Preservation Takes Priority
Freshen Binder with GTR Stay Safe: Lockout Pugmill
Remix RAS Use More Tack Manage Material Ohio Smoothes Seal august/september 2012
contents
Departments Letter from the Editor 5 Asphalt Industry Preserves More Around the Globe 6 Safety Spotlight 8 Stop Before You Start Up by Cliff Mansfield Mix It Up 10 Heavier Tack Coat Improves Surface Performance by Nam Tran Equipment Maintenance 18 Maintain Tack Truck for Best Preservation Success by John Ball Producer Profile 22 Perrin Preserves Family Asphalt Business by Sandy Lender Equipment Gallery 52 Prepare Employees for Training Here’s How It Works 58 Gilson’s SG-16A 62 KPI-JCI’s Green Coating Process
10 Articles 28 N.B. West Stresses Remixing RAS by Sandy Lender
28
34 Manage Incoming Materials for Optimum Preservation Results by T.J. Young 40 Rejuvenate Binder with GTR in RAP by Sandy Lender 44 Ohio Smoothes Preservation Results by Cliff Ursich 48 Top 10 Tips to Measure Training ROI by ESI International, Edited by AsphaltPro Staff
Resource Directory 65
50 Arrow Gives Chicago Magnificent Green Asphalt by Sandy Lender
Last Cut 66 China Makes Oil Moves by Sandy Lender
63 Preserve Parts, Environment with Powder Process by Sandy Lender
8 63
Preservation Takes Priority
22 Freshen Binder with GTR Stay Safe: Lockout Pugmill
Remix RAS Use More Tack Manage Material Ohio Smoothes Seal AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2012
On The Cover…The mix produced at this Gencor plant included asphalt rubber and Evotherm warm-mix additive. The use of ground tire rubber and other recycle agents takes the concept of preservation to another level. See related article on page 40. Photo courtesy of MeadWestvaco.
editor's note Aug./Sept. 2012 • Vol. 5 No. 9
Asphalt Industry Preserves More
2001 Corporate Place Columbia, MO 65202 573-499-1830 • 573-499-1831 www.theasphaltpro.com publisher
Chris Harrison associate publisher
Sally Shoemaker sally@theasphaltpro.com (573) 499-1830 x1008 editor
Sandy Lender sandy@theasphaltpro.com (239) 272-8613 Art Director
Kristin Branscom operations/circulation manager
Cindy Sheridan business manager
Renea Sapp AsphaltPro is published nine times per year: January, February, March, April/May, June/July, August/September, October, November and December by The Business Times Company, 2001 Corporate Place, Columbia, MO 65202 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 or Business Times Company staff, 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 and $175.00 all other countries (payable in U.S. funds, drawn on U.S. bank). Single copies available $17 each.
In the asphalt industry, preservation means more than maintaining something on a special schedule. Asphalt professionals save roads, natural resources, materials, agency budgets and more. You’ll see evidence of these concepts in this issue of AsphaltPro. As you’ve probably read in half a dozen places by now, the National Asphalt PaveThe AsphaltPro Staff wishes our friend Chuck Deahl ment Association (NAPA) the very best in his endeavors as he prepares for held its midyear meeting in retirement—again. the Drake Hotel alongside the Magnificent Mile in July. The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) elected to use a variety of recycle materials in the asphalt mill and fill of Michigan Avenue, saving copious amounts of natural resources and keeping a bunch of tires out of landfills. See “Arrow Gives Chicago Magnificent Green Asphalt” on page 50. Even though the use of ground tire rubber (GTR) has a bit of extra cost involved, which an anonymous source discussed with me in private, it offers benefits that agencies are finding worth the expense. Consider the need for engineered agents and extra dwell time/agitation for blending the binder and you can see for yourself where some extra costs would come in. Then check out the “Rejuvenate Binder with GTR in RAP” article on page 40 to see some of the benefits. They include improving asphalt cement (AC) binder performance and revitalizing aged binders in RAP. In other words, if you’re milling and filling, adding GTR should offer a way to boost the RAP’s oxidized AC’s efficacy. That’s no small matter when it comes to reducing premature cracking. As more research comes in, such as that ongoing in Los Angeles County, we may see that the cost savings of adding more RAP offsets the engineered additive carry and other costs associated with GTR. That’s preservation at its best. Convincing an agency to throw oil on a road and squeegee in some rocks isn’t necessarily going to preserve a pavement so much as it’s going to set the agency up for insurance claims from motorists with broken windshields. What a good preservation plan needs is, by definition, planning. Asphalt pavements, whether thin overlays of ¾ inches or a little thicker fills of 2 inches or so can use emulsions and emulsifiers, virgin or recycled asphalt cements, polymers, engineered additives, and more to effect best aggregate bonding and structure all while providing a variety of lifetime expectancies from which agencies can choose. By adding in resource preservation that also enhances performance characteristics, agencies suddenly get a win-win-win scenario that helps stretch budgets, lifecycles and materials. You can’t beat the asphalt industry when it comes to preservation. When you get right down to it, asphalt professionals preserve all those items listed above, and by doing so, preserve jobs.
Stay Safe, Sandy Lender www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 5
around the globe
Industry News and Happenings from Around the World China
Turkey
Oklahoma
During the month of May, China firmed its bitumen imports up by 16 percent as compared to the month of April, with imports from Korea comprising 51 percent of the total. Exports stalled right around 10,731 megatonnes in May, with 92 percent of that leaving through the Zhanjiang port for countries such as Burma and North Korea. The Nanning port was the more trafficked in April, with 90 percent of China’s bitumen exports going through there. Source: Bitumart
Oguzhan Toprak is the new international mining sales manager for the Astec Aggregate and Mining Group and will be based from his home office in Istanbul, Turkey. He’ll be responsible for territories in Europe, Turkey and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). To contact him, e-mail OToprak@astecindustries.com.
Bill Rieken celebrated his 35th year with Terex® Roadbuilding, Oklahoma City, July 10. He is the paver applications specialist and service technician for the company.
Ireland Terex Washing Systems, Dungannon, Northern Ireland, expanded its UK dealer network July 1 when it signed an agreement with and appointed Blue Machinery Scotland, which is part of the Blue Group, as its dealer for Scotland. Blue is a specialist provider of equipment for the quarrying and waste recycling industries.
Russia The U.S. Senate has introduced a bill to repeal the 1974 Jackson-Vanik amendment and grant Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) with Russia. The amendment was created in response to the Soviet Union preventing certain citizens from emigrating. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has been found to be in full compliance with the Jackson-Vanik freedom-of-emigration criteria. Until the amendment is repealed, the United States will continue to be prevented from granting Russia PNTR. All other member states in the World Trade Organization will economically benefit by most-favored-nation status immediately upon Russia’s entry. As mentioned in the CONEXPO Russia article last month, Russia is considered one of the world’s fastest growing economies. U.S. machinery exports to Russia averaged $1.3 billion and accounted for 11 percent of total U.S. industrial goods exports from 2008 to 2010. Source: Association of Equipment Manufacturers
Singapore Register by Aug. 31 to save U.S.$300 on admission to the 8th Argus Asian Bitumen Conference, held in Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort, Singapore, Oct. 10 through 12. Contact elsie.chen@argusmedia.com for more information, hotel reservations and sponsorship opportunities. 6 August/september 2012
United States • Congress cleared H.R. 4348, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP), June 29. President Obama signed it into law July 6. The legislation doesn’t find new monies for the Highway Trust Fund, but does shore up funding for the remainder of FY2012 at $39.1 billion. It is to provide $39.7 billion for highway funding in FY2013 and another $40.3 billion in FY2014. According to the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA), the act does not include federal mandates on pavement design methods. The act does allow for a Government Accountability Office study on life-cycle cost analysis best practices and secures $12 million annually for a new FHWA program to accelerate implementation and deployment of innovative pavement technologies. Sources: various. • For up-to-the-minute info that impact the asphalt industry, follow http://twitter.com/AsphaltPro.
