hoped something we looked at would be amiss. But everything was okay. To eliminate the possible culprit, the theoretical maximum specific gravity (Gmm) test was repeated, and two new samples were molded. Both Gmm and air voids weren’t much different from the first time.

The symptoms were clear, but we couldn’t diagnose the problem.

Standing in front of the compactor totally confused, I remembered the compactor was calibrated between the times the mix was formulated and verified. So, I started checking the compactor settings. It was a eureka moment when I saw the sample diameter on the compactor was set to 100 millimeters (mm).

We were molding 150-mm diameter samples.

The calibration technician had left the compactor settings at 100 mm after calibration. What should have taken less than a minute to adjust—the setting—took us about 14 hours. We ended up batching and testing additional samples, and more importantly, putting ourselves through unnecessary grief, before realizing the problem was with the setting.

We know from physics: Stress = Force / Area.

The gyratory compactor applies a constant consolidation pressure of 600 kPa (87.02 psi) to compact the mix. A 100-mm (3.94-inch) sample diameter has an area of 12.2 square inches and a 150-mm (5.91-inch) sample has an area of 27.4 square inches. The force applied to compact the sample changes based on the area of the sample to maintain the constant pressure of 600 kPa. With the compactor’s settings set to 100 mm, the compactor was applying a force of about 1,060 pounds instead of about 2,386 pounds (applicable to 150-mm diameter samples) to compact the samples. The lower pressure resulted in higher air voids.

After changing the setting to 150-mm diameter, to our great relief, the sample air voids read closer to the design air voids of 3.5%. The lesson learned was that there is always a reason for everything.

Thanks to our quality control measures, we didn’t allow subpar material to be produced or shipped. All the team “lost” was time.

What we gained was experience through this lesson. Whether it’s the tracker device or gyratory compactor, the input parameters must be checked.

Jayanth Kumar Rayapeddi Kumar, PE, ENV SP, currently serves as the quality control engineer for Jas. W. Glover Ltd. in Hawaii, and on the ASTM D04 committee on Road and Paving Materials and the ASTM E36 committee on Accreditation and Certification. Reach him at jayanthk@gloverltd.com.

TRAINING

Select Your Plate Compactor MVP

BY JOHN BALL

Y

ou can’t complete handwork on the paving job without a plate compactor and a willing worker to run it. This person is sometimes easy to overlook when you’re rounding out your paving crew, but he—or she—is essential to completing a top quality residential or commercial project.

It’s not only the starter pad that needs to be compacted with this tool, but any part of the mat where the mix has been agitated by the crew. Any area that’s been dumped into place by the wheelbarrow, skid steer bucket or shovels is an area the plate compactor needs to address. Any spot that’s been touched with the rake or shovel has been irritated and the material needs to be soothed back into place with the plate compactor’s vibration. The savvy laborer is always on the lookout for those blemishes to fix them and seal them. He’s looking to tighten up the mat and make it beautiful. He’s taking out the cut marks or imperfections.

PERFECT EXAMPLE

For the crew at Superior Surfacing Systems Ltd., Middletown, New York, Justin Barrett is the crewmember who is assigned to run the plate compactor. That’s been his job for the past three to four years. Over the past few years, he has not only learned his craft, but he’s also come to exemplify the type of dedicated laborer you want for the position.

Keith Reardon, the president of Superior Surfacing, spoke of Barrett’s talent and dedication to his craft. “He’s responsible for plate compaction and hand tamping of all applicable and critical areas of the job. It’s a somewhat tedious job that requires constant movement and attention to all the little details. It’s often the final touches that make a difference between some other contractors and our high expectations of a truly quality job. Justin has been with us for approximately three to four years, is reliable and enjoys his work and interaction with the crew. I wish I could clone him and spread him around. He truly enjoys what he does and takes pride in the finished product at the end of the day.”

I don’t know of any other crews that have one person dedicated to running the plate compactor. Barrett is the silent member of 14 | JANUARY 2024

Notice Barrett is pulling the plate against the curb to seal the material against the curb. You want to prevent water infiltration, and this is one way to do it. You’ll also see water spray on the curb and sidewalk. The three bolts along the front of the plate compactor hold a tube that extends from the tank. As the plate vibrates, the water spatters out from the holes in the tube, giving the proper lubrication for compacting without picking up material.

the paving squad, but, in this example, he’s the guy who’s making the job noteworthy.

This position is so exciting that if you’re doing it right, you’re taking it seriously and you’re sweating bullets out there. You’re hopping from one end of the project to the other to keep up with all the different sections of the mat and all that those sections need.

Because he’s moving around the project so often and so quickly, Barrett strategically places 5-gallon buckets of water around the project site for refilling the compactor.

The specific plate compactor that he uses is the Husqvarna LF 100 LAT, which has a tube bolted down at the front of the plate. The holes in the tube let water out and the vibrations let the water spatter and splatter to lubricate the plate.

If a crew has the luxury of paving a straight line for the day’s project, a plate compactor can often follow the rolling train, which means a water truck can be following along or a water tank can be situated on a roller

deck. For a parking lot project like we see in the pictures here, having water buckets scattered strategically around the job site is a smart idea.

When the rolling train is compacting, the pattern depends on time and temperature.

The same is true for the lone plate compactor operator. He has to think about time and temperature but also how well the crew raked out the material he’s about to manipulate. He has to jump on it quickly and seal it quickly because the minute someone interrupts the mix with raking, they have changed the characteristics of the mat. He has to be alert and get on the sections in a timely manner.

If the crew is paving at 25 feet per minute, and he needs three or four minutes to seal the starter pad at one end of the pull, the paver is 75 to 100 feet down the lane by the time he’s ready to move to the next area. He’s looking for the extra places that need his attention all the time and he’s answering to multiple members of the crew.

TRAINING

The roller operator has already rolled the speed bump, but Barrett is manipulating the material into the structure they’ve built for final compaction and to remove lines.

LEFT: All good roller operators know to put boards down to protect the joint when “climbing” onto a mat. Here, the Superior Surfacing Systems crew demonstrates using the boards to protect the speed bump’s integrity as it is built. Barrett fine-tunes the bump and removes lines with the plate compactor after it’s been rolled. Notice how smooth and clean the finished mat is on the left side of the photo. The crew leaves no lines; you see no joints in the pavement. RIGHT: The wheels on the compactor are typically in the locked position. You can release them, tilt it back and push to another portion of the job quickly. The u-shaped handle on top of the compactor is strong enough to support the weight of the tool when loaded onto a truck or lowboy with a lift.

The people who call for this laborer’s help throughout the paving day are the roller operator, the raker/lute artist, and the screed operator who’s matching the joint. The fellow running the plate compactor is at their beck and call throughout the shift and he’ll keep an eye on all three of them for when they need him.

In the case of Superior Surfacing Systems’ Barrett, the young man is a natural. As you can see by the pictures here, he puts his whole body into the job. He uses his strength 16 | JANUARY 2024

to move, turn and steer the compactor. The Husqvarna LF 100 LAT weighs 236 pounds.

It has a 4.8-horsepower Honda engine and is rated with 17 Newtons of centrifugal force.

The plate width is 19.69 inches, and its edges curve up like the ski of an endgate to prevent cutting and digging the mat as you work.

It has a corrosion-resistant, removable water tank, and I want to point out the large cap that makes it easier to refill than other models I’ve operated. Also notice the uniqueness of the knob to control the water system be-

ing located on top of the water tank as well. It makes it easy to access a visible, sizable knob to adjust the water flow. You can see Barrett adjusting the knob on the fly—and the water spatter action—in the video uploaded with this article at TheAsphaltPro.com website.

John Ball is the proprietor of Top Quality Paving & Training, Manchester, New Hampshire.

For more information, contact him at (603) 493-1458.

OUR BOOTH IS # 2063

REST EASY & RELY ON THE

PATRIOT HOT OIL HEATER

Side Stream Oil Filter

See all heater functions on a smartphone with an optional phone app.

All heaters are test-fired at the factory saving time & money on start-up Optional Saber Stack Heat Recovery System keeps stack temperatures as low as 100˚F above thermal fluid

Your Preferred Asphalt Equipment Resource

Free telephone support SCAN QR CODE TO LEARN MORE

888.333.0323 www.meekerequipment.com

I N T E R N AT I O N A L S N A P S H OT

LEFT: Using the ARX 26-2 light tandem roller in static mode offered a faster and smoother end result than the crew’s usual handwork would have offered. RIGHT: The crew operated the ARX 26-2 light tandem roller in static mode to compact the gravel pathway.

LEFT: The GaLaBau A. Kortendiek crew feeds the Ammann AFT 300-2 tracked paver with a loader bucket in the tight, difficult terrain of the forest.

RIGHT: The crew received an hour and a half of training, then took to the paver for a smooth stone pathway project.

International Pathway FROM AMMANN GROUP

A

ndreas Kortendiek’s crew has built multiple stone walkways.

The process has taken much handwork in the past: place material by hand, then compact with vibratory plates. The German landscaper is open to new ideas, which recently led his crew to place gravel with an Ammann AFT 300-2 compact paver, then use an Ammann ARX 26-2 light tandem roller for compaction.

The equipment completed the job in about three hours. Placing the material by hand and compacting with plates would have taken at least a full day, Kortendiek said. The quality of the final path impressed him, with material evenly distributed by the auger and leveled by the screed.

“The paver could save a lot of working time, but that is secondary to the nice, level placement of the material,” Kortendiek said.

18 | JANUARY 2024

GaLaBau A. Kortendiek was hired to place a natural stone path in Fresenburg, Germany. The AFT 300-2 tracked paver was small enough to work on the 5-foot-wide (1.6-meter-wide) walkway and placed the stone (waterbound 0-16 mm) in difficult terrain. The material was placed at a depth of 2.75 inches (7 centimeters) and compacted to 2.36 inches (6 cm) along an 820-foot (250-meter) path.

The walkway is located in a forest, so space was tight.

Compacting the gravel behind the paver, the ARX 26-2 light tandem roller worked in static mode.

What was even more impressive is the fact the GaLaBau A. Kortendiek crew had no experience operating a paver prior to this project. The company doesn’t work with asphalt and had never used a paver for gravel placement. They began the day with a 1.5-hour training session, followed by the smooth project operation.

The RAP Boss, Honey Badger, and Tremor ShakerTM work together to minimize material handling, reduce or eliminate RAP crushing costs, and reduce RAP product moisture resulting in significant time and cost savings.

WE GO the

EXTRA MILE

PROVIDING EXCEPTIONAL ASPHALT EQUIPMENT SOLUTIONS & SERVICE.

RAP Boss 877.457.3938

cwmfcorp.com

THE POWER

Donnie & T.J. Reed, Madison Asphalt

R TO CHOOSE With ADM’s standard components, the choice is yours. We can customize any plant we make to your specific production needs.

“ADM helped with everything we needed to get the right plant for our business. From zoning ordinance restrictions to environmental testing, ADM was with us every step of the way.”

T.J. Reed, Madison Asphalt Madison County, NC

260-637-5729 admasphaltplants.com Plants available from 60-425 TPH

WO M E N O F A S P H A LT

Meet a Woman of Asphalt: Modern Hydrogen’s Emily Houston Question: Could you share with the readers what your first job in the industry entailed and how those experiences helped you decide what you wanted to focus on for a career?

BY LEIGH D’ANGELO

E

mily Houston has been instrumental in developing and deploying Modern Asphalt as an engineering technician at Modern Hydrogen, Bothell, Washington. Emily has worked on developing Modern Hydrogen’s material characterization capabilities and asphalt products.

This has included designing/performing experiments at various scales, creating new asphalt product integrations for multiple product categories, authoring lab standard operating procedures, and leading Modern Hydrogen’s asphalt lab safety program.

Houston has a background in laboratory research with GC-MS, LC-MS, and TLC practices, and years of laboratory management experience. In her free time, Emily enjoys watercolor painting, cooking and video games. Modern Hydrogen CTO and Co-Founder Max Mankin describes her as a world-class problem-solver. “Her technical skills, willingness to troubleshoot problems without giving up, and eagerness to learn new things have enabled the creation of this revolutionary product,” he said.

Question: Could you share with the readers your career trajectory and what challenges you’ve overcome along the way?

Emily Houston: Over my time at Modern Hydrogen, I have switched roles a few times, starting as a junior technician, then moving to a fabrication coordinator role, and now as an engineering technician.