Colorado The Colorado Department of Transportation added more projects for bid. Check out the I-270 resurfacing with SMA (IM 2706-035) and the removal of a silica fume overlay to place an SMA overlay (BR 0252-422) among others at www.coloradodot.info/business/bidding/future-bidding-opportunities.
Nebraska Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman appointed Randy Peters, Lincoln, Director and State Engineer of the Nebraska Department of Roads beginning Aug. 4. Peters has served as Deputy Director of Engineering since 2009 and will succeed retiring Director Monty Fredrickson.
North Carolina Troxler Electronic Labs, Inc., Research Triangle Park, N.C., received its formal A2LA accreditation to the ISO 17025 standard for calibration in June.
Pennsylvania The new brochure “Equipment for the Aggregates Industry” is available from Eriez, Erie, Pa., in both PDF and hard copy formats. Visit eriez.com/ Products/Markets/Aggregate for the goods. The company also announces its 114,000-square-foot facility on Wager Road in Erie is up and running at full production for 2012, which represents Eriez’s 70th anniversary.
South Dakota Get $100 in early bird savings on or before Aug. 31 for the Sept. 25 through 27 Advanced Level Track Mounted Products course from KPIJCI and Astec Mobile Screens, Yankton, S.D. Attendees train in the Scheid-Iverson Training Center in Yankton. Contact Terry Haas at (605) 668-2545 or terryhaas@kpijci.com.
Texas The Texas Department of Transportation announced that it will cost the state about $2 billion to repair farm-to-market and local roads that have been damaged by gas well production in the Barnett Shale. Interstate and state highway maintenance will cost more. Early in the drilling activity “rush,” energy companies often volunteered to assist with road repair costs. Now large operators have left as drilling activity has “slowed significantly.” The smaller subcontractors left to haul mere salt water and mud don’t have the deep pockets necessary to assist with road maintenance. Source: Star-telegram.com
Virginia Congratulations go out to Joe Vig, group vice president of KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens, Yankton, S.D., who has been appointed chairman of the Manufacturers & Services Division of the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA), Alexandria, Va.
Washington, D.C. The Equipment Leasing & Finance Association released a statement June 26 showing May’s new business volume was up by 11 percent year-over-year and up 16 percent year-to-date according to its Monthly Leasing and Finance Index (MLFI-25).
safety spotlight The pugmill isn’t always fully visible from the control house, so make sure workers use proper lockout/tagout procedures before performing maintenance on the component. Also make sure plant operators or others with the authority to touch controls in the control house know where the maintenance personnel are at all times. A simple walkie-talkie system gives the person in the control house a chance to do a sound-check for all members of the ground crew. Photo courtesy of Astec, Inc.
Stop Before You Start Up by Cliff Mansfield
T
he asphalt plant and surrounding yard can offer a dangerous work environment. Accidents happen far too often when workers don’t pay attention to details, aren’t taught good safety practices or become complacent over time. Most accidents can be traced to the same root cause: production needs supersede common sense safety practices. Let’s take a look at one such case in the western United States. On the west coast about four years ago, shortly past 7 a.m., a long line of trucks waited for loadout when the superintendent drove up to the batch plant. For this story, we’ll change his name to John. He’d tried, and failed, to contact the plant by radio numerous times. If someone had asked him, he’d have to have admitted he was pretty steamed when he pulled into the yard and saw that the plant wasn’t running. The plant’s new operator, who we’ll call George, had been late on several other days and had caused some expensive delays. John wasn’t going to have another expensive delay this morning.
8 August/september 2012
He climbed the stairs to the batch plant’s elevated, divorced control house to find it empty. He checked the switch room to confirm that none of the starter circuit breakers were tripped or locked out. In the stockpile area, he could see the loader working the piles, so he knew the loader operator was ready to go. As a recently promoted ex-plant operator, John knew that time was money. He decided to get the plant running himself. A split second after starting the pugmill he knew his mistake. The pug’s access door was open. The fledgling asphalt plant operator with less than six months on the job was in the pug tightening a loose shank. George was 22 years old with a wife, two kids and a long life in front of him. The devastated superintendent took early retirement. How could John have avoided this accident? Was it his responsibility to walk the plant yard checking every nook and cranny for the missing plant operator? In this case poor training, operator error and, yes, management’s impatience are to blame. There’s no doubt that if George had locked out the pugmill circuit breaker that morning he’d still be alive. Pugmills
This clean pugmill features a platform with safety railing and an access ladder. Photo courtesy of Astec, Inc.
and slat conveyors are exceedingly dangerous and notoriously unforgiving to their victims, yet nearly every accident involving them can be traced to that one simple failing—failure to follow lockout/tagout procedures. OSHA regulations require that the power source be disconnected, manually locked out and tagged to prevent accidental start-up before any work is performed on a piece of machinery. In this incident the operator failed to follow regulations, resulting in his death. Beyond that, another issue surfaces. John simply had no business touching anything at the plant without first ascertaining the location of everyone involved at the facility. As mentioned above, a common thread in asphalt plant accidents is a disregard for safety issues in deference to production pressures. Asphalt plant operators often feel tremendous pressure to produce by any means possible. Unfortunately, this shifts the focus off safety and onto money without anyone realizing it’s happened. A clear-cut set of guidelines dealing with the company’s policy on safety issues should be drawn up and distributed to everyone involved with the plant. Be sure to include the paving superintendent so he or she doesn’t unknowingly exert pressure on the plant operator. Remember: Everyone wants to do a good job that the state inspector or owner/agency will approve. Sometimes employees go to great lengths to get results. To that end, conditions are overlooked that would never be overlooked or forgotten under normal circumstances. When dealing with safety issues, one must keep in mind the fact that you need to be safe all the time; you need only be careless once for tragedy to strike. Cliff Mansfield is an asphalt plant engineer and a freelance writer specializing in asphalt plants. For more information, contact him at (541) 352-7942 or send him your question through the “Ask the Plant Expert” form on the home page at www.TheAsphaltPro.com. www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 9
mix it up
Heavier Tack Coat Improves Surface Performance by Nam Tran
Figure 1. AC Strain, Base Pressure, Subgrade Pressure for Sections N1, N2
H
ighway agencies have traditionally used open-graded friction course (OGFC) as a road’s final riding surface to provide safety and environment benefits. Those benefits include improved friction, minimized hydroplaning, reduced splash and spray, and reduced noise level. With improvements in design and construction practices and the use of better materials, especially polymer-modified asphalt (PMA) binders, the performance of OGFC has improved through the years. However, compared to a conventional hot mix asphalt (HMA) mix, OGFC mixes are often more prone to pavement distresses such as cracking and raveling, which results in a shorter service life. The performance of OGFC as a surface layer depends on three things: • durability of the mix • integrity of the underlying layer • interface bond One way to potentially improve the performance of OGFC is to enhance the interface bond between the OGFC and underlying layers by applying a heavier tack coat. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) sponsored a study in the fourth NCAT Pavement Test Track research cycle to evaluate the effectiveness of a heavier tack coat application on the field performance of OGFC. Crews milled test sections N1 and N2 on the NCAT test track and inlaid them with three asphalt layers for the study. The buildup, which consisted of four asphalt layers, was the same for the two sections. The only difference in the two sections was the tack coat applied at the interface of the OGFC and the underlying layer. For section N1: the crew used a spray paver to apply a polymer-modified tack coat (CRS-2P modified with 10 August/september 2012
Notice that the measurements of AC strain, base pressure and subgrade pressure were remarkably stable over time for Section N1, which is the section that tested the polymer-modified tack coat (CRS-2P modified with SBS) at a heavy spray rate of 0.21 gal/yd2.
SBS) at a heavy spray rate of 0.21 gal/yd2. For section N2: the crew used a conventional tack coat distribution truck to apply a trackless tack (NTSS1HM) at a spray rate of 0.05 gal/yd2, as required in the FDOT Standard Specification. The OGFC mix was designed with a PG76-22 asphalt binder modified with styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) according to the Florida DOT Construction Specification for an FC-5 mix. The aggregate mix was a blend of virgin granite aggregate, hydrated lime and 15 percent reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP). The RAP consisted of two fractionations from East Alabama Paving in Opelika, Ala. The first RAP stockpile was crushed and screened on a 1-inch screen. The second stockpile was fractionated on the #4 (4.75-mm) sieve. In addition, the OGFC mix design was
evaluated and passed the requirements for drain-down susceptibility, moisture susceptibility and abrasion resistance. After construction was completed in August 2009, these test sections and other test track sections were trafficked with a fleet of five triple-trailer trucks operating two shifts a day, five days a week. By the end of the 2009 research cycle, the test sections were loaded with approximately 10 million equivalent single-axle loads (ESALs). Researchers conducted weekly evaluation and monitoring of each section on Mondays. Sections were inspected for signs of cracking, and multiple measurements of rutting and surface texture were made. Fallingweight deflectometer (FWD) testing was conducted several times a month, and strain at the bottom of asphalt structure, vertical pressure in the aggregate base and subgrade pressure
mix it up
Transverse Offset (feet)
IRI (in/mile)
Avg Rut Depth (mm)
Figure 2. Rutting, Surface Texture, Cracking Measurements for Section N1
measurements from 15 truck passes were obtained weekly in each section.
Key Findings Measurements of asphalt concrete (AC) strain, base pressure and subgrade pressure were remarkably stable over time for Section N1. See Figure 1 for a visual interpretation of 12 August/september 2012
data. This observation is supported by the relatively stable moduli for N1 obtained from the FWD back-calculation. These observations (i.e., AC modulus and measured responses) indicate a structure in reasonably good health. Conversely, the pavement response measurements for Section N2 increased between mid-November 2010 and early February 2011. This
time period corresponded with the general decline in back-calculated AC modulus experienced in Section N2 from October 2010 through February 2011. Clearly, the drop in back-calculated AC modulus had an impact on the measured pavement responses. Section N1 had about half the total rutting compared to Section N2. The International Roughness Index
14 August/september 2012
mix it up
Transverse Offset (feet)
IRI (in/mile)
Avg Rut Depth (mm)
Figure 3. Rutting, Surface Texture, Cracking Measurements for Section N2
(IRI) for Section N2 started lower than that for N1 but increased more quickly starting in October 2010. This increase corresponded to the time period when the AC strain increased and the AC modulus declined. Cracks can be seen throughout Section N2, and the level of severity and the area of severe cracks were greater in Section N2 than in Section N1.
Permeability test results showed that permeability was not significantly affected by the tack coat application rate or method. However, during heavy rains, Section N2 with the lower tack coat rate appeared to provide better drainage than Section N1. The OGFC layer in Section N1, where the heavier tack coat was applied, performed better than that
of Section N2, where a conventional tack coat was used. Therefore, it is recommended that a heavier tack coat be used to improve the performance of OGFC surfaces. Nam Tran is an engineer with the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT). For more information, you can reach him at (334) 8446228.
equipment maintenance
Maintain Tack Truck for Best Preservation Success by John Ball
W
ith growing evidence that tack coats help open-graded friction courses (OGFC) succeed as mill and fill surfaces, distributor trucks make their way to the paving train more often. Whether performing maintenance on these trucks or distributing material with them, operators need to be careful when working around liquid asphalt distributors. The operator must pay close attention to detail. He must know his equipment inside and out and must know the best way to inspect it, care
18 August/september 2012
for it, clean it, start it up and shut it down to keep himself and his coworkers safe on thejob site. Savvy asphalt companies prepare maintenance sheets that show employees exactly how to care for and operate each piece of equipment in the fleet. The sheet can be as detailed as management wants it to be—including what PPE to wear— and as committed as management wants it to be—requiring signatures from operators, mechanics, supervisors, middle managers and safety directors. Let’s take a look at what a maintenance sheet for the tack wagon should include, starting with
personal protective equipment for the operator: • safety glasses • steel-toe shoes • hard hat • protective gloves Next, the sheet should highlight routine maintenance or cleaning. We all know that letting coked material build up and clog the spray bar is bad news. This leads not just to inefficient distribution, but also puts workers in danger of hot material spraying randomly. Operators must follow inspection, maintenance and care sheets to the letter.
equipment maintenance Page 18: Notice how this Grace Pacific tack wagon has clean, non-worn hoses secured off the ground for transport. The spray bar is clean and neatly tucked in for transport as well. Everything about the business end of this distributor tells us that the operator is proud of his equipment and cares about the safety of his working environment and his co-workers. right: This tack truck from E.D. Etnyre & Co., Oregon, Ill., models a clean and efficient spray bar as the Grace Pacific crew uses it on an airport mill and fill project.
Here are the tack wagon cleaning steps every operator should be familiar with. Remove dirt, dust and debris from… ❑ the cab with a whisk broom and rag. Throw garbage away every day. Clean windows and mirrors. ❑ the engine with a pressure washer, but be careful not to disconnect any hoses. Also avoid the radiator. ❑ the radiator with an air compressor. ❑ the battery with a whisk broom and rag. ❑ tires and rims with a pressure washer. Remove debris and tack oil from… ❑ the stairs to the cab with a scraper. ❑ the brake pedal and throttle with a scraper. ❑ Remove tack from the spray bar with a scraper. ❑ Remove dirt, dust and debris from any spare spaces on the machine with a pressure washer. ❑ Finally, let the engine run for about five minutes to allow the engine to dry. Make sure the operator is thorough when cleaning the tack truck because this distributor can pose a significant safety hazard if not maintained properly. When the operator takes pride in his equipment and follows the steps for proper routine maintenance, inspection, start-up and shut-down, he follows the steps for a safe working environment. John Ball is the proprietor of Top Quality Paving, Manchester, N.H. For more information, contact him at (603) 624-8300 or tqpaving@yahoo.com. 20 August/september 2012
Tack Truck Inspection ❑ walk around the machine to check for cracks, fluid leaks, corrosion ❑ make sure the operator’s manual is in the truck ❑ check the horn and reverse alarm ❑ interior fire extinguisher: make sure the service tag is up to date ❑ exterior fire extinguisher: make sure the service tag is up to date ❑ turn on the truck and in-cab master switch to check all control switches; check the rear control panel for loose wire connections ❑ ensure the left and right wings are secured with lock pins ❑ ensure the spray bar is secured ❑ check spray bar solenoids for any damage ❑ check pressure hoses and joints for leaks; check for loose, cracked or worn hoses ❑ check the burner tunnel for debris ❑ start up the pump; ensure the pump shaft rotates smoothly ❑ check propane tank hose connections for wear, cracks ❑ check tack level; fill as necessary ❑ check HAZMAT placards on each visible side of truck and tank; check reflective tape for damages or missing sections ❑ bleed air tank to check for water ❑ wipe asphalt pump fittings; grease them with 1 to 3 shots of grease weekly ❑ wipe tack coat pump shaft fittings; grease them with 1 to 3 shots of grease weekly
❑ wipe pivot knuckle fittings on each side; grease each with 1 to 3 shots of grease weekly ❑ perform daily cleaning as detailed detailed at left
Tack Truck Start-up
Heat the material #1. Follow the OEM’s instructions for care of the equipment. Wear PPE. #2. Turn on power take-off (PTO) located in the truck cab. #3. Turn on the propane tank. #4. Open the main valve. #5. Check the material level… a) if the level is below 600 gallons, do not heat it; fill the tank appropriately b) if the level is above 1,200 gallons, use top and lower flumes c) if the level is below 1,200 gallons, use bottom flume only #6. Make sure exhaust flaps are open on the top of the tanker. #7. Turn on the main propane lever. #8. Turn on the top and bottom burner levers. #9. Light the burners. #10. Heat material to 110 to 115oF. #11. Open valve. #12. Turn on emulsion pump to circulate material. #13. When material reaches designated temperature, turn off the main propane lever first, and then turn off the top and bottom burner levers. #14. Shut off the propane tank.
producer profile
22 August/september 2012
The Perrin family launched P K Crushing & Materials in 2008 with the purchase of an Eagle 1200 crushing plant. With this recycling facility, they’re able to provide a site in Northeast Ohio for broken asphalt and concrete excavated from job sites, keeping waste material out of landfills.