The main aspect that I have found challenging has been deciding what interested me, and what I liked working on, and then figuring out how to get there. I have always loved analytical chemistry and technical writing, but for a while in the beginning I was relying on organizational skills I had acquired in school to help coordinate fabrication jobs. After a while in that role, I felt that I wasn’t able to reach my full potential, and I still wanted to be in a chemistry role.

22 | JANUARY 2024

Emily Houston: My first job in this industry as a junior technician included tasks like organizing nuts and bolts, washing lab glassware, and occasional instances of assisting with experiments. These tasks helped me gain an understanding of the machines the teams I was supporting at the time were working with, and eventually, I was able to transition into a more specialized role as a result of these experiences.

Question: Could you share with the readers what your job as an engineering technician at Modern Hydrogen requires of you?

What are some of your daily responsibilities?

Emily Houston, Engineering Technician at Modern Hydrogen

I then reached out to HR and my manager at the time, and they helped me transition to the engineering technician role where I am now and have been for over a year. Since that change, I have felt that I am making a bigger impact with my work and am able to shine in a laboratory setting.

Question: How does your background and expertise in chemistry apply to your work with asphalt?

Emily Houston: I find that with asphalt, my chemistry background is helpful because of all the mix design options with asphalt and how to achieve certain viscosities that may be required for different road applications and environments.

Emily Houston: My current role as an engineering technician involves running and maintaining laboratory instruments, taking carbon samples for characterization and quality control, designing and executing in-house experiments for our asphalt ventures, and helping expand our carbon applications projects. A portion of my time is also spent meeting with potential customers and working with outside laboratories to arrange testing at scale or with certain equipment we cannot perform onsite.

Question: What do you think is the most important skill you’ve brought to your position and how would you encourage other women entering the industry to hone a similar skill?

Emily Houston: I believe that my willingness to jump into conversation when I have an idea or a new perspective to add has helped me the most.

A second runner up, though, would be having organizational skills. That has definitely played a big role.

RAISING THE STANDARD

Since its introduction, the Weiler P385 has set the standard for commercial pavers.

The P385C raises that standard.

Increase to 120 hp with the Cat® C3.6 Tier 4F/Stage V engine.

Variable speed and reversible conveyors and augers and a 25% increase in tunnel height provide optimal material output.

Modular conveyor drive and sealed chain case increase feeder system reliability and life.

weilerproducts.com

Enhanced heat system performance with direct-drive hydraulic generator and elimination of GFCI breakers.

WO M E N O F A S P H A LT

This series of photos shows Emily Houston, engineering technician, at work in the Modern Hydrogen lab. Director of Engineering Andrew Koch shared, “Simply put, Emily made it happen. She did all of the following nearly single-handedly: devised the experimental plans; determined which pieces of equipment we needed to run these asphalt trials, spec’ed out the equipment, and purchased it; set up all of the equipment; ran the trials; analyzed the results; and planned the next set of experiments based on the results, until we got a successful asphalt mix!” All photos courtesy of Modern Hydrogen

I have also learned through my career so far, the importance of asking “why?” Specifically in situations where I would typically feel too shy to speak up, that is when it is the most important time to ask questions because you never know who else in the room is wondering the same thing. In some cases, the people in charge of a project get so caught up in their work that they may not stop and ask “why?” themselves and it may change the trajectory or outcome of a project as a result.

My advice to women wanting to enter or move up in this industry would be to be an information sponge and take every opportunity to sit in on or participate in. Every chance you get to be cross-trained is invaluable, even if you don’t think you would be interested, give it a try and you may be surprised that it’s not what you initially thought.

Question: What part of your education relates best to the career track you’re on? (And what courses would you recommend to women who want to join a company or association with a related focus?)

Emily Houston: I would say to take materials sciences courses, as well as civil engineering if that is your interest, and if possible, take summer introduction courses that you didn’t think you would be interested in for a career, it may surprise you. I took a summer course in sculptural MIG welding, and it taught me a lot about the materials I was working with, 24 | JANUARY 2024

combined with having the creative freedom of it being an art course.

Question: What would you say was the most challenging “obstacle” you, as a female in the industry, had to overcome, and how DID you overcome that obstacle? How do you think other women in the industry can incorporate that skill or habit into their workdays?

Emily Houston: I think that for me personally, the largest obstacle is reteaching myself that I can be whatever or whoever I want to be.

So many women experience a double standard and gender inequality from a very young age to where they may not even realize it because they’ve been conditioned to think less of themselves due to how others have treated them their whole life. For me, I had to realize that I had become my own obstacle; thinking that I could not do or be something I wanted to because I am a woman. I have since learned that has never been the case, and that I just needed to find my own self-worth and work towards the goals I set for myself.

Question: Let’s talk about your creativity.

How are you able to use your creative side in this role?

Emily Houston: I love drawing and painting. One aspect of this role that really connected with my creativity was making Carbon Black Pigment. I brought the idea of making watercolor paint out of Modern Hydrogen’s

captured carbon to my manager, and he was really excited. I ended up creating the watercolor, as well as an acrylic paint that is now to be used on murals at our facilities.

Question: Let’s talk about perceptions. What do you think is an incorrect perception that we, as an industry, can re-educate young people about to encourage more women to consider a career in the asphalt and/or chemistry-related business?

Emily Houston: I think that a lot of people assume that you need to be in the asphalt industry for many years to be able to contribute something new or useful to the community, but I believe that is false. At Modern Hydrogen, we are embracing the mentality of asking “why?” or in this case, “why not?” when it comes to adding our carbon to asphalt. In our case, it’s already making a huge impact in a short timeframe; we already have asphalt on the ground in five U.S. States within the first year of this project.

Question: What is the most rewarding aspect for you of being in the asphalt industry?

Emily Houston: I think the most rewarding aspect of working in the asphalt industry is the possibilities for innovation and improvement.

There are so many possibilities for improvement, and a lot of room to grow professionally, with a large potential impact on the environment and the future of the industry.

A WIRTGEN GROUP COMPANY

The right paver for every application

JOIN US AT

Booth#: 1555 March 25-27, 2024 Nashville, TN Learn more and register at: www.worldofasphalt.com

WORLD TESTED. CONTRACTOR APPROVED: As the global leader in paving technology, we‘ve seen just about everything there is to see. In every climate, every condition, every twist, turn and terrain. And we put that world of experience in your hands, so you can experience exceptional performance and results at every phase of the paving process.

www.wirtgen.com

WIRTGEN AMERICA, INC. · 6030 Dana Way · Antioch, TN 37013 · Telephone: (615) 501-0600

EXPAND INTO PRODUCTION

HOW TO BECOME YOUR OWN HOT-MIX SUPPLIER How one paving company became its own asphalt supplier, with tips on how you can do it, too CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS FROM THE ADM SALES AND MANAGEMENT TEAM 28 | JANUARY 2024

French Broad Paving purchased an ADM EX 7636 counterflow drum plant for its expansion into hot-mix asphalt production. Photos courtesy of ADM

Editor’s Note: For 2024, AsphaltPro Magazine allows experts in the industry to share how to expand your operations to the next phase of business. Are you ready to take the plunge and start making your own mix? Let’s turn to some professionals who have equipment, services, software and tenure to help you expand to mix design, production, hauling and more. This month’s installment from Asphalt Drum Mixers (ADM) takes an overarching look at the whole plant purchase; upcoming installments drill down into the points raised herein.

A

At some point in the life cycle of any successful asphalt paving business the question of whether a company should purchase an asphalt plant to begin supplying its own hot-mix asphalt (HMA) is likely to come up. There are clearly many benefits for asphalt paving businesses to add mix production to the company’s list of services. From savings in labor, material and truck expense, to the ability to lay more asphalt and complete more projects, to increased return on investment (ROI), the purchase of a paving company’s own asphalt plant can be an

all-around positive experience for any paving business.

There are numerous considerations, however, for helping determine whether paving companies will benefit from the purchase of their own asphalt plant. This article outlines some of the reasons purchasing an asphalt plant might be right for paving companies’ businesses, the key considerations to help in making the decision, and one asphalt paving company’s journey to becoming its own HMA supplier.

French Broad Paving is a medium-sized asphalt pavement company located in Madison County, North Carolina. The company is family owned and operated by Donnie and Regina Reed and T.J. Reed and has been in the paving business for the past 26 years. The parents-and-son team recently made the decision to purchase their own HMA plant. Regina Reed was instrumental in the company’s decision to purchase the plant and put her heart and soul into the project to help it come to fruition.

Since the 2022 season, French Broad Paving has been producing asphalt for its own paving company’s use, as well as selling asphalt to outside paving companies under the name of Madison Asphalt. French Broad Paving runs the gamut in types of paving jobs including federal and state contracts, department of transportation (DOT) projects, city projects, infrastructure projects, and private projects including residential and commercial.

There are many reasons for buying your own asphalt plant and for deciding on the particular manufacturer and plant model to purchase. T.J. Reed is the president, French Broad Paving and its asphalt production company, Madison Asphalt. According to T.J., the main reason for deciding to purchase their company’s own plant was availability. They also liked the idea of controlling their own mix.

T.J. explained, “Having your own plant adds a lot of benefits to your company especially when you own your own pavement company. Having your own plant, you control the mix that you want, when you want it, the type of mix you want, the material that goes into your mix, how you want your mix done. If you want virgin mix, you can fire it up and make virgin mix. If you're doing infrastructure city jobs, you can add RAP (reclaimed asphalt pavement) percentages to your mix to save money on your mix.”

French Broad Paving purchased their specific plant, the ADM EX 7636 counterflow WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM | 29

French Broad Paving President T.J. Reed explained the company recently won its first state job for 16,000 tons of asphalt because the company now has full control of its mix design, production and laydown. This photo is of a past paving project the crew is proud of.

drum plant, because they felt it offered the best technology and was the most efficient for their county of operation due to the county’s many regulations.

When it came to choosing a particular asphalt plant manufacturer, T.J. said, “One of the reasons that we chose ADM was that it was a turnkey project for us...

We wanted somebody that could handle everything from the silos to the cold feed bins, to the storage tanks, to the RAP, and grizzly, to the control house, the control panels, the wiring, the scales, everything comes as a total package. It was really easy because we just had to contact one person or a couple of people, and all our questions were answered.”

According to ADM, the manufacturer, determining if a paving business would benefit from owning an asphalt plant may seem overwhelming. Breaking the task into smaller chunks by evaluating each of several factors, one at a time, can make the task much more manageable and lead to an informed decision. Many considerations come into play to help in deciding whether the purchase of an asphalt plant is right for 30 | JANUARY 2024

a particular asphalt paving business. Some considerations include: • Market size • Asphalt plant location • Initial investment and start-up costs • Asphalt plant features • ROI expectations

MARKET SIZE

ADM recommends that paving contractors put themselves to task to uncover the following to see if owning their own asphalt plants may be lucrative to the bottom line.

• Determine your business’ total annual asphalt usage and the attendant cost to your business.

• Consider how many additional jobs your business could accommodate annually without the wait time buying asphalt from outside sources.

• Assess the potential for asphalt sales to competitive paving companies (and not just making HMA for your own contracts).

• Check the availability of aggregates in your area, ensuring that there are nearby aggregate sources available to fulfill

your production needs through peak paving months.

• Determine if there are large asphalt producers already in your marketing area who may consume the bulk of available aggregates supplies, thus impairing your ability to obtain adequate aggregate to manufacture your own asphalt.

• Determine the number and size of paving companies that already work in the area.

• Determine the number of contracts that are awarded in your locale each year.

According to T.J., consideration of several of the above market-size factors helped lead French Broad Paving to its asphalt plant purchase decision. T.J. and his team were able to determine that there was enough raw material available in their area to be able to make their own asphalt and fulfill their asphalt production needs during peak months.

T.J. said, “We also knew we could sell more paving jobs since mix availability wouldn’t be a problem. We would no longer be at the mercy of the local asphalt suppliers who were bidding the same jobs against us, and with whom it was hard to compete,

and to get asphalt to suit our needs, instead of getting just whatever the supplier had that day to sell.”

“Beyond that,” T.J. explained, “We could also do more paving jobs because we could abide by our own asphalt production timelines, getting our asphalt when we needed it for night jobs, and not being cut off by having to pick it up on outside suppliers’ hours.”

T.J. and his team also knew there was a market to sell to other pavers. He said, “Our market area has a lot of mom-andpop paving businesses in the same position as we were, having trouble getting asphalt from the local suppliers when they needed it. Madison Asphalt sells about 25% of the asphalt we make to other pavers, and provide them a more cost-effective solution for their asphalt.”

loads shift from one area to another due to seasonal factors.