Perrin Preserves Family Asphalt Business by Sandy Lender
W
hen parents see their family growing faster than their income, they get innovative. In the case of Charlie and Pat Perrin, they made a decision in 1963 after the birth of their fourth child to start Perrin Asphalt Company, Inc., Akron, Ohio. Pat bought Charlie his first pickup truck and sent him on his way. The business grew from sealcoating driveways to paving of driveways, parking lots and roadways. At the same time, their family grew from four to eight children. As it stands today, all eight children are involved in different aspects of the business. Currently, there are five grandchildren learning the trade. Perrin grew from five employees in 1963 to 85 employees in 2012. In 2004, Perrin Concrete Services LLC opened its doors. In 2008, P K Crushing & Materials was established as a recycling facility. This facility was started due to the lack of available dump sites for broken asphalt and concrete excavated from job sites. P K Crushing & Materials purchased an Eagle 1200 crushing plant and started producing approximately 750 to 1,000 tons of usable aggregate products; therefore, they reduced the amount of waste in landfills. Today, Perrin puts down approximately 150,000 gallons of sealer and approximately 100,000 tons of www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 23
producer profile
above top: Pat and Charlie Perrin are pleased to have 13 members of the family working in the business. above: Perrin Asphalt paved the entire hangar area with the Goodyear blimp in a hurry to get going. 24 August/september 2012
asphalt each year throughout Northeast Ohio. The crews mill up about 50,000 to 80,000 tons of millings a year and re-sell them in their yard. To get that amount of millings, the company does its own asphalt milling and also provides grinding services to other asphalt paving contractors. The machines the Perrin team uses for milling include a Wirtgen W1900 and a Wirtgen Grinder W1200F. The company recycles 100 percent of the used asphalt and concrete from job sites. They also accept this material from other contractors with no dumping fees, enabling them to reduce their costs. Materials produced at this facility are then sold back to the contractors at a lower cost than virgin aggregate materials.
producer profile Management is proud of everyone’s dedication to preserving the environment. Workers are encouraged to operate in as green a manner as possible. In their green efforts, Perrin participates in the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) program. Perrin asphalt has been working with asphalt producers, national and metro park districts implementing porous pavement in their asphalt surfaces to provide cost-effective pavements that provide storm water management systems. The crews completed the porous asphalt pavement at Nordonia High School, Monroe Falls Metro Park and the National Park District, among others. The company takes the used oil from the equipment fleet to heat the garage bays. They also recycle all paper and cardboard products. They have switches throughout headquarters that automatically turn lights on and off as people enter or leave a room. Perrin Asphalt participates in a number of certification and industry programs: • Ohio Department of Transportation • Summit County Better Business Bureau • Subcontractors Association • Builders Exchange • Drug-free Workplace • Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design • Construction Materials Recycling Association In addition to programs that bolster business, Perrin works on programs that help the community as well, such as charity golf outings and other fund drives. One of the owners, Kim Hengle said, “We all feel fortunate to be able to work with our parents and each other to help grow the family business to what it has become today. This is a very exciting industry with room to expand.” According to Pat and Charlie, “Work hard, respect those you work for and those who work for you, and nothing is beyond your reach.” 26 August/september 2012
Step 1.
Step 2.
Step 3.
Step 4.
Step 1. Perrin performs the sitework. Step 2. Perrin gets the base ready. Step 3. Perrin paves and compacts a smooth asphalt surface. Step 4. Perrin provides a gorgeous asphalt pavement for its customer.
N.B. West Stresses Remixing RAS by Sandy Lender
D
uring a rainy early 2011, a crew from N.B. West Contracting, St. Louis, Mo., took on a pavement preservation project on Route 72 that included the use of Evotherm 3G M1, recycled asphalt shingles (RAS) and reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP). For best quality control (QC), they found that remixing the shingle product before production and remixing the warm-mix product at the paving train served them well. Here’s what they did for owner-agency Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT). The resurfacing project ran from March 11 to April 12, 2011. It encompassed a warm-mix asphalt (WMA) overlay on 9.33 miles of Route 72 from County Road 5220 to County Road 209 south of Rolla in Phelps and Dent counties. The BP-1 WMA contained a high amount of RAP and RAS. NB West Sullivan produced 25,617 tons of mix and hauled it to the site. They described the mix as a “warm mix 28 August/september 2012
asphalt using Evotherm 3G M1 and greater than 30 percent effective virgin binder replacement.” According to the company, “The BP-1 mix on this project used the latest technology to implement the maximum amount of recycled materials allowed by MoDOT. The mix was hauled from over an hour away and still performed remarkably well even in wet early season paving.” Steve Jackson, manager for NB West, said RAS made up one-third of the 30 percent binder replacement. “Recycled binder was 1.8 percent of the mix; 0.6 percent from the shingles.” Their shingle grinder is Asphalt Shingle Grinding Service, LLC, Peru, Ind., but they have learned to avoid sand in the mix. “The sand can help the shingles feed through the plant by helping keep the surfaces clean,” Jackson said. “It’s more difficult to get a build-up when
everything is clean; however, some people started overblending the sand-to-shingles ratio and were making dry mixes. I believe that the sand helps keep the shingle AC from building up on the plant, especially around the hot areas on a plant where the shingles start to get sticky, like the RAP collar or chutes feeding the RAS into the plant.” One of the issues the NB West crew saw with the use of RAS was a propensity to retain moisture. Given the wet paving season they started out with in 2011, moisture was on their minds. “Moisture causes the shingles to clump up in the stockpile and into the plant,” Jackson said. “If these agglomerations make it out to the job, they’ll tear the mat under the screed. Also, you don’t get the asphalt out of the shingles that you’re expecting if the shingles ball up and don’t get dried out. Wet shingles tend to build up in your drum on your flights. The
Left: “I believe the transfer machine eliminates the bumps due to the truck-paver engagement and also re-blends the mix for the best possible mat,” Jackson said. “The warm mix technology keeps any moisture in the road joints or cracks from steaming when a hot mix is placed on them. The warm mix helped keep the ride smooth.” below The NB West Sullivan plant produced the mix at 265oF for a haul about an hour away. The temperature behind the paver remained steady enough for crews to get smooth results from plant to mat.
asphalt content is impacted by the moisture in the shingles not being accurately input into the computer.” The solutions Jackson offered start with the stockpile. “Manage your stockpiles well. Cover the stockpile. If you do have a wet stockpile, the loader operator can spread the stockpile out in thinner lifts on the paved area to allow the sun to help dry the shingles and the water to drain out quicker. Loader operators need to work the face of the pile to make sure that the shingles haven’t formed large clumps. If the outside of the pile is wet, you can remove a layer off of the pile and get to the dryer shingles further in. “Adequately determine the moisture content of your shingles, RAP and virgin materials; however, be careful
to not change too many variables at the same time without quality control testing because you can greatly impact your asphalt content if you’re not careful.” The Evotherm 3G M1 that NB West used is a surfactant that “ties up” some of the residual moisture in the mix. Jackson said he believes this had a huge impact on the job. Even though the product is used to gain WMA temperatures, the technology can be used with higher temperatures for a hot mix with WMA benefits. “You may have to increase your temperature some if you have really wet aggregate, shingles and RAP,” Jackson said. For the Route 72 job, NB West shut down the job on rainy and foggy days to avoid the worst of the moisture problems. They didn’t have to do any pavement drying before paving because, as Jackson stated, “the traffic was high enough to dry the road before we paved the next day.”
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For teams without that kind of time luxury, Jackson shared that the NB West Sullivan plant has paved the majority of its stockpile areas and has constructed a structure to cover the shingle pile. Keeping the truck beds hot is important, too. NB West used propane brush burner torches to heat the beds before loading. From loadout, the trucks delivered the mix to a transfer vehicle. “Shingle AC is stiffer and as a result it tends to cool more quickly,” Jackson reported. “Remixing can make a job look great and break up any lumps.” The NB West crew placed the BP-1 at a depth of 8.2 inches per mile (2 inches) to achieve a 46.1 percent ride improvement on the road and achieved a 103 percent smoothness. “The project was designed to improve the ride quality of the route,” the company provided. “In order to obtain the highest smoothness values possible, we made sure to look at our entire production and laydown practices to maximize our bonus. Because
we were hauling mix for over an hour to the job, we required everyone on the project to perform at their highest level. We met with the truck drivers, plant personnel, laydown crew and QC inspectors to make sure everyone knew our expectations of them.” “The smoothness was the reason that we did many of the things that we did on this job,” Jackson said. He explained that the company used a transfer machine and warm mix to enhance their chances of getting smoothness. He drove the job in the spring of 2012 and determined it’s still a smooth ride. “The project received a bonus for greater than a 30 percent ride improvement between the preliminary profilograph and the final after the project was paved,” Jackson said. “I believe the transfer machine eliminates the bumps due to the truckpaver engagement and also re-blends the mix for the best possible mat. The warm mix technology keeps any moisture in the road joints or cracks from
steaming when a hot mix is placed on them. The warm mix helped keep the ride smooth.” All the technology NB West had on the job helped get the smooth finish they were after, but best practices came into play as well. Jackson joked that a team can’t have tailgate talks often enough. “Because this was the first big job of the year, we spent a lot of time reminding everyone of best paving practices. We have found that if you start off establishing a high quality routine at the beginning of the paving season, then it carries through the year. If you let things slide, then you have to fight it all year long. Because the quality control lab is at the plant, we have good communication between the plant, truck drivers and QC. We did spend some additional time on the project when we started to make sure the mix would work and to develop rolling patterns.” Jackson had some good recommendations for other contractors who
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"Because this was the first big job of the year, we spent a lot of time reminding everyone of best paving practices,” Jackson said. “We have found that if you start off establishing a high quality routine at the beginning of the paving season, then it carries through the year.” Here the compaction team uses a quality rolling pattern to roll longitudinal joints behind the paver.
have a long haul for a RAS mix. First, he suggests the use of a transfer machine. Then he turns to temperature. “Don’t try to run at extreme temperatures greater than 350 degrees thinking that will make the mix better. It only burns the mix AC that is there and makes the mix dry and brittle. Also remember to tarp and strap. Fill the truck as much as you can. Full loads will stay warm longer. Avoid using large trucks and small loads; the mix will cool rapidly if the mix isn’t 32 August/september 2012
touching the sides, front or tailgate of the bed.” In the end, the company attributes this pavement preservation success to several factors. “We had a very wet spring; using a high amount of recycled materials could have been problematic and caused delays to the project because we started paving
in mid-March. By using Evotherm 3G M1, which is a surfactant, we were able to continue paving without delay. Good paving practices, such as using a transfer machine, proper loading of trucks in three drops, tarping, and heating the truck bed allowed us to pave in cold weather with a long haul.”
Manage Incoming Materials for Optimum Preservation Results by T.J. Young
P
roducers and quality control (QC) managers know that managing the integrity of incoming aggregate material is critical to production success. Incoming recycled materials offer unique challenges, though. Let’s take a look at those challenges and how to meet them successfully. Large quantities of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) come into the plant site and much of mix production in today’s economy revolves around reconstruction work. Recycled mixes have become the standard for most owneragency projects, whether they are Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), state departments of transportation (DOTs), county, Parrish or city projects. As a result, each reconstruction or rehabilitation project generates an abundance of RAP. For instance, a 20,000-ton mill-andfill project with 25 percent RAP re-use generates 15,000 tons of excess RAP.
34 August/september 2012
A 30,000-ton project with 33 percent RAP re-use generates approximately 20,000 tons of additional RAP. A 40,000-ton job with 40 percent RAP re-use generates 24,000 tons of excess RAP, and so on. This RAP is valuable to the producer. With liquid asphalt cement (AC) averaging around $600 per ton across the United States and Canada, and with asphalt content in the RAP between 4 and 5 percent, each ton of RAP re-used in the mix is worth $24 to $30 as a cost offset to the producer. Every 10 percent of RAP used drops the cost of production about $2.40 or $3.00 per ton. Our economies have evolved to understand that allowing our producers to take ownership of the RAP, and allowing our mix designers to design mixes to the maximum amount of RAP content without sacrificing final performance properties is the pathway to success in lowering public
infrastructure costs. Simply stated— recycling, private ownership of aggregate materials and competition lower pavement costs. The producer that doesn’t maintain an adequate supply of this valuable resource will find himself on the uncompetitive side of the bidding table at a letting.
Stock-Pile Up Benefits
What does the industry do with this much RAP? The stockpiles are growing. A complicating factor in RAP storage is that RAP comes in from a project in one of two forms—as millings and as total depth removal. Millings typically have higher asphalt content and less base material mixed with them. They are essentially surface pavement, reduced to small chip-sized material. RAP from total depth removal—also called rubble—will include a wider
Matich Corp. uses long stacking conveyors to build separate stockpiles for separate materials. It’s just as important for producers to create different piles for recycle material as it is to create different piles for virgin materials. Build one pile for your millings with high asphalt content and another pile for rubble that has yet to be processed and screened into a consistent RAP product. By creating fractionated RAP and separate stockpiles for material, you always know what you’re putting in your mix and you keep a firm grasp on your quality control.