Typically, it is easier to get a permit for a portable plant location than for a relocatable unit. Portable permits may be granted for one main location, and then, depending upon the state, subsequent temporary permits for operating locations will be easier to obtain or may not even be required.

French Broad Paving decided to purchase a relocatable plant. T.J. said, “It can

be relocated, it can be moved, but it sits on footers at the moment, and we chose that for numerous reasons. One reason was the size of our lot. We’re inside of a rock quarry, so our lot is only so big. ADM helped us with the size, helped us with locating where our bins go, where our material goes, where everything is, helped us maximize the size available to us, which was a great help.”

Regarding the acquisition of a permit, T.J. said, “Getting a permit was the hardest part

ASPHALT PLANT LOCATION

Where your company’s plant will be located is another key consideration and one that should be determined very early on in the process. Location is a broad term, pertaining to several factors, from how your locale impacts permitting, to transport of an asphalt plant, to the appropriate plant type you buy. Consider these factors relative to location.

Permitting rules and fees vary greatly from one locality to another and are different state by state, as well. Where one state may list exact permit fees for various activities, another will calculate fees based on asphalt production quantity, diesel generator kilowatt hours, and gallons of diesel fuel burned. Acquiring a permit can take six to 12 months, so it’s important to plan ahead and start the process early.

Local environmental regulations may affect a company’s ability to obtain a permit, depending on the specific plant design for which the business is applying. Modern HMA plants burn much cleaner than older ones, but it’s always best to check with a company’s locality for which plant designs could pose permitting concerns.

Transport restrictions may apply to the selected area. As a new producer, it’s important to establish trucking provisions to transport material from the plant to the job site if that hasn’t already been established.

The type of plant a company purchases will also impact the location of the plant.

Plants may be portable or relocatable.

Portable plants are the best choice in areas where jobs are a considerable distance apart, a market has minimal growth and small population density, and where workWWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM | 31

A FIRST-TIME BUYER WILL OFTEN MAKE THE MISTAKE OF LETTING THE PRICE OF THE PLANT DICTATE THE DECISION AND END UP PURCHASING A PLANT THAT ISN'T THE IDEAL SIZE.

When the team at French Broad Paving was ready to make their purchase, the team at ADM helped map out the layout for the plant, which is located in a quarry. The EX 7636 can be moved but sits on “footers” at this time. “We chose that for numerous reasons,” T.J. Reed said. “One reason was the size of our lot. We’re inside of a rock quarry, so our lot is only so big. ADM helped us with the size, helped us with locating where our bins go, where our material goes, where everything is, helped us maximize the size available to us, which was a great help.”

of installing our own asphalt plant. It was a long, hard road, but once we got operating, the cost was well worth it. No more sleepless nights wondering if we’d be able to get the hot mix we needed to fulfill our contracts.”

INITIAL INVESTMENT AND START-UP COSTS

Purchasing an asphalt plant is a serious investment for any company, large or small.

Consideration should be given to the size of the plant to purchase. A first-time buyer will often make the mistake of letting the price of the plant dictate the decision and end up purchasing a plant that isn’t the ideal size. Once a company has control of its own asphalt supply, it will be able to sell mix and lay down considerably more material.

If the company purchases a plant that is too small, they may not be able to effectively support the demand.

Purchasing a bigger plant won’t necessarily be the right decision either. A plant with a capacity that greatly exceeds demand is wasteful and unprofitable. While price is certainly a large factor in choosing a plant, focusing on what type of plant makes the most sense for the current market situation and future potential is the best approach.

32 | JANUARY 2024

Beyond plant cost, it is also important to look at how much the total start-up investment will be. The first start-up consideration is the cost of plant installation. T.J. Reed sheds light on the many factors that go into installing a plant. “When it came to installation, we got lots of prices through plumbers, electricians, all kinds of people from different aspects that would have to be involved with bringing up the plant from the ground up.”

T. J. continued, “This being our first plant, we didn’t really realize what we were getting into. I knew there would be some environmental, I knew there would be some zoning issues. I knew there would be people who weren’t happy that the plant was going (in).

We were up in a rural area, and it takes a lot of different aspects when your plant first goes up, whether it’s air modeling, whether it’s stack testing.”

T.J. added, “We weren’t prepared for those things. You have to have special companies that are prepared for those things. The sales team at ADM guided us in what to look for in finding companies for our needs and helped us pick cost-effective companies that were worth our time and budget, because cheaper is not always better and vice versa.”

According to ADM, once installation is priced and meets budgetary constraints, consideration must then be given to the coordination and scheduling of plant installation to make the process go as smoothly and cost efficiently as possible.

T.J. illustrated, “ADM designed our plant layout. When we poured the footers, everything was laid out exactly how it needed to be. When the deliveries or the trucks came, they came in certain orders, so we had to start in certain positions to make sure everything lined up and fit exactly right. ADM was just a great help all the way through. From the plumbing, they had diagrams, electrical, they had diagrams, everything that had to be done, they were there on the spot to help us.”

Start-up investment extends beyond physical costs, to an investment in company-management’s time. T.J. explained, “When we began building out our own plant, it was quite an undertaking… We’d never done it before, so it came at us from lots of different angles. It involved permitting, environmental, it involved dealing with the public, it involved all kinds of different aspects that we’d just never done before, weren’t prepared for, so ADM was a huge help.”

T.J. said, “When I called ADM and I told them about the permitting process, and how I needed professionals that are in the industry to come down and speak with the boards, agencies, and the people that we had to go in front of, they sent down representatives, they sat through hearings, they went to board meetings, they went to commissioner’s meetings… They went out of their way for us, which really earned our respect and our business.”

Start-up investment also includes such costs as labor and mix components cost.

This will help paving companies calculate how much they will need to charge per ton to turn a profit (if selling to competitive

paving businesses), and how much they will save on their own material costs, using asphalt they produce instead of purchasing it from an outside source.

ASPHALT PLANT FEATURES

A variety of asphalt plant features can greatly impact a paving company’s bottom line, so it’s important as paving businesses research plant models to know the characteristics that can help guarantee a better ROI. ADM suggests considering the following to help in selecting asphalt plant features that will benefit a particular asphalt paving company’s business the most.

• Modern plants burn much cleaner, and newer components provide superior emissions control and dust handling, than plants of the past.

• Plants with counterflow technology, like the ADM EX Series, will maximize fuel efficiency while minimizing hydrocarbon pollution. Clean-burning plants will also extend the life of the baghouse, and the efficiency of counterflow technology will result in increased production.

• A plant with an isolated mixing zone, such as the ADM MileMaker Series, will allow more mix flexibility, a benefit that will pay off in the long run. By using this type of plant, additives and RAP can be introduced into the drum mixer while remaining isolated from the drying and combustion zones.

• Easy calibration lowers the risk of drifting out of spec, which in turn gives producers confidence in the product they are producing while helping to guarantee customer satisfaction. Easy calibration is especially important when producing mix for Superpave jobs.

ADM also suggests, as companies compare plant prices and determine what is included with each model, to consider the plant’s operating costs and production capacities. A plant may cost less initially, but if it isn’t fuel-efficient or doesn’t produce enough tons per hour for efficient operation, it will cost more over the course of its lifetime. In the case of Madison Asphalt, T.J. said, “We don’t really have accessibility to natural gas, so we chose a plant that was fuel efficient for the fuel that we use in the plant and for our product.”

According to ADM, an initial consultation at the onset of considering an asphalt plant purchase is helpful to the process of determining the features a company will need in a potential purchase. When French Broad Paving first decided to take on the

project of purchasing and installing their own asphalt plant, they called a lot of different manufacturers.

Relative to the consultation process, T.J. said, “ADM was really quick to answer our phone calls, answer our questions, and even flew someone out to sit and talk to us about what we wanted to do, how we wanted to do it, and what they said that we needed in a plant. Whether it came from bin size to a

tons per hour rating on a plant, the whole size of the plant.”

As companies compare plants and prices, it is also helpful to visit asphalt plant facilities to see these kinds of plants/features in operation. T.J. said, “ADM went so far as to help set up a trip for us to look at some other ADM plants that they’d already set up.

We really liked those plants. They have been up for years, running good in our area, in

Make It Last.

Protect your investment with Kenco wear parts.

Proudly manufactured in the USA since 1957, Kenco offers innovative products for the aggregate, asphalt and road building industries. Our products are designed to increase wearlife and reduce downtime on your plants and equipment.

Kenco Engineering, Inc www.kencoengineering.com 800-363-9859

WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM | 33

our asphalt business. We’ve been in an asphalt paving business for more than 25 years. In those years I’ve been to lots of asphalt plants all over North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, South Carolina. I’ve seen lots of asphalt plants.

I was impressed with the product. I was impressed with how clean it still was, how it was well taken care of, well-maintained. I was just impressed with the whole deal.”

Beyond plant features, another key consideration in choosing a plant manufacturer, is the manufacturer’s service after the sale. T.J. said, “I had high expectations when we built this plant. ADM went far and beyond, but one thing that you’re never prepared for is breakdowns, parts. Whether you’re buying a brand new RV or you’re buying a brand new house, there’s always going to be something that’s not right when it’s up and finalized.”

T.J. continued, “Throughout the process, after running so much mix and so many hours of work and laying down thousands of tons of asphalt and putting it out, there’s things that are going to go wrong, from maintenance to parts. We’ve had problems and we’ve called ADM. They’ve had parts overnight, RedBox shipped to us, all kinds of things right there. As soon as I have a problem, they’re a phone call away with parts availability to ship to us. They have large technical support, large customer service.”

ROI EXPECTATIONS

While some paving companies will produce enough asphalt to cover their plant and start-up costs within a year, it may take other producers several years. According to ADM, most contractors who are able to consistently produce around 50,000 tons per year, or even less for some, will find that the benefits will quickly outweigh the costs. A number of money-saving factors contribute to a relatively fast ROI. Paving companies that get their hot mix from an outside source understand labor costs, traveling to get the mix, waiting in long and time-consuming lines for the asphalt to be loaded (especially during peak season), the time delivering the asphalt to the job site, the crew’s time waiting for delivery, and the expense of operating trucks.

ADM said, other cost-savings in supplying your own asphalt includes: • Contractors’ ability to lay more asphalt and complete more projects, faster.

• Less transport time contributing to increased efficiency. Rather than having to commute to a competitor’s plant, a contrac34 | JANUARY 2024

Sizing the plant for immediate and future capacity is important. If the company purchases a plant that is too small, they may not be able to effectively support in-house and customer demand.

Purchasing a bigger plant with a capacity that greatly exceeds demand is wasteful and unprofitable.

While price is certainly a large factor in choosing a plant, focusing on what type of plant makes the most sense for the current market situation and future potential is the best approach.

tor with a portable plant can place it where it’s most convenient for their operation.

• Shorter hauls also mean fewer trucks to get a sufficient amount of asphalt to crews.

The combination of these factors usually results in at least a 50% better truck utilization for a paving contractor who enters the production market. T.J. said, “We have saved a lot on haul costs by having our own plant. We have also saved a lot of man hours, having to previously wait in line behind 20 trucks to get asphalt from a supplier, and the man hours for workers waiting on the site for the mix. Then, there’s the fact that our day is no longer cut short. We can get more projects done in a day.”

Also, according to ADM, a paving company that moves into its own asphalt production will have greater efficiency through control of their own asphalt supply and material cost. Add in the fact that the company is now producing a product to sell (if it so chooses), the ROI typically will occur quickly. Every plant will be different, but the majority of new asphalt plants will realize a return in just a few years.

T.J. said, “Selling asphalt to other paving companies in the area through Madison Asphalt, our asphalt production company side of the business, has not only added to our businesses’ revenues because we are able to supply them cheaper than competitive asphalt suppliers and improve our ROI overall, but I have pride in the projects other pavers are doing with our asphalt.”

According to T.J., the purchase of their asphalt plant met their expectations. Mad-

ison Asphalt’s ROI in just the second season of producing mix enabled them to build a lab, which in turn enabled French Broad Paving’s ability to start winning state projects. T.J. said, “We were recently awarded our first state job for 16,000 tons of asphalt, all because we now have full control of our mix, and that’s really the only way you can meet the state’s spec requirements and be a player.”

In summary, the benefits to paving companies owning and operating their own asphalt plants are measurable, and clearly show how much productivity can increase and costs can decrease for an improved bottom line.

For those paving companies that have made the decision to purchase an asphalt plant and aren’t sure what asphalt plant is right for their operation, look to a manufacturer that offers fast response, expert advice and customized solutions to help improve ROI. In addition to ADM, French Broad Paving received quotes from two other manufacturers. At the end of the day, according to T.J., they felt ADM had the best price for the money, the best technology, the best plant to fit their needs, and the best customer service.

He stated, “People answered the phone right when we called. Somebody was always available, no matter what questions I had. If somebody wasn’t available or away from the phone when we called, they were prompt to call us right back and quick to respond to us.”

Introducing

by HaulHub Technologies

The digital platform for transportation construction nationwide

✓ Digital As-Builts ✓ Connected Machinery ✓ Digital Material Submittals ✓ Improve Workzone Safety Learn More : e-dot.com

EXPAND INTO PAVING

FIRST ROLLER CONCEPT

BY DAN SANT ANSELMO

Editor’s Note: For 2024, AsphaltPro Magazine allows experts in the industry to share how to expand your operations to the next phase of business. Are you ready to take the plunge and add more services to your arsenal? Let’s turn to some professionals who have equipment, services, software and tenure to help you expand to paving bigger, broader, more lucrative projects. This month’s installment from Hamm, a Wirtgen company, looks specifically at compaction technologies and applications for different sized projects.

A

As a company in the asphalt industry begins to grow, managers find themselves ready to take the next step in their business. That might mean going into utility work to commercial paving, parking lots and driveways. They could also see business opportunities in residential work as well. When you are ready for this endeavor, there are many things to consider. Just buying a paver is not the answer. In this article, we will discuss how to assess your first compactor needs.

Each tool in a toolbox is used for a specific job. Compaction equipment is much the same. There is no compaction roller that can do everything, from patch work for utilities, to mainline paving on highways. So, the first thing to consider is what kind of work you want to expand your business into. There are many areas that should be considered.

The first area that we will discuss is trench and utility work. We often see where a trench needs to be dug in order to install water lines, gas lines, cables, etc. But we can’t just dig a trench and lay down the utilities in the hole and cover it up. We need to compact the trenches to make sure that the utilities are protected in place and will not shift.

For this we will use a trench compactor, like the Hamm HTC15. It is a 1.5-ton remote controlled roller that can be controlled safely from outside of the trench. Once the trench has been compacted and the utilities placed, the trench is then backfilled with material. We see this process done in new construction areas but also in areas that have already been developed, such as parking lots, commercial areas or even in roadways.

When utilities have been laid in these areas, the trench then needs to be paved back over. This is usually done with a 1.5- to 3-ton roller, taking into consideration how thick the material is and how wide the trench is. We would usually recommend a HD12 VV (3-ton roller with front and rear vibration) for this type of work. New to the market for the environmentally conscience, is the HD12e. This is a fully electric roller that has the same weight and functionality as the HD12, without emitting CO2 and eliminating fuel costs. Both machines can also be used on small patchwork as well as small parking lots and driveways, so they are versatile in small job projects.

The next area to look at is big parking lots and commercial job sites.

For these jobs you will need larger rollers than the machines used on utility projects. There are multiple reasons for having a larger machine on these projects, the first of which is drum width.

Typical paver widths for these projects can range from 10 to 12 feet, meaning you will need a roller with a wider drum to cover the mat width

36 | JANUARY 2024

The HD12e from Hamm is a fully electric roller that has the same weight and functionality as the HD12.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE ROLLER WILL NOT ONLY GET YOU THE COMPACTION AND DENSITY THAT YOU NEED, BUT WILL ALSO MAKE THE FINAL PRODUCT LOOK HOW YOUR CUSTOMER EXPECTS IT TO.

with less coverage passes. Remember, if your drum is too narrow, the roller will have a hard time keeping up with the paver and your productivity will suffer.

The second aspect of consideration is the machine weight. You need to have a machine that is heavy enough to get the job done. If we are paving on top of the subbase, we might see asphalt base material thickness of 3 inches and above, which means a heavier machine is needed to get compaction. If we are paving on top of the pre-existing base, then a thinner lift will be needed, somewhere around 2 inches. But we can utilize the same machine for both base and surface material. We will usually see a 7- to 9-ton roller for these applications. The HD+70i has a drum width of 59 inches while the HD+90i has a 66-inch drum. You can also utilize a smaller roller, like a 4.5-ton roller, for finish rolling the material and taking out any lines.

There is one last consideration to think about, and that is the drums themselves. Most common are machines that have a front and rear vibrating drum. But there are also machines that have one vibration drum and one oscillation drum.

STOP DUMPING MIX ON THE CAB.

The Look, Lock ‘n Load System digitally scans an image of incoming trucks and differentiates between the truck’s cab and its loadout bed.

Safety Loadout Truck Recognition System

The display indicates a red zone for the tractor cab and a green zone for the loading bed.

Stansteel’s Look, Lock ‘n Load System is a breakthrough method for asphalt plant operators to load trucks while avoiding the danger of dropping silo loads onto truck cabs or other incorrect loadout positions.

Using a smart computer, the system essentially has "computer vision" – mathematically using images to train the neural network.

NO LOAD

800-826-0223

LOAD

Stansteel.com | HotmixParts.com

An oscillation drum moves tangentially on the material instead of up and down, meaning that the drum has contact with the material 100% of the time. This has many benefits, including not breaking up material once it has been compacted, not crushing the stones in the mix, and providing a consistent density of the material. It can also be used on cooler material to gain density, when use of a vibratory drum is not recommended because it can break the material apart. Another benefit of using the oscillation drum is for pinching joints. We have seen a higher joint density and a longer lasting joint when using the oscillation drum.

You may also consider using a combination roller in these applications. These machines have a vibration drum in the front and rubber tires in the rear. The benefit of rubber tires is that they create a kneading motion on the material, which helps compact the larger stones in the mix towards the bottom and brings the finer materials to the top. This will help seal the mat as well as make it look aesthetically pleasing. At Hamm, we offer this option from our 2.5-ton to our 11-ton machines.

Another area of work to talk about is residential job sites. For these projects we commonly see rollers between 7 and 11 tons. These machines are more maneuverable on these projects than the large asphalt machines made for mainline paving. Typically, you will use one of these machines with a vibration drum on both front and rear as a breakdown roller (the first roller behind the paver).

In the finish roller position, you can have a multitude of options.

Once again, an oscillation machine can be utilized as well as a combination roller to achieve the required density and make the final product look extremely smooth. In smaller areas, a 4.5-ton roller may be used as a finish roller as well because it is even more maneuverable than its big brothers.

If you have an area with multiple cul de sacs, roundabouts and tight turns, then a split drum roller could benefit you. This machine will have a drum that is split in the middle and the two drums work independently of each other while in a turn, slowing down the inside drum and speeding up the outside drum, to reduce forces on the material.

This will create fewer tears in the material during those sharp turns, reducing the need to spend time correcting a mark in the mat.

There are many things to think about when it comes to purchasing your first roller. It is not just a machine that only goes backwards and forwards. This machine is the last one on the material before your customer sees it. It is important to understand that the roller will not only get you the compaction and density that you need but will also make the final product look how your customer expects it to. To have a quality final product, then a quality piece of equipment is needed.

Your equipment also needs properly trained operators that understand the process of paving asphalt. A tool is only as good as the hands that it’s in. Here at Wirtgen, we strive to make quality products as well as take the time to properly train the operators so that you, the customer, are happy with the equipment and the final product they produce.

Dan Sant Anselmo is the Hamm applications support manager for the Hamm product line at the Wirtgen Group, Antioch, Tennessee. He has certifications from Middle Tennessee State University in road construction technology and has taught courses on compaction principles at Wirtgen America’s Center for Training and Technology. For more information, contact him at (615) 501-0600 x220 or Daniel.Santanselmo@wirtgen-group.com.

Teach Your Crew How to PavE AsphaltPro magazine and paving consultant John Ball bring you the online training resource: Asphalt Paving 101. It’s available on any device, anytime, anywhere to train your entire crew.

Asphalt Paving 101

In this course, your crew will learn: • How to stay safe on the job site • How to build a takeoff ramp • How to determine fluff factor • How to determine yield • How to prep for real paving in the real world • and so much more…

Purchase your access to the course at: training.theasphaltpro.com 38 | JANUARY 2024

Registration for Exhibitors and Attendee’s is Open!

P&S SCORES STATEWIDE AWARD ON I-4

BY SARAH REDOHL

40 | JANUARY 2024

W

In total, the I-4 project required 58,000 tons of asphalt: 48,000 tons of Superpave 12.5 mm Traffic Level D HMA for the trench and 1 ½-inch surface course (with PG76-22 polymer modified AC) and 10,000 tons of open graded friction course (OGFC) FC5 HMA with PG76-22 for the ¾-inch friction course.

When P&S Paving Inc., Daytona Beach, Florida, was founded by Tim and Todd Phillips a little more than 30 years ago, the company had just one employee and one piece of equipment. The company’s three decades of operation have been marked by a number of milestones, from growing to employ more than 250 people and performing jobs valued at up to $75 million.

In 2023, P&S achieved another major milestone. The company was recognized with four Florida Pavement Excellence Awards from the Asphalt Contractors Association of Florida (ACAF). Not only was P&S awarded two special project awards and a third award for the best project in Florida’s District Five, but the company’s District Five project was also recognized with the A.P. Bolton Award for the Florida Road Builder of the Year.

The A.P. Bolton Award is ACAF’s highest award, named in honor of one of the association’s charter members with a reputation for high quality work. “A.P. Bolton was such an influential figure in our industry that it makes sense for him to be associated with the project that stood above all others in the state,” said P&S Quality Control Manager Tim Carter.

The award-winning statewide project is selected from award-winning district projects, including new construction, reconstruction or major overlays on interstate or multi-lane primary highways requiring at least 30,000 tons of asphalt.

“This was the first time we’ve ever won a statewide award for any of our projects,” Carter said. “When they said our name at the ceremony, I almost couldn’t believe it. For a 250-employee company with just one asphalt plant to win that award out of all the fantastic paving companies in the state is amazing.”

The Florida Pavement Excellence Awards have been recognizing and honoring the best in pavement construction in the state of Florida since 1979.

ALL EYES ON I-4

The A.P. Bolton Award-winning project stretched along 10.25 miles of Interstate 4 in Florida’s Volusia County, from west of County Road 4139 to State Road 44.

“I-4 is a highly traveled major artery that connects Tampa to Daytona,” Carter said, adding that it’s a common route not only for the transport of goods and services from one side of the state to the other but also for traffic to and from Florida’s theme park attractions. “Everybody in this area who goes anywhere and does anything, whether it’s work or weekend, travels on I-4.”

This, Carter added, includes many district and DOT employees. “It was a very high-profile project,” he said. It’s also along the route Carter travels to and from work each day. “Let me tell you, it was horrible. I couldn’t wait for it to be fixed. So, I was pretty excited when we won the contract to do it.”

According to Carter, the pavement had reached the end of its service life. “It had a rough texture, a lot of surface cracking, some rutting, loss of retroreflectivity of striping—those types of things,” he said.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) opted for fulldepth repairs of a crack running the entire length of the project before WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM | 41

One of the aspects of the I-4 project that stood out to P&S Paving was its proximity to the company’s asphalt plant just 10 miles from the project.

milling and resurfacing the existing roadway, as well as pavement widening and improved traffic signalization.

“Mill and resurfacing was the most reasonable approach to rehabilitate this roadway,” Carter said. But before the road could be resurfaced, P&S had to repair that crack. “When the road was widened years ago, the joint between the existing pavement and the widened section turned into a huge crack running for miles in both directions.

There had been some attempts to patch along some of the crack to try to mitigate further damage, but the patching was almost as bad as the crack itself.”

To repair the crack, P&S milled 2 feet on either side of the crack to a depth of 8 inches a full 10.25 miles and paved back two 3-inch lifts and one 2-inch lift of asphalt before milling and resurfacing the entire stretch of roadway.

“When we bid on the job, the first thing that caught my eye was its proximity to the plant—less than 10 miles,” Carter said. The second thing that caught his eye was the crack. Several years ago, P&S performed a very similar job on an adjacent section of I-4 in Volusia County.