variety of mix types, may contain small quantities of base aggregate material mixed in with it, and can be large and slab shaped. Experience has shown that modern impact style crushing and screening equipment can reduce any RAP material, whether millings or rubble, back into a consistent RAP product that can be reused in new hot or warm mix. The advantage of processing millings separately is that the asphalt content in the final product will typically be higher. Fractionating the material as it is processed, or splitting it into different sizes, will raise the asphalt content even further, allowing the producer to gain even more value from the liquid asphalt in the RAP. Typical fractionating sizes in the industry are ½-inch minus (or ½-inch x 0) and ½-inch plus (typically with a ¾-inch or 1-inch top size which would create a ¾-inch x ½-inch or 1-inch x ½-inch
product); or 3/8-inch x 0 and 5/8-inch x 3 /8-inch and 1-inch x 5/8-inch; or ¼-inch x 0 and ½-inch x ¼-inch and ¾-inch x ½-inch. Because millings have higher asphalt content to start with and are “pure pavement,” fractionating millings results in a very rich, fine RAP product to put back into the plant, especially the fine fractions. Because rubble has a certain percentage of base mixed in with it, fractionating rubble will result in some uncoated fines in the 3/8-inch x 0 or ¼-inch x 0 product and the fine fractions won’t be as rich. While this is still a valuable product, and when properly processed will be very consistent in gradation and asphalt content, the asphalt content from the full depth or rubble material cannot and will not be as high. For this reason, producers should stockpile their RAP from millings separately from their RAP coming in from total depth removal. Also, because incoming quantities are voluminous for the reasons noted above, and because plant space is limited, many producers are “going vertical” with their pre-processed stockpiles. When you create a pre-processed stockpile with a sloped ramp, you can store even more material on a given footprint. Consider the benefits. Trucks dump on an inclined ramp. An angle of about 15 to 16 degrees to this ramp appears to be ideal. Experience has shown that this is not so steep as to create insecurity to truck drivers, and that even frameless trailers can dump material safely at this angle as long as the ramp is level side-to-side. A rubber-tired loader then pushes this material off the ramp to create a face to the stockpile. This face, of course, will grow outward and upward, and this will be the face that is mined by the crushing crew. If the loader operator raises his bucket ever so slightly as he pushes off this ramped surface, and drives straight forward without cribbing or turning his loader while he does so, he accomplishes two things. First, he will maintain a level surface from side-to-side for safe dumping. Second, he will leave a small quantity of fines behind that his
wheels will compact to create a sealed surface to the ramp. This has the added benefit of keeping rain water from entering the stockpile. The moisture falling on the ramp simply runs back down the ramp and off the stockpile. Turning or cribbing the loader while he pushes off, however, will result in a crowned ramp that is not level side to side. The loader operator needs to push straight off, raising his bucket ever so slightly as he moves forward, and then backing down the ramp to reposition the loader to again move forward in a straight fashion. Using this technique allows a producer to maximize the amount of pre-processed RAP material he can store in his yard. The producer now has a choice of which stockpile to process. He can start with the milling stockpile with the higher RAP content. Or he can select the rubble stockpile, which can be processed into a consistent RAP product to feed into the plant, but with lower asphalt content.
Create More Options
What if you don’t want to go vertical? What if you want to take fresh millings, stockpile them, and then reuse them running them over a scalping screen, running them through a lump breaker, or running them through an in-line circuit that sizes and crushes material as it feeds directly into the plant? You have options available to you when managing incoming recycle material. Millings that are destined to be immediately reused can be stockpiled with a loader in a windrow fashion, or in a conical shape, but should be stockpiled only as high as the loader can reach. This creates a sloped surface that will keep moisture from rain from accumulating in the RAP. The solar effect of the sun typically creates a thin crust on the surface of the stockpiles and allows moisture to “shed” off the stockpile. Avoid running loader tires up on the edge of either a conical stockpile or windrow pile to create a taller pile. This will compact the RAP and reagglomerate the particles into large chunks. This forces you to use sizing equipment to reprocess the material. continued on page 38 www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 35
continued from page 35
When using a windrow approach, multiple windrows can be separated so that rain water can run between the stockpiles, especially if the grade has a downward sloping surface. Feed the plant from the downhill side to minimize moisture entering the stockpile during production runs. Avoid stockpiling more material with a loader immediately next to the windrow or conical shape. This would eventually create a long, low, flat-topped stockpile where moisture would percolate into the stockpile, raising fuel consumption and lowering production rates. Wetter RAP is more difficult to dry and heat. RAP, like any fine material, typically doesn’t drain once it gets wet, so when moisture has a chance to enter the stockpile, you can count on it still being there months later. Obviously, a conical or windrow stockpiling technique takes a lot of geography, and this is why many producers have opted to stockpile vertically and then resize with a crushing
38 August/september 2012
or screening plant, stacking resized material with a conveyor to create an even taller conical pile for reintroduction into the plant. While this resizing costs a bit more money, more RAP material can be stockpiled in a smaller space, and the value of RAP is high enough to justify this additional reprocessing cost. Crushing and screening, or resizing and stacking material from a large vertical stockpile typically costs less than $5 per ton. Because the value of RAP is $30+ per ton to the producer, this additional processing cost can comfortably be absorbed. There’s more than one way to manage your incoming RAP. The overall objectives are to protect the quality of the RAP, minimize moisture entrainment and maximize the amount of material you can store in the geography you control. While windrowing and creating conical stockpiles with the loader help protect RAP product quality, more and more producers are electing to go vertical with two different stockpiles to maximize the amount of AC they can
reclaim from their incoming RAP, minimize moisture entrainment in the product, and maximize the amount of material they can store in their yard. T.J. Young is the proprietor of T2ASCO, Kansas. For more information, contact him at (913) 634-4967 or tjyoung2@att.net.
Millings vs. Rubble
Millings are typically the top surface of removed pavement, reduced to small chip-sized material. RAP from millings usually has a high asphalt content and minimal base material mixed in. Rubble typically represents total depth removal of a pavement and may include large, slab-shaped parts as well as chip-sized pieces. The content will include a variety of mix types as the cutting depth includes multiple courses, thus multiple designs. This means the asphalt content in rubble will vary as well. Good news: Modern impact style crushing and screening equipment has been shown to reduce any type of RAP material back into a consistent RAP product for use in new hot or warm mix designs.
Rejuvenate Binder with GTR in RAP
by Sandy Lender
A
s virgin materials costs such as crude oil, asphalt and fuel have fluctuated in an ever-ascending arc upward, the newly formed Rubberized Asphalt Foundation (RAF) shares that the price of ground tire rubber (GTR) has remained relatively constant since the summer of 1996. What’s interesting about that is GTR’s scope of use has increased while the price has remained steady. States can use GTR • with WMA, • with RAP, • with RAS, • as an alternate modifier in PG7622 binders, • to reduce pavement thicknesses and, best of all, • to cover concrete. Representatives of the Rubber Pavement Association (RPA) share that in addition to the list of GTR uses here, GTR can be recycled. Because many asphalt rubber projects are performing well, they don’t need to be recycled. Doug Carlson of Liberty Tire Recycling said the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) set out to do a feasibilityof-recycling study on rubber-modified paving materials in early 2006 only to learn that more than eight agencies had reported successful recycling projects at 15 percent or greater rubberized RAP. That’s been a while ago, so let’s take a look at how GTR is working for pavement preservation and resource preservation today. Sam Cooper of the Louisiana Transportation Research Center shared that the Louisiana DOT requires elastomeric type of polymer modifier—specifically styrene butadience styrene (SBS) for enhanced performance against rutting and fatigue cracking. The DOT allows 20 percent RAP in binder courses and allows the use of rejuvenators like crumb rubber. That’s good news considering the positive information Cooper had to share at the 21st Century Asphalt
Pavement Conference concerning asphalt rubber. He pointed out that crumb rubber has absorptive properties that allow it to carry engineered additives, thus improving AC performance and revitalizing aged binders in RAP. We understand that as asphalt pavements age, the asphalt binders harden and oxidize, which can cause premature cracking. By softening the AC with engineered additives, LDOT has seen a reduction in this type of premature cracking. A crumb rubber carrying the engineered additive that softens the AC allows the DOT to specify a higher percentage of RAP in the mix. Cooper reminded the audience, the use of RAP and other recycled materials poses a positive impact on both agency costs and the environment. Using recycled materials helps architects and builders get their much-needed green credits for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) projects. Doug Carlson of Liberty Tire Recycling, lists some common gradations you’ll see for rubberized asphalt. Table 1. Common Rubberized Asphalt Gradations Sieve Size
Field Blend AR
Terminal Rubberized Asphalt
% passing
% passing
2.36 mm (#8)
100
100
2.00 mm (#10)
100
100
1.18 mm (#16)
50
100
600 um (#30)
9
70
300 um (#50)
3
25
150 um (#100)
1
6
75 um (#200)
0
1
During his presentation titled “GTR Use in Asphalt—What You Need to Know” at the NAPA 21st Century Asphalt Pavements Conference in Cincinnati, Carlson explained that plant mixes of rubber in the past used to suck up all the
Team Ghilotti, Petaluma, Calif., preserves CA1 in Marin County between Stinson Beach and Olema for Caltrans District 4. Dutra Materials, San Rafael, Calif., produced the ½-inch RHMA-G mix. It uses asphalt rubber binder with 20 percent rubber content from the wet process and contains Evotherm. Photo courtesy of MWV Specialty Chemicals Division, North Charleston, S.C. www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 41
asphalt cement (AC). “Now we only use about 10 percent.” The rubber is delivered in supersacs (or in bulk) and added by the RAP collar directly into the mixing drum. It needs about 45 minutes of dwell time in the mix, which Carlson said can include haul time to the paving site. He reminded attendees that the rubber will swell a bit in the mix, so contractors should plan for that. “The rubber and asphalt gel becomes like a sponge for fines.” Other current methods of mixing GTR include using a 16 minus rubber and a performance grade (PG) GTR asphalt with 30 minus rubber. The asphalt rubber with 16 minus is field blended with particles suspended through mechanical means. It’s used in heavy duty chip seals, open grade and gap grade mixes at about 30 pounds of rubber per mix ton.