“With the success of the previous project, I think that gave the department confidence to utilize that process again,” Carter said, adding that P&S’s past experience gave the company an edge over other bids. “We had already done something similar on I-4, so we knew we were capable of it, equipped for it, and had the knowledge and experience to perform that job.”

42 | JANUARY 2024

TIME TO TRENCH

P&S bid the project in 2020, began construction Nov. 21, 2021, and completed the project Nov. 13, 2022. The first 42 days on the project were devoted exclusively to the trench repair along the crack.

“When you’re paving a trench, you have to take your time,” Carter said. You also need to have the right equipment, he added. This includes a 4-foot milling machine, a 4-foot roller and some kind of device to get material into the trench. “If you have the right equipment and you take your time to get it right, by the time you’re ready to pave, you’ll have a solid base on which to pave.”

To introduce material into the trench, P&S devised and fabricated an attachment for the front of a skid steer that would feed material down into the trench. “There was nothing on the market we could buy off the shelf, so we had to bring everyone together to brainstorm and make our own.”

To test and tweak the device, P&S milled and filled a 4-foot trench at its main office. “Once we got the device right, we invited the DOT officials out to the plant to demonstrate how we planned to execute the project,” Carter said. “Not only did that illustrate the spirit of partnership we have with the DOT, but it also put everyone’s minds at ease before we got out to the project.”

According to Carter, this quick ability to problem solve is where P&S’s smaller size is an asset. “It’s easier to create a culture of communication and innovation in a smaller company,” he said. “There’s not

a lot of red tape if you need to get something done. If we need to order something, we order it. If we need to make something, we make it.”

Once the trench was milled out and refilled, P&S milled the entire span of pavement (including the new trench) before resurfacing. “Some of the repair efforts of the trench were sacrificed to make a smooth ride all the way across the pavement so you’d never know there was a repair underneath,” Carter said.

“Other than the trench, this was a fairly standard mill and resurface project,” Carter said. “That said, there are some basic tenets that go along with any successful mill and resurface project.”

Among these best practices, Carter stresses the importance of taking time to mill properly. “A smooth ride doesn’t start at the top, it starts at the bottom,” he said. Consistency is key, from keeping a consistent milling speed to a consistent flow of trucks and a consistent paving speed. “If you limit the amount of times the paver has to stop then you will limit the possibility of bumps and joint issues.”

This also requires consistency at the plant. “The best way to keep your paver moving is to control your trucking and keep your plant production rates consistent,” he said. “And the best way to make consistent mix is to consistently make it; don’t stop and start and stop and start.”

Baghouses

PAVING WEATHER

In total, the I-4 project required 58,000 tons of asphalt: 48,000 tons of Superpave 12.5 mm Traffic Level D HMA for the trench and 1 ½-inch surface course (with PG76-22 polymer modified AC) and 10,000 tons of open graded friction course (OGFC) FC5 HMA with PG76-22 for the ¾-inch friction course.

LEARN MORE Smoother AND Safer The I-4 project also included widening of the shoulders. “If you drive around Florida, you’ll see that many of our shoulders are up to 10 feet wide,” Carter said, adding that FDOT has been adding that to many contracts in the past few years. “The DOT makes extensive use of the Road Ranger program, and they want to make sure these contracts are designed to maximize safety for those guys out there helping motorists.”

An intelligent transportation system (ITS) was installed at the intersection of State Route 44, another major corridor that runs northsouth through Volusia County. “The Volusia County Fairgrounds are about 1/4 mile from that intersection, and there's a lot of activity at the fairgrounds throughout the year, so they upgraded the traffic signals to make traffic there more efficient and safer,” Carter said.

“Ultimately, this project enabled FDOT to repair that crack while giving this piece of roadway some new life with the resurfacing part of the project while also improving safety by widening the shoulders and adding some signalization to improve traffic flow.”

www.tarmacinc.com

contact tarmac at 816-220-0700 or info@tarmacinc.com WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM | 43

The I-4 project required P&S to mill a 4-foot-wide trench along a crack running the length of the project. To introduce material into the trench, P&S devised and fabricated an attachment for the front of a skid steer that would feed material down into the trench. Prior to the I-4 project, P&S milled and filled a 4-foot trench at its main office to test and tweak the device.

“Whenever you’re making OGFC in the winter, it’s a challenge—even in central Florida,” Carter said. The I-4 project had to be paved at night and FC-5 HMA has a minimum laydown temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit in Florida. “We can often get down below that between midnight and 5 a.m.”

Carter’s decision to use a warm mix additive in all of its mixes, including hot mix, was particularly useful for this project. “We don’t necessarily make warm mix designs with them, but we use Ingevity’s Evotherm product in everything, typically as a compaction aid,” Carter said. This means that even when placing HMA, the asphalt is workable at lower temperatures than it would otherwise be.

P&S also uses Evotherm as its anti-strip additive.

“Everyone here is required to use a liquid anti-strip in all mixes, so it doubles to fill that role,” Carter said.

“Why wouldn’t I use a product that also allows me more compaction at lower temperature without having to do anything differently?”

FDOT allows FC-5 to be placed at 60 degrees Fahrenheit when approved by the engineer, based on the contractor’s demonstrated ability to achieve satisfactory surface texture and appearance. For mixes containing PG76-22, the minimum average temperature may be further re44 | JANUARY 2024

duced to 55 when using a warm mix technology, if agreed to by both the engineer and the contractor.

“We were able to use Evotherm to our advantage to meet our production goals and avoid the loss of production days due to weather,” Carter said. “And the results speak for themselves.”

HAT TRICK

Even before P&S won the A.P. Bolton Award, the I-4 project was a success. “We had a lot of district folks call up to let us know we were doing a great job on I-4,” Carter said. “I can’t tell you how many people called to tell us how good it looked, how well it rides, that we did a great job. That speaks volumes to the quality.”

The judges for the Florida Pavement Excellence Awards—including both FDOT district employees and ACAF staff—must have agreed.

Projects are judged based on a number of factors, including technical scores for mix production, rideability score from a profiler test, and a visual score.

“The judges ride each lane of the road to check joint construction, edge of pavement, texture and surface anomalies, etc.,” Carter said. “The joints on our I-4 project are practically indiscernible, the texture of the OGFC was super consistent, the lane lines are symmetrical. It looks like we laid out that asphalt mat like a black carpet.”

But appearance wasn’t the only area in which the I-4 project scored well. It also achieved an International Roughness Index (IRI) of 31— the best IRI score P&S has ever received. “Most highways like this

LEARN MORE Three Projects, Four Awards In addition to the two awards P&S received for its I-4 project, the company also received two Florida Pavement Excellence Awards in the special projects category. One of the awards was for the milling and resurfacing of runway nine at Space Coast Regional Airport.

“It’s a really old regional airport, so the project wasn’t without its challenges,” Carter said. P&S used machine control guidance through the milling phase to get the proper cross sections, then placed the P401 wearing course.

The second project for which P&S received a special projects award was the reconstruction of the running track at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona, a world-renowned aviation school.

“THE PAVING OF THE UNDERLYING ASPHALT IS KEY FOR THE SPECIALTY CONTRACTOR WHO WILL BE PLACING THE RUBBERIZED MATERIALS ON TOP.” —TIM CARTER

“They have a pretty robust sports program there at the university and host international track and field events,” Carter said. P&S was chosen to full-depth mill the oval running track and pave back 1 ¼ inches before the specialty contractor could come out to apply a rubberized surface course.

“The paving of the underlying asphalt is key for the specialty contractor who will be placing the rubberized materials on top,” Carter said, given the tight specs they must meet to ensure no competitors are given an unfair advantage.

“When the paving is done, these guys typically have to grind out some areas and fill in other areas. The more of that they have to do, the worse the paving job was.”

After the track was completed, P&S received a letter from the specialty contractor’s field superintendent that said, in his opinion, “the work by P&S couldn’t have gone better. In fact, it was probably the best paving job I’ve seen in 10 years.”

The superintendent told Carter they sometimes use 25 to 35 barrels of filler material to even out the pavement, but this job required only two and very minor grinding.

“That goes back to the discipline that our guys use when they’re paving these high spec projects,” Carter said.

PUGMILL SYSTEMS We’ve been designing and manufacturing custom mixing solutions in Tennessee for nearly 40 years.

RCC • CTB • Pugmix • Stabilized Sand

Coldmix • Fly Ash • Salt Treatment

Rental Plants Available

Check out additional projects at:

PUGMILLSYSTEMS.COM or give us a call at:

931-388-0626 WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM | 45

According to Carter, P&S scored very well on mix production for the I-4 project. “We did well in all three categories; it’s a great looking project, it rides great, and it paid well,” he said.

score anywhere in the 40-50 range,” Carter said. “That 31 isn’t the lowest score in the state, but it’s among the lowest. I think that’s what pushed us over the edge to win the statewide award over some of the bigger contractors in the state who had really constructed some outstanding projects that same year.”

P&S also received bonus composite pay factors for the surface level and friction course. “We scored very well on mix production here at the

ReLIXER

®

A Bio-Based Oil Rejuvenator for Reclaimed Asphalt

plant and on our densities, and we got incentives for those as well,” Carter said. “We did well in all three categories; it’s a great looking project, it rides great, and it paid well.”

Carter attributes the smoothness to the expertise of the crew to use the automatics on its Roadtec RP190 paver. “The pavement equipment is naturally a big part of that, but having the expertise and the skill to use the automated electronics is key,” Carter said. “It’s one thing to have them, but it’s another thing to know how to use them and use them well.

If you can use automatics well, this is what you get.”

P&S has established a training process to ensure its crew knows how to best utilize the automatics on its equipment. The company regularly sends its mechanics and paving crews to Roadtec’s training program in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

“Success comes down to discipline,” Carter said. “Do you keep your folks well trained, your equipment in good working order, and your morale high?” Keeping morale high, he adds, includes ensuring every employee feels as though their opinions matter, their good work is appreciated, and they are full participants in their employers’ victories.

“When we won these awards, we really shared that victory with everybody,” Carter said. “When we received the incentives from the ride bonus, the owner chose not to pocket that money but instead shared it with all the people involved in that project because they did such a great job. I’ve never worked anywhere where someone did that.”

Carter said everyone at P&S was at peak performance on the I-4 project, but that the company’s success isn’t a matter of performing on one single job. “Our guys perform every single day,” he said. “Not once or twice a week, but all five days of the workweek, week after week. That’s the real trick. Anybody can do something well once, but can you repeat that over and over again?”

Come visit us at our booth during NPE January 23-25, 2024!

PGXpand®

Tested.

Proven.

Trusted by users worldwide.

A Bitumen-Friendly Polymeric-Additive ReLIXER® • PGXpand® • NuMIXER®• ReNUBIT® • SriCote® 1-800-562-6276

1-201-721-7562

Learn More At Sripath.com 46 | JANUARY 2024

NPE Training

a

Chip Sealing

supplement

to

County Sweeping

A s p h a lt P r o

magazine

U.S. Asphalt Maintenance Seals at the White House Winter 2024 www.TheAsphaltPro.com

Securing Sealing at Pennsylvania Avenue

By Sandy Lender

Beckner makes his own custom blend of sealant, which the crew sprayed on the 50,000-square-foot job.

arnest R. Beckner Jr. started his sealcoating business 40 years ago

E like everyone else—knocking on doors to drum up clients and

projects. In August 2023, he landed a job at arguably the most important house on the block. Here’s how Beckner’s U.S. Asphalt Maintenance LLC, a veteran owned and operated company based out of Richmond, Virginia, sealed the South Lawn drive on the White House complex.

You can read more about U.S. Asphalt Maintenance in the February 2017 issue. Check out “U.S. Asphalt Seals the Southeast.”

48 WINTER 2024

The project began well before the day of sealing with all the employees who would be on site getting their clearances. With background checks accomplished and security badges achieved, the four-man crew assembled not at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but at a nearby secure location by 6 a.m. on the morning of the project.

“We met at an Air Force base to have the equipment scanned,” Beckner said. “They made sure everything was safe. Then we had a military escort going through D.C. We were on site by 9 a.m.”

Once on site, the team had a plan to execute the job efficiently. You’ll see in the pictures that there are guard stations set up along the drive and walkways for essential personnel to easily access the grounds.

LEFT: Earnie Beckner, at right, and his son Brandon, were proud to take on this monumental project in August 2023. RIGHT: Here’s an example of one of the crosswalks leading between the shrubberies, which the U.S. Asphalt Maintenance team gave priority when starting the project.

By sealing these small sections first, they allowed a dry patch for foot traffic in the event of emergencies.

The crew sprays sealant along the drive. In the background, you can see the orange traffic bollards standing on plastic sheeting, to protect the marble surface at the back of the White House.

“We did the walkways first so the guards would have access to the building in case there was an emergency,” Beckner explained. Because these walkways are for foot traffic, they were quick and easy to spray and dry.

“We cleaned the surface, did the crosswalks, then did the lower areas,” Beckner said. “Then we came back to seal the rest nearer the building. There was an outer border all around the complex we took care of.”

Security was first and foremost for the approximately four hours it took to clean and complete the 50,000-square-foot job. Beckner used

a special blend he created with Neyra’s Force sealant as the foundation. “I have my own mix that’s a custom blend that lasts and lasts,” he said. He said it was an honor to use his product and have his workers perform this job at the White House.

“You just don’t think about getting to do things like this,” Beckner said. “Never in a million years did I think I’d get to do a project at the White House. It was beyond cool. I was a proud father seeing my son seal at the White House.”

WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM 49

nationalpavementexpo.com/asphaltpro

Training and Education in Tampa

By AsphaltPro Staff

f the nearly 50 sessions and five morning huddles taking place

the National Pavement Expo (NPE) this Jan. 23-25, O during 2024, 80% of them are new to the show and a handful are free

sessions you can attend with your exhibit hall pass at The Work Zone Stage. In fact, over half of the speakers EmeraldX is bringing to the show this year are new to the NPE audience, offering fresh voices and ideas to enhance your bottom line.

Show management has added a keynote speaker this year. Wednesday, Jan. 24, at 8 a.m., Justin Ganschow of Caterpillar Safety Services, Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, Illinois, will present “Not Just a Bolt-on: Making Safety Everyone’s Job.”

The morning huddles taking place Wednesday are a new feature to this year’s show, offering the following topics for attendees to choose from: • Striping/Pavement Markings: Conversation leaders will be Dejah Anderson, the COO of Anderson Striping & Construction Inc.; Jim Panzenhagen, the vice president of JMP Excelsior Services LLC; and Gary Stapleton, the operations manager of Anderson Striping & Construction Inc. • Sales & Marketing: Conversation leaders will be Jacob Buck, the vice president of Buck Brothers Asphalt & Concrete; and Brandon Stanton, a partner at 405 Media Group LLC. • Business Operations: Conversation leaders will be Chelsea Ellis-Hogan, the president/CEO of Jim Reynolds Asphalt Contractor Inc.; and Shauna Huntington, the owner/CEO of Fortiviti.

• Pavement Preservation: The conversation leader is Tanya Nash, the director of engineering for Asphalt Testing Solutions & Engineering.

• AI in the Paving Industry: The conversation leader is Ari Bleemer of OneCrew.

Also new to this year’s show is the Fireside Chat. One of those will be hosted by AsphaltPro magazine to facilitate a conversation on how to “Minimize PFAS In Your Milling Operation,” Wednesday afternoon on The Work Zone Stage. Stick around after the chat for the NPE party.

AsphaltPro staff has identified 10 seminars our staff is most excited to attend. Here’s that list of opportunities you might want to make sure are on your bingo card as you get registered for this year’s educational and training tour de force.

1. Understanding Pavement Evaluation, Preservation and Repair Options This workshop in the paving track is presented by Wayne Jones, a senior regional engineer with Asphalt Institute. (Attendees will receive certificates granting 3.0 Professional Development Hours (PDHs) for this session.)

2. Using Asphalt Modifiers to Enhance Pavement Performance This session in the paving track is presented by Nash.

Exhibit hall hours for 2024: Wed., Jan. 24, 10:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Thurs., Jan. 25, 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

3. Asphalt, Aggregates and Mix Design; What You Need to Know This session in the paving track is presented by Jones.

4. Paving for Quality and the End Result This session in the paving track is presented by John Ball, the owner of Top Quality Paving & Training.

5. Introduction to Thickness Design and Pavement Distresses This session in the paving track is presented by Jones. (Attendees will receive certificates granting 1.5 PDHs for this session.)

6. Achieving Quality Paving This session in the paving track is presented by Ball.

7. How to Stretch Your Paving Dollar This session in the paving track is presented by Tasha Johnson, the Assistant Director – Engineering Division, for the City of Durham, Department of Public Works.

8. Non-Destructive QC/QA on Paving Projects This session in the paving track is presented by John Lamond, sales manager at TransTech Systems Inc. 9. 7 Habits of Highly Successful Producers and Pavers This session in the paving track is presented by Steve McReynolds, the director of operations for Asphalt Testing Solutions & Engineering.

10. Leading During an Emergency Asphalt Repair This session in the paving track is presented by Mark Roberts, the project manager for the Kansas Turnpike Authority, and Calon Trulove, the earthwork division manager for Dondlinger Construction.

No matter which sessions or workshops you’re interested in taking your crew to learn from, you can save $50 off your first conference session by using the AsphaltPro code MIPMEN50F when checking out at the NPE registration button.

If you’re interested in only the exhibit hall pass to check out the products and services vendors will be showcasing this year, you don’t have to miss out on education. As mentioned above, The Work Zone Stage, located in the exhibit hall, will have a handful of mini-sessions for learning opportunities. To register for only an exhibit hall pass, use the AsphaltPro code MIPMEN100P to get that for free.

And don’t forget that the AsphaltPro staff has put together its popular “Ask the Expert” series at Booth 1019. Stop by to not only meet the magazine staff and ask about our online training course, but also to ask our paving and pavement maintenance experts the questions that are specific to your operations and best practices.

The website to visit for more information and registration is nationalpavementexpo.com.

WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM 51

Visit the Vendors of NPE From AsphaltPro Staff

s we enter a new year, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and service providers are rolling out new products and offerings to enhance the asphalt professional’s bottom line. From striping equipment to cold planers, from sealcoat product to stencils, and all the paving and pavement maintenance equipment in between, OEMs have been mulling over what to bring to the National Pavement Expo (NPE) in Tampa this Jan. 2325 for the contractors and departments of transportation (DOTs) who will be in attendance.

Among the additives, hot boxes, safety equipment, and more displayed around the show floor, the theme of paving and pavement maintenance and preservation is top of mind. With that theme front and center, we’re using the participating exhibitors of NPE to populate the January product gallery. Herein you’ll see each of the NPE vendors who took the time to prepare information and images for the wider asphalt audience.

If you’ll be in Tampa later this month, make sure you stop by their booths, listed with their names below, to let them know you saw their teaser in AsphaltPro. This is the information that was confirmed as of press time. You can find updates and a complete exhibitor list at https://nationalpavementexpo.com/show/floorplan-exhibitor-list/.

A

AsphaltPro 1019 AsphaltPro Magazine, headquartered in Fayette, Missouri, offers the Asphalt Paving 101 online course for training the paving crew. This back-to-basics course has eight modules to teach the new hire—or to refresh the veteran worker. Your purchase of the online course at https://training. theasphaltpro.com/ gives you access to it on any desktop, laptop or mobile device anytime, anywhere to show to any number of your employees as often as you need to ensure they learn and understand the basics of their job on the paving and pavement maintenance crew. Ask about the course when you stop by The AsphaltPro Magazine booth.

Also stop in to see the hours of our “Ask The Expert” series. We’ll have industry veteran John Ball, the proprietor of Top Quality Paving & Training, at the booth for a few hours to answer your questions and talk about best practices for best pavements.

Sign up for the weekly Toolbox Tips from AsphaltPro at www.

TheAsphaltPro.com.

BUFFALO TURBINE 729 Buffalo Turbine, Springville, New York, will display the Blitz Stand On Debris Blower. The Blitz is available in two models, the Blitz BT-SB26, powered by a 26HP EFI gas engine and the Blitz BTSB40 powered by a 40HP EFI gas engine. Both models feature Buffalo Turbine’s renowned Turbine Blower and high-performance independent suspension. The Blitz’s Turbine Blower is designed to provide the strongest blowing power available in each model’s 52 WINTER 2024

class and features 360-degree nozzle rotation control mounted in the drive handles, allowing nozzle rotation while in motion.

“With the smooth ride and unmatched clearing power, the Blitz provides best in class productivity and clears debris faster than other stand on debris blowers currently available,” said Buffalo Turbine Owner Louis Horschel. “We have engineered the BLITZ from the ground up to provide best in class performance and productivity that our customers have come to expect from us.”

The Blitz is backed by Buffalo Turbine’s industry leading 10-year warranty.

For more information, call (716) 592-2700 or visit www. buffaloturbine.com.

CMC 514 CMC Equipment Inc., headquartered in Yankton, South Dakota, unveils the Curb Broom for the world of paving and excavation.

This skid loader attachment is poised to revolutionize the way curb cleaning is approached, according to the manufacturer.

As construction companies grapple with labor shortages and the need for more efficient processes, the Curb Broom is designed to alleviate the reliance on manual labor. The attachment streamlines the often-tedious task of curb cleaning, resulting in time and cost savings.

Key benefits of the Curb Broom include: • Labor Efficiency: No more halting crews for manual curb cleaning.

• Versatility: This attachment allows operators to extend the broom hydraulically, reaching curbs and sidewalks without damaging them.

• Material Handling: The Curb Broom is equipped with a unique bristle combination of poly and wire, allowing it to sweep and cut through heavy materials efficiently.

• Cost Savings: By reducing labor costs and saving time, the Curb Broom leads to cost-effective project execution.

With the Curb Broom, your company can achieve cleaner curbs, happier and more productive crews, and ultimately, a competitive edge in the construction industry, according to the manufacturer.

For more information, visit https://cmcequipment.co.

COFRA 1023 COFRA USA Inc. will display its new Asphalt I/75 C/75 EH PR boot for asphalt workers.

Its upper is made of water repellent leather. The outsole is made of heat defender PU and nitrile rubber, resistant up to 572°F (1 minute contact), according to the manufacturer. Heat defender PU is a compound designed to prevent heat from passing through the sole into the shoe. It resists to 302°F for 30 minutes without its chemical-

physical features being altered. The sole has no cleats, to avoid marks on the asphalt.

Its thermic insole, a footbed made of soft and scented polyurethane, insulates against high temperatures thanks to its special polyurethane compound.

The protective toe cap "top return” is thermal insulating. In case of crushing, it will recover its original shape, making it easier to remove the foot, according to the manufacturer.

The nonmetallic APT Plate-Zero Perforation with high electrical resistance is designed to be lighter and more comfortable than traditional steel plates. Used as an insole, it grants 100% surface protection and gives higher thermal insulation compared to steel, according to the manufacturer.

For more information, visit www.cofra.it.

GRACO 533 Graco, headquartered in Minneapolis, will showcase its latest striping technology, which includes a full lineup of battery-powered products in LineLazer ES. Newest to this family is the LineLazer ES 500, which is powered by DeWalt FlexVolt batteries.

Delivered with two FlexVolt

WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM 53

batteries and a Fast Charger to allow for all-day striping, according to the manufacturer.

For more information, contact Mike Vangstad at Mike_D_ Vangstad@graco.com.

HOLMS 511 Holms Attachments Inc., headquartered in Hickory, North Carolina, announced that it will display three models of pickup sweepers during the expo. Supporting the paving industry with multiple solutions, Holms Attachments targets small to medium road projects with a range of flexible attachments that allow contractors to use existing mobile fleets (loaders/skid steers) versus using dedicated sweeping machines. Lower owning and operating costs make these attachments a solution worth considering.

Holms Attachments was established in 1927 in Motala, Sweden.

The company has over 95 years of experience. Since the 1950s, Holms has manufactured and developed snowplows and sweeper attachments for heavy equipment.

For more information, contact Dan Snedecor at (828) 215-7917 or Dan.Snedecor@holms.com.

P&T PRODUCTS 1033 P&T Products – Manufacturer of Dura-Fill Hot Pour Crack & Joint Sealants, Sandusky, Ohio, will display its Dura-Melt™ sealant. Dura-Melt fully consumable packaging is an innovative, environmentally friendly option to traditional cardboard boxes, according to the manufacturer. The patented design of the meltable container sets it apart from other “no box” options. The package is corrugated for strength, so pallets are uniform, stable and weather resistant. The size and shape of Dura-Melt containers result in a product that is easy to handle and melts quickly. The entire package is added to the melter, so jobs move faster with no boxes to open or discard.

For more information, call (419) 621-1966 or visit pntproducts.com.