The PG GTR asphalt uses a 30 minus rubber blended at the terminal. The rubber is suspended with chemical additives and is added at about 10 pounds per mix ton. When talking about additives, the industry recognizes two basic methods for crumb rubber engineered additives: the wet process and the dry process. The difference lies mostly in the inclusion or exclusion of a long chain wax in the first and second crumb rubber components of the crumb rubber additive. Let’s take a look at the components and their performance tests. Cooper explained that to develop crumb rubber additives using the wet process, the engineer will use 50 percent of CR Component 1, which is made of 10 percent long chain wax, 70 percent 30-mesh crumb rubber and 20 percent asphaltenes, and 50
RAF The newly formed Rubberized Asphalt Foundation is a research foundation dedicated to the science and beneficial use of recycled tire rubber in asphalt. RAF is a comprehensive, expert resource providing scientific knowledge and awareness to enhance the development and broad use of rubberized asphalt.
As a 501(c)3, RAF is not allowed to lobby, but the members are able to develop a library of research publications that demonstrate specific and quantifiable benefits of various asphalt mixes and pavement preservation strategies; the growing library can be found on the foundation’s website. An advisory board will also conduct research studies to expand the knowledge of rubberized asphalt engineering and board members will present their expertise at events that will enhance this ongoing discussion.
RAF Board of Directors Chairman George B. Way, P.E.
Chief pavement design engineer (retired) Arizona DOT
Mark Belshe, P.E.
Director Rubber Pavement Association
Dr. Kamil Kaloush, P.E.
Professor Arizona State University
Richard Stubstad, P.E.
Engineer at Dynatest
K.C. Evans, P.E.
Engineer TexDOT
Doug Carlson
VP Liberty Tire Recycling
Jeff Smith
International Surfacing Systems www.ra-foundation.org
Contact RAF through Executive Director Elizabeth Dempsey Becker at (202) 560-0500 or ebecker@ra-foundation.org.
percent of CR Component 2, which is made of 10 percent long chain wax, 70 percent 30-mesh crumb rubber and 20 percent de-metalized AC. The engineer will perform the loaded wheel and dynamic modulus permanent deformation tests. To test durability, he’ll perform the semi-circular bend test, the dissipated creep strain energy test and the Lottman test for moisture susceptibility. All of these are performed in triplicate. VA = 7.0 percent +0.5. Mark Belshe, executive director of the Rubber Pavements Association, states that the industry’s experience to date with the dry process has been variable. “The problem mostly with the dry process has been the affinity of the crumb rubber to absorb the light ends out of the binder; it dries up the mix, sometimes to failure through raveling. There are some new processes where the rubber is being pretreated that are coming into the market to address this prob-
lem, but I haven’t seen any extensive data on them.” Cooper explained that to develop crumb rubber additives using the dry process, the engineer will use 50 percent of the CR Component 1, which is made of 80 percent 30-mesh crumb rubber and 20 percent asphaltenes, and 50 percent of the CR Component 2, which is made of 80 percent 30-mesh crumb rubber and 20 percent de-metalized AC. The engineer performs the same tests as with the wet process, and the same number of times. Cooper pointed out that the addition of crumb rubber additives has a positive influence on an AC binder—to the point that an extracted 64RAP40 binder can be graded as a PG70-28. Tests show moisture susceptibility improving and critical strain energy (from the semi-circular bend test) meeting the minimum value of 0.6 required for fatigue resistant mixes. Using crumb rubber and additives can improve the
performance characteristics of a mix, according to the facts Cooper presented. “The use of crumb rubber is a promising technology with significant potential to enhance pavement performance while satisfying current market needs with respect to supporting the recycling of scrap tires.” Belshe shared current GTR stats. “You can get about 12 pounds of usable crumb rubber from a 21-pound passenger tire.” Given the promise of improved mix characteristics and the amount of material industry can get from even a single tire, the asphalt industry has another green process keeping a waste product out of landfills when using GTR. A current study in the County of Los Angeles that Belshe mentioned will give more insight on the use of asphalt rubber mixes with RAP. This may offer more data for the revitalization of aged or oxidized AC with GTR-carried additives, thus more positive use of this green resource.
Ohio Smoothes Preservation Results Editor’s Note: This information is from the presentation titled “Innovations in Thin Asphalt Overlays: Ohio’s Smoothseal” that Cliff Ursich, executive director of the Flexible Pavements of Ohio, gave during the 21st Century Asphalt Pavements Conference in Cincinnati June 19.
W
e’ve been doing thin seals in Ohio since the 1960s when Firestone began studying them with the department of transportation (DOT). Back then, they looked at a sand mix with ground tire rubber (GTR). By 1991, the asphalt industry started an initiative to use thin lifts with some simple goals. The goals were to preserve the pavement by providing some structure, while improving safety and ride, and keeping costs reasonable. We wanted something economical. Let’s take a look at how Ohio’s Smoothseal spec accomplishes all that. When we talked about the economics of the thin lift, we wanted to make sure the materials remained non-proprietary. This would allow the use of local contractors and local materials. The very nature of the thin lift kept the cost per square yard minimized. We sought guidance from other states—taking a survey of state asphalt association practices and materials. We checked out the NAPA publication Thin Hot Mix Asphalt Surfacings. We started with the ODOT spec for latex modified emulsified asphalt, which readers will recognize as microsurfacing today. In fact, ODOT wanted a spec that gave a mix rich in binder and good durability volumetrics like one a latex modified asphalt offered. We specifically went to the city of Rockville, Md., to fulfill a pavement maintenance contract with Smoothseal on various streets. That used a systematic approach to pavement maintenance, letting us plan preventive maintenance. It took advantage of asphalt’s attributes of restoring smoothness and speedy construction.
44 August/september 2012
ODOT’s microsurfacing spec gradation and binder type served as the launching point for developing the Smoothseal spec. We used the Marshall Method for mix design. We didn’t have performance tests on hand, so we partnered with ODOT to construct a test project. By 2002, the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) PM initiative invigorated interest in preventive maintenance and thin-lift asphalt surfacings were included in ODOT’s catalog of PM treatment options. Between 2005 and 2012, Smoothseal became accepted as a standard spec, renamed as Item 424—Fine Graded Polymer Asphalt Concrete. ODOT uses this as a pavement preservation (PM) treatment. In 2012, ODOT let an experimental contract with Item 424 as the wearing course in new construction. Item 424 has two mix types. The first is a recipe mix for all traffic types—light, medium and heavy. But the second type, Type B, is the Smoothseal mix. It is a volumetric mix design using the Marshall Method for light, medium or heavy traffic pavements. The Type B composition has ½-inch maximum sized coarse aggregate and
Figure 2. Economics per Square Yard
by Cliff Ursich
sand particles with minimum polymer binder content of 6.4 percent. This is a 76-22 SBS or a 64-22 with 5 percent SBR. It includes 100 percent two-faced crushed coarse aggregate for heavy traffic mixes to provide stability. A silicon dioxide requirement on the fine aggregate ensures good skid resistance. We use polymer modification to enhance mix toughness, stability and longevity. RAP is permitted up to 10 percent. We set narrow grading bands to reduce variability and ensure consistently good statewide performance (See Figure 1). Figure 1. Material Characterization of Item 424, Type B Sieve
% passing
½ inch
100
3/8 inch
95-100
No. 4
85-95
No. 8
53-63
No. 16
37-47
No. 30
25-35
No. 50
9-19
No. 100
N/A
No. 200
3-8
Figure 3. Economics per Lane Mile
Figure 4. Value is More Than Cost
Not all pavements are going to be perfect for a thin asphalt overlay. Good candidates for the Smoothseal surface treatment show the following distresses: • dry-looking, bony pavements that are porous or permeable • pavements that have begun to ravel • pavements with extensive cracking too fine for crack sealing • pavements with cracking of the surface too extensive for crack sealing alone 46 August/september 2012
• pavements where curb reveal doesn’t permit heavy lift thicknesses • pavements that don’t have unrepaired structural (fatigue) damage • pavements that don’t have appreciable rutting (<1/4-inch) • pavements that have sufficient remaining structural capacity to last the life of the treatment Keep in mind that rapidly deteriorating pavements aren’t good candidates for PM. Rapid deterioration is indicative of inadequate pavement strength. The
thin-lift asphalt layer is not intended as a crack-attenuating layer. It’s only placed at ¾-inch to 1 ½-inch thickness. If the pavement surface has significant irregularity, it will require a leveling course or milling prior to placement of the Smoothseal. To place it, you first make it. Start with the HMA plant. Manufacturing Smoothseal will be similar to other polymer-modified HMA. It will use greater heat during production to get an elevated mix temperature at the project site. The maximum you want is 350oF production and at least 290oF behind the screed. Keep it hot enough to compact, but not so hot as to cause binder draindown. As a side note, Smoothseal has been successfully manufactured as a warm-mix asphalt. To place Smoothseal, pay extra attention to smoothness factors. Make sure you have uniform production, temperature, mix delivery, head of material and compaction. Minimize handwork and avoid feathering. We recommend butt joints. Construct hot long joints or seal cold joints with bituminous material thoroughly coating the vertical face without runoff. Place the material on a clean, dry surface with a minimum of 60oF surface temperature. Make sure the tack coat is applied uniformly. Do not use pneumatic tire rollers on the job. As I mentioned earlier, when we started looking into the use of a spec like Smoothseal, we were interested in watching costs. Based on the average number of years between treatments, and using price data from May 2010 to May 2012 for materials, we found that it would cost 35 cents per square yard to perform microsurfacing, but the agency would be forced to lay out that cash every 5 years. A Smoothseal Type B placed at ¾-inch thick would cost the agency 27 cents per square yard and would be required every 13 years (See Figures 2 and 3). In fact, during our work, we found a farm-to-market test road in Logan County, Ohio, (Route 508) that had been paved with a 1-inch overlay with a 5 percent SBR latex. It performed well for 13 years, but reflective
cracking from the original pavement was its final demise. While counting the years a pavement preservation method extends a pavement’s life is one way to assess its worth, we also looked at measurable values, weighing them against other popular preservation methods (See Figure 4). When studying the rutting potential of Smoothseal, for example, we monitored binder content, the amount of natural sand in the mix, the deformation in millimeters achieved at three different temperatures using 8,000 cycles of the Georgia wheel tracking device. All designs used the PG76-22 modified with SBS. That gave us true, measurable, tangible values for rutting resistance of the Smoothseal Type B mixes (See Figure 5). In the end, Ohio came away with a pavement preservation method designed by industry for industry. It’s a spec that local contractors can use with local materials to save local agencies money while preserving
Figure 5. Rutting Potential as a Tangible Value
their qualifying pavements for an extended period of time. Ohio’s Smoothseal is a success story for the motoring public.
Cliff Ursich, P.E., is the executive director of the Ohio Flexible Pavements Association. For more information, visit www.flexiblepavements.org.
www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 47
Top 10 Tips to Measure Training ROI by ESI International, Edited by AsphaltPro Staff
I
f you can’t prove a return on investment (ROI) from your training program, then you run the risk of having it cut. You may think that measuring an ROI on something intangible is difficult. However, if you follow these fast, hard rules, you’ll be on your way to proving your learning program has measurable impact.
1
Consider the method that Clarence Richard Company uses for its online asphalt courses. The Clarence Richard courses are built so that the student tests his skill set or knowledge base before training begins to establish a base line. Quizzes throughout the course and at the end track the student’s learning. This not
You don’t need to go overboard in calculating ROI. You only need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that your program is cost-justified.
2
Shift your thinking from a quality mindset to an impact and results mindset. ROI is more than a calculation; it’s a way of thinking. Learning professionals often focus on the quality of their training rather than the impact of the learning, assuming that quality leads to learning and learning leads to impact. While quality is important, it doesn’t go far enough in proving that training positively impacts the business.
3
Calculate ROI continuously so you always know how much benefit your program is generating. There are two ways to waste training dollars—train people who don’t need it or train people who don’t use it. Neither of these things has to happen if you have a handle on what is working and what is not.
4
Build your case for ROI step by step. Getting to ROI is like building a court case. You make arguments and then present facts to support them. Ultimately, the arguments and facts prove your training program generates more value than it costs.
5
The more data points you have, the better. The people who matter when it comes to making your case are typically analytical—COO and CFO types—and will likely want an explanation as to how you reached your conclusion. Validate your findings with as much data, from as many different perspectives, as possible. That means the trainees’ responses immediately after the course and a couple of months after, as well as their managers’. When a consultant comes to your site for hands-on training, he can offer data points that you may not think of in a classroom setting. For instance, John Ball of Top Quality Paving, Manchester, N.H., steps onto the job with his video camera in hand. He records the crew’s mistakes and missteps as well as the crew’s good practices so he can go over each lesson in detail with them later. That footage, combined with footage of the crew paving flawlessly a day or two later, is evidence of the fantastic return management gets for its training budget.
6
ROI isn’t just about money. Analyze results that lead to ROI across the following four levels of learning measurement: quality, effectiveness, job impact and business results.
48 August/september 2012
only catches the areas where the student needs extra study, but it also provides management with a clear trail of how that student improved his knowledge base through the course(s). For a company wishing to improve safety skills or meet OSHA standards, such measurements do more than preserve the training program budget.
As mentioned above, the quizzes that the Clarence Richard online training program offers give a clear track of the student’s progress. This allows a manager to measure the quality and effectiveness of the training the student received. In the event that the student needs safety training to qualify for OSHA credits, money isn’t the driving force behind the training and measurement. Having a way to analyze results offers proof of training that organizations often require.
7
Be as conservative as possible in your ROI calculations. Selfreported scores should be factored down to compensate for bias. Additionally, you should use the delivered job impact number reported in the follow-up survey rather than what was predicted immediately after the class. Often, students are very enthusiastic about the learning right after the completion of the course, which causes bias. The follow-up survey results allow for a truer measure. Be aware that you can take surveys when employees return from classroom training at the industry facilities set up for professional education, such as the Roadtec, Wirtgen, Caterpillar, KPI-JCI, Brookfield Labs and many other centers. And then you can contact those centers with follow-up questions in the future. The opportunity for ROI doesn’t necessarily end when the training ends.
8
Know the investment outlay. It stands to reason that you can’t calculate a return without knowing the investment itself. First, calculate the investment: class cost added to the salary of the learners for the days in class. Then, calculate the return: multiply the average salary by the percent students said their work improved due to training.
9
Communicate the story behind the numbers. When you’re discussing your program with stakeholders, clearly state the goals of your program as you first envisioned it, the challenges