OPTIMIZE YOUR PUBLIC WORKS DOLLARS PROUD PRODUCERS of the original permanent asphalt repair material!

PRODUCTS

CONTACT MIKE to discuss how to dramatically reduce your pavement repair and rehabilitation budget.

• Save tax dollars • Extend the life of roads • Improve public safety

54 WINTER 2024

Mike Boubek 314-202-0040 mboubek@ uniquepavingmaterials.com

PAVEWISE 1224 Pavewise, headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota, will launch Pavewise at NPE, where attendees can experience live demos of the software tool firsthand. The software is used to track production and quality goals, monitor weather and its impacts, and manage projects. It can be used to: • Maximize incentives by closely tracking paving variables; • Integrate paving solutions; and • Efficiently manage project variables.

A project’s success can hinge on weather conditions. With Pavewise’s comprehensive dashboard, the user can monitor real-time weather including precipitation, wind, and humidity, and receive instant weather updates. The 14-Day Productivity Impact Prediction ensures you're always prepared.

Pavewise is designed to elevate project management, allowing the user to seamlessly switch between all the projects in the app. With an intuitive interface, once the user activates a project, the user can assign crews, mark the project location with a simple pin drop, craft a schedule tailored to the project’s needs, and see detailed specs and equipment in one place.

Pavewise offers 24/7 expert support through the user help center. Over 130 users from 50 distinguished companies nationwide have secured early access to Pavewise.

For more information, contact Michael Howey at 561-3231982 or michael.howey@pavewisepro.com.

WOMEN OF ASPHALT

Day

MARCH 27, 2O24

™

For more information, visit womenofasphalt.org/women-of-asphalt-day-2024 or scan the QR code.

24 branches and counting

SRIPATH Sripath Technologies® LLC, New Jersey, is excited to announce it will showcase products and latest research findings on its products from both field and laboratory trials. Sripath Technologies creates innovative bitumen additives designed to improve the performance of asphalt roadways. Sripath is a global company with customers and affiliates in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. This year at NPE, Dr. Deepak Madan, an expert in

™

Striving to advance and support women in the asphalt industry.

Membership is FREE and open to all. womenofasphalt.org

APA-23121-WofA-PrintAd-Branches_WofAday-3.625x9.5.indd 1

12/6/23 4:20 PM

WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM 55

asphalt additive technology and chief of marketing and business development at Sripath, will be present at the booth to share insights and answer questions. Key products to be featured include: ReLIXER®, an additive designed to maximize the performance of roadways containing reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP). This blend of biobased oils revitalizes aged RAP bitumen. By reducing the need for virgin bitumen and fresh aggregates, ReLIXER® helps cut greenhouse emissions and lowers overall mix costs. PGXpand®, a bitumen-friendly polymeric-additive, designed to improve the rutting resistance, high temperature grade, and durability of polymer-modified bitumen (PMB) mixes. NuMIXER®, an environmentally friendly bitumen softener designed to flexibly adjust the properties of bitumen and aid in polymer and crumb rubber compatibility.

For more information, contact Deepak Madan at dmadan@ sripath.com or visit Sripath.com.

TRANSTECH 524 TransTech Systems Inc. is headquartered in Latham, New York.

With over 30 years of experience, TransTech Systems is the original developer of non-nuclear electromagnetic impedance technology to determine the in-place density measurement of asphalt by way of the PQI 380 asphalt density gauge. The PQI 380 non-invasive density testing device will be available at booth #524 for hands-on demonstration. The PQI 380 is designed to determine the percent relative compaction, density and BITU-OX-Ad-3.625x4.625.pdf 1 12/8/2023 9:44:30 AM

temperature of hot or warm-mix asphalt in less than 3 seconds as it is being laid. It uses a technology that does not require any special safety and health precautions or licensing during the use, storage or transportation of the density gauge.

Listen to a presentation by TransTech Systems on the benefits of the use of a non-nuclear density gauge entitled “Non-Destructive QC/QA on Paving Projects” on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 10:00 a.m. during the Paving track, in room 122-123.

For more information, contact John Lamond at (518) 560-0387 or jlamond@transtechsys.com.

TM

Connect With Us! Stay in touch with AsphaltPro between issues where you can find how-to content, trends and technology, and industry insight.

C

M

Y

CM

MY

The Recycling Issue

asphaltPRO O R P lt a h asp The Production

CY

Issue

PRODUCTION – PROFESS

IONALS – PRODUCT

PRODUCTION –

CMY

PROFESSIONAL

S – PRODUCTS

E.T. Simonds es Shares Plant Mov

K

IR-Dry RAP

S

Experts Share Their Secrets For Equipment Staging Success

facebook.com/ AsphaltPro

Seal the Southeast

Feed Sensors • How to Protect Maintenance • Overlay Ultimate Best Investment • Here’s Your Next Asphalt in Freight ate • How to Incorpor JANUARY 2017 .COM WWW.THEASPHALTPRO

• How to Build an ADA Ramp • How to Rejuvenat e Your • C.W. Matthews Crushes Recycling Pavement Maintenan ce

FEBRUARY 2017 WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM

bit.ly/AsphaltPro LinkedIn

theasphaltpro.com 56 WINTER 2024

LEADING ASPHALT TRADE SHOW AND CONFERENCE • See the latest equipment • Learn best practices and techniques • Improve your jobsite and business

March 25-27, 2024 | Nashville, Tennessee Learn more at worldofasphalt.com

Three Characteristics of Quality Chip Seals

By AsphaltPro Staff

hip seals are a valuable tool in the pavement preservation toolbox where an existing pavement is sprayed with an asphalt binder, followed by application of aggregate and compaction to seat the aggregate in the binder. When performed correctly, this treatment seals and protects the underlying pavement while improving skid resistance, sealing minor cracks and surface imperfections, and inhibiting raveling.

During a recent National Center for Pavement Preservation webinar, Shawn Brost, vice president of Vance Brothers Inc., Lees Summit, Missouri, shared what he considers to be the three characteristics that must be considered to achieve a quality chip seal.

C

Characteristic #1: Site Selection “The first step in creating a successful chip seal project is selecting the right road,” Brost said. He explained that chip seals can be placed virtually anywhere, but the result will only be as good as the road it is placed on.

He’s worked primarily in Missouri and Kansas, both of which use chip seals on roads ranging from interstates with up to 40,000 average annual daily traffic to subdivisions. “You can’t hardly go anywhere without seeing [chip seals] in those states,” Brost said. “The good news is you can place a chip seal anywhere, the bad news is you may not want to.”

According to Brost, much of a chip seal’s success depends on the pavement upon which it’s placed. He gave an example of a road with significant cracking and one without, stating that both could potentially be candidates for chip seals. “That’s where expectations come into play,” Brost said.

“We hear all the time, ‘I just need something to get a few more years out of this road before I do something else to it,’” Brost said.

“If that’s all you’re looking for, you could probably design a chip seal to get a cracked up road through a few years.” But to maximize the life of a chip seal, the underlying pavement should still be in good condition, with only minor surface problems.

Brost said he commonly hears that roads with curb and gutter cannot be chip sealed, but that isn’t necessarily true. “We chip seal in a lot of residential settings in the Midwest,” he said. “It just involves sweeping and collecting any excess [aggregate].”

Brost added that some agencies will sweep up to four times in the first 60 days following a chip seal just to make sure any loose chips are collected and taken off the roadway.

Characteristic #2: Equipment Calibration “A successful chip seal requires that the correct materials are placed at the correct rates,” Brost said. “Your mix design isn’t going to be any good if you haven’t calibrated that equipment to know what you’re supposed to be placing is what you are placing.”

58 WINTER 2024

It needs to be ensured that both the distributor and chip spreader are placing materials evenly across the entire width of application. To calibrate a chip spreader, Brost said run the chip spreader over a 1-squareyard tarp, then weigh the tarp to ensure it matches the pounds per square yard stated in the mix design. “That [process] will be repeated all the way across the width of the chipper,” Brost said. For example, a 24-foot chip spreader would need to be tested eight times to ensure cali-

Binder Options for Hot Applied Chip Seal

During a chip seal, the existing pavement is sprayed with an asphalt binder, followed by application of aggregate and compaction to seat the aggregate in the binder. Here’s where the process diverges, based on the type of binder. In the event of a water-based asphalt emulsion, the chip seal must be given sufficient time to cure before it can be broomed to remove any loose aggregate. For hot applied chip seals, sweeping follows immediately behind the rolling operation, said Robert Betsold of All States Materials Group during a recent National Center for Pavement Preservation webinar.

This is because without the emulsion’s curing time, hot applied chip seals are a thermal set application similar to hot-mix asphalt. “Everything is driven by the temperature,” Betsold said. “Once that binder cools, that chip seal is set, which allows for immediate sweeping.”

According to Betsold, hot applied chip seal binder options include performance graded asphalt (modified or unmodified), rubber modified asphalt (terminal blend, with around 5% rubber and 2% Styrene Butadiene Styrene), or asphalt-rubber binder (wet process, with around 15% rubber).

“The second and third option can get confused, but there are differences between them,” Betsold said, adding that in nearly all cases, the aggregate will be pre-coated with PG asphalt. “The main reason for that is with hot-applied, we really need to have aggregate that is both clean and dry because of the temperatures that are being applied out there.”

A construction specification for hot applied chip seals was published in the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) 2022 Interim Revisions, section 407, which outlines the following application rates: • PG asphalt: 0.30 ± 0.10 gal/SY; 20 to 30 lb/SY • Rubber modified asphalt: 0.50 ± 0.10 gal/SY; 25 to 35 lb/SY • Asphalt-rubber binder: 0.60 ± 0.10 gal/SY; 30 to 40 lb/SY The binder types also require different minimum application temperatures (in degrees F), according to AASHTO: 375 for asphalt rubber, 350 for rubber modified asphalt, 325 for polymer modified PG asphalt and 275 for non-modified PG asphalt.

bration of the entire width of the spreader. If any section of the spreader isn’t hitting the target application rate, adjustments must be made. “You wouldn’t want a situation where the right side is heavier than the left side or the gates in the middle aren’t quite opening all the way.”

A similar process can be used to calibrate the distributor. “Lay out a cookie sheet,” Brost said—or really anything flat with a determined area—and then run the distributor across it to see gallons per the given area. “Then repeat that all the way across the bar to make sure it’s coming out evenly.”

Characteristic #3: Mix Design “The mix design will determine what quantity of materials are placed and at what rates,” Brost said, adding that the mix design can change within the project itself as conditions change. “There’s a difference between a long straight highway and an intersection.”

The core of every mix design is the median particle size of the aggregate, he said, adding that binder rates are established to achieve 60 to 70% embedment of the aggregate. “This can be a bit of a back and forth [process],” he said. For example, one might choose Aggregate A for a project, see the recommended binder rate for that particular aggregate and decide a heavier binder rate would be more appropriate. “Then, you’ll want to potentially look at a larger aggregate that would have a larger binder rate with it.”

Surface conditions should also be considered. “The relative amount of cracks and porousness of the existing road determine the rate of binder,” Brost said. For example, if applying a chip seal over a road with an existing chip seal from three or four years ago, “you need to know that

road will not absorb any of that emulsion or hot rubber asphalt.”

The amount of binder must be decreased to prevent flushing.

Traffic volume and type should also be considered. “It’s a bit counter intuitive, but the less traffic, the more asphalt binder you need to hold [the aggregate] in place,” Brost said. This is because in heavy traffic conditions, the traffic will continually drive the aggregate into the binder over the life of the chip seal.

According to Brost, chip seals can be used in signalized intersections so long as the proper adjustments are made. “One of the things we’ve done here for culs-de-sac and busy intersections is switch to smaller aggregate,” he said. “That aggregate is less likely to roll over than a large aggregate. We’ve had tremendous success using that smaller aggregate versus something more robust that you might want on the mainline where people are driving straight.”

For this reason, it is likely necessary to opt for a different mix design on full-width chip sealing. “The shoulder will require a different mix design from the mainline, even if it’s the exact same road surface to begin with, because the traffic count on the shoulder is extremely low and traffic on the mainline can be extremely high,” Brost said. “We can’t treat those the same.”

Ultimately, there’s more to chip seal success than meets the eye.

“Where you place it matters and how you place it matters,” Brost said, “and so does how [those factors] affect the mix design process.”

WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM 59

City of Kelowna Sweeps for Spring

By AMPERAGE Marketing

he city of Kelowna in British Columbia, Canada, sits in a valley with the neighborhoods spanning up into the hills surrounding the city. Each winter, the city uses 14,000-15,000 tons of sand to keep its nearly 150,000 citizens safe on the snow-covered roadways. Then come spring, that sand along with all the winter debris requires pick-up.

That’s when the Broom Bear street sweeper from Elgin Sweeper of Elgin, Illinois, is put into action.

“We ran our three Broom Bear units for 20 hours a day for eight weeks, and we had no issues at all other than regular oil changes and maintenance intervals,” said Andrew Schwerdtfeger, roadways operations manager for the city of Kelowna. “They handled it like champs. Our previous sweepers needed six to eight passes. The new Broom Bears did it in three passes—maybe four in the worst conditions. That’s pretty outstanding.”

With the help of their three Elgin Broom Bear sweepers, the municipality of Kelowna cut down its spring sweep from 12 weeks to 8 weeks. The city of Kelowna purchased its first Elgin Broom Bear about four years ago and then purchased two more about two years ago. The city utilizes them from March through December.

“Our operators love them,” Schwerdtfeger said. “They’re comfortable, quiet machines. They pick up really well, and maintenance has been limited. Less downtime means we like them.”

Utilizing a Freightliner chassis, which is what the city uses for its fleet, enables an easy crossover and availability of parts. It’s a big relief compared to the city’s previous sweepers, which were another brand and much older. A contractor that helps with sweeping as needed in the city and runs Elgin Broom Bears recommended Elgin.

The City of Kelowna worked with Vimar Equipment Ltd/True North Equipment Inc. for its Broom Bear sweepers. Elgin’s extensive dealer network helps customers for the life of the sweeper.

For more information, visit ElginSweeper.com.

T

60 WINTER 2024

Elgin Sweeper is a subsidiary of Federal Signal Corporation’s Environmental Solutions Group. Federal Signal Corporation (NYSE: FSS), Oak Brook, Illinois, was founded in 1901, and is a global designer, manufacturer and supplier of products and total solutions that serve municipal, governmental, industrial and commercial customers. The Company operates two groups: Environmental Solutions and Safety and Security Systems. The Elgin Broom Bear is mounted on a Freightliner chassis, which is what the City of Kelowna uses for its fleet. “They’re good reliable, productive units,” Andrew Schwerdtfeger said.

PLANT OPERATION WORKSHOPS

Private, In-Person Workshops Available Jan 29 - Feb 23, 2024 ZOOM! Workshops Available Feb 06 - Mar 15, 2024

REGISTER TODAY! CLARENCE RICHARD COMPANY, INC Phone: 952.939.6000 Email: carrie@clarencerichard.com Visit: https://ezfloweighing.com/training/

San Antonio, TX

www.ahernindustries.com

ALL ASPHALT PLANT COMPONENTS 100% BUILT IN USA

40 years of experience in the asphalt plant industry!

WE SPECIALIZE IN

disassembly, relocation, fabricate complete asphalt plants, and startup of asphalt plants

Call for help with all your startup needs | 210-240-8395 62 | JANUARY 2024

AD INDEX Ahern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Meeker Equipment Co. . . . . . . 17

ALmix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Meyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Asphalt Drum Mixers, Inc . . 20, 21

National Pavement Expo . . . . 50

Astec Industries . . . . Inside Front Cover, Inside Back Cover

Pugmill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

B&S Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 26, 27 Bitu-Ox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

QuikPave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Reliable Asphalt . . . . Back Cover RMACES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Blaw-Knox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Sripath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Bomag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Stansteel . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 37

BROCK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Systems Equipment . . . . . .15, 61

Buffalo Turbine . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Tarmac International . . . . . . . 43

Clarence Richards Company . . 62

Top Quality Paving . . . . . . . . 38

CWMF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3, 19

Tri-State Development . . . . . 63

Fast Measure . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Unique Paving Materials . . . . 54

Gencor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Weiler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

HaulHub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Willow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

HiTek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Wirtgen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Homestead Valve . . . . . . . . . 10

Women of Asphalt . . . . . . . . 55

Kenco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

World of Asphalt . . . . . . . . . .57

AsphaltPro’s advertiser index is designed for you to have quick access to the manufacturers that can get you the information you need to run your business efficiently. Please support the advertisers that support this magazine and tell them you saw them in AsphaltPro magazine.

NEW ASPHALT PLANT AVAILABLE CWMF 500 Ton New and Ready to Ship Complete with 3 Silos at 300 Ton Will Sell, Lease or Partnership Email Julie at: Trista3995@sbcglobal.net or call: 989 790-4960

WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM | 63

We’re on it.

Brock is proud to present photos of some of the equipment we’ve built for our customers.

COLD FEED BINS, RAP BINS, CONVEYORS

INNER DRUMS AND OUTER SHELLS

DRUM MIXERS AND DRYERS

MIXING DRUMS

BAGHOUSES, AUGERS, AND DUCTWORK

HOT OIL HEATERS, AC TANKS, METERING PUMP SKIDS, PIPING

SILOS, DRAGS, AND TRAVERSE CONVEYORS

HOT MIX ASPHALT STORAGE SILOS

ON-SITE SERVICES AND AFTER-MARKET PARTS

QUALITY PRODUCTS | OUTSTANDING SERVICE | GREAT RELATIONSHIPS www.brock.llc | 2011 West Polymer Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37421 | 1.800.441.9528 | 1.423.476.9900

NEW TECH

Stop Solar Flares from Bringing Construction to a Standstill

BY SARAH REDOHL

A

bout every 11 years, the world experiences a peak in solar activity with the next maximum predicted between 2024 and 2026.

During these periods of heightened solar activity, the resulting ionospheric disruptions may negatively impact the quality of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals and degrade positioning accuracy. That’s why Trimble, Westminster, Colorado, has developed a new technology to mitigate GNSS signal interruptions caused by ionospheric activity: IonoGuard™.

Although the effects of ionospheric disruption are typically minimal or isolated to certain geographic regions, according to Trimble, “it is during the peak where global disruptions can bring construction and mining operations to a costly halt when they are dependent on precise positioning.”

PLANNING FOR A HIGH PEAK

The upcoming peak is the fourth solar maximum Ed Norse, portfolio manager of Trimble’s GNSS original equipment manufacturer (OEM) modules, has experienced since joining the industry. “The first one I experienced in the late ’80s was quite large,” he said. “It was significant enough to shut down some electrical grids.”

The next two peaks, in 2001 and 2014, were relatively mild in comparison. “We don’t expect the upcoming peak to be as bad as [1989], but it does look as though this peak will be larger than the last two,” Norse said. If that’s the case, it could create problems not only for the areas familiar with ionospheric disruption—latitudes along the equator and near the poles—but also mid-latitudes such as the continental United States and Europe. “It’s possible some customers in the mid-latitudes who require the highest possible accuracy could experience problems that may occasionally shut down their operations.”

This can occur during a period of high sunspot activity, which usually lasts for a few days. “However, the problem is not constant during those days,” Norse said, and may last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.

Not only were the past couple peaks less intense than what’s anticipated for 2025, but there were also far fewer customers relying on Trimble’s highest-precision positioning technique, real-time kinematic (RTK) GPS. “Our number of RTK users has doubled every decade,” Norse said. “The levels were lower and we had fewer users [in 2014], but the applications then didn’t require as high of accuracy as they do today.”

For example, he added, “One of our biggest problems right now is running autonomous trucks in mines in South America. We weren’t running trucks autonomously 11 years ago, but autonomy is a big thing now and that requires centimeter level accuracy.”

HOW THE SUN CYCLE IMPACTS POSITIONING ACCURACY

The solar cycle is a periodic variation in the Sun’s activity, measured by changes in the number of sunspots on the Sun’s surface. Sunspots

Trimble’s Ed Norse said applications requiring accuracy within a centimeter or two are among the applications most affected by ionospheric disruptions. “Compaction is an application growing in popularity that also requires centimeter accuracy,” he said.

are regions of the sun with temporarily reduced surface temperature, caused by active magnetic flux reducing convection.

Sunspots can eject material from the sun, known as Coronal Mass Ejection. If the material is ejected toward Earth, this can sometimes be observed as the Northern (or Southern) lights—in addition to impacting GNSS performance. During more intense storms, the Northern lights can extend to the continental United States, as can the impact on GNSS signals at these lower latitudes.

“The more sunspots, the more areas with magnetic activity,” Trimble writes in an IonoGuard technical paper. These areas can eject particles, which may be carried to Earth. “As more particles hit earth, the layer of atmosphere known as the ionosphere becomes more charged, and the GNSS signal delay resulting from the ionosphere increases.”

“In general, GPS and GNSS rely on very faint signals coming through the atmosphere,” Norse said. “We need a good signal from at least four satellites, and if the signal is affected in any way, that can affect our positional accuracy.”

PEAKS POSE CHALLENGES

According to Norse the degradation to positional accuracy as a result of ionospheric disruption can reach as much as a meter. “In some applications, like a car navigation system, that might still be okay,” he said. “But for an operation requiring centimeter accuracy, a degradation of even a couple centimeters is a deal-breaker.”

WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM | 65

NEW TECH Trimble supplies its users with an accuracy estimate so the customer knows what level of accuracy under which they are currently operating. “Then, they can decide whether or not they want to proceed,” Norse said.

For example, surveying operations require accuracy to 1 or 2 centimeters. “Depending on the application, grading equipment might need blade accuracy of 1 to 3 centimeters,” Norse said. “Compaction is an application growing in popularity that also requires centimeter accuracy.”

“We’ve already seen some issues with construction operations in Alaska and grading applications in Brazil,” Norse said. “Although we’ve seen some small levels of ionospheric disruption in the mid-latitudes already, it hasn’t been enough to shut down operations.”

So far, the applications most affected by the upcoming peak include mining and agriculture along the equator and northern Canada. “Mining activities running autonomous machines and mining applications in general are a high-cost application where downtime is very expensive,” Norse said. “If a mine goes down for even a couple hours, that could be hundreds of thousands of dollars lost.”

And, unfortunately, ionospheric disturbances are difficult to predict and, therefore, difficult to schedule around. Although winter is generally worse than summer and nighttime is generally worse than day, Norse said “there will be good days and bad days, with the

Trimble’s new IonoGuard technology aims to mitigate ionospheric disruptions in positioning and navigation by minimizing performance impacts caused by scintillation or signal noise. This graph shows the extent to which IonoGuard was able to improve positional accuracy at a site in Sweden.

number of bad days increasing as we reach the peak—and there’s no way to know when these bad days will occur.”

ENTER IONOGUARD

Although Trimble has been adjusting its technology in regards to the solar cycle for decades, the company began to prepare for the 2025 peak in earnest five years ago. Trimble installed raw radio frequency (RF) recorders at multiple equatorial and high latitude locations to capture both regular seasonal ionospheric activity in addition to activity during some major solar storm events.

The company then replayed this raw data to test the effectiveness of its new signal processing techniques and RTK algorithms before loading this updated firmware into onsite receivers for real time evaluation—to much success.

“For example, in a scenario with 10 or 20 centimeters of error, IonoGuard can generally get the accuracy back to 1 to 2 centimeters,” Norse said. “We had customers in northern Canada and Alaska running beta versions of IonoGuard, and it greatly helped.”

Trimble also has established a global ionospheric measurement network (gnssplanning.com), which allows users to see current ionospheric disturbance and plan ahead for times when higher disturbance is anticipated.

“Ionospheric disturbance doesn’t affect all satellites at once,” Norse said, adding that the receiver web interface will show which satellites are most affected. “IonoGuard will automatically de-weight the satellites most affected compared to the satellites that are not passing through the problem area.”

According to Norse, Trimble plans to continue honing IonoGuard leading up to the 2025 solar maximum. “We were under time pressure to get the technology out because customers are already having problems,” he said. IonoGuard was released in November 2023 as a free downloadable firmware update for Trimble GNSS receivers utilizing the ProPoint® GNSS positioning engine. “Once affected customers install the new firmware and test what IonoGuard can do, they’ll see that it results in a significant improvement.”

66 | JANUARY 2024

ROCK TO ROAD

What’s Next In Cold Planers Introducing the nimble and powerful Roadtec RX-405 cold planer. A hinged cutter housing door makes for easy drum changes, while maintenance mode, with the drum indexer and belt lifter, simplifies regular tooling changes. Bring the same level of productivity you expect from Astec mills to compact spaces with ease.

See the new RX-405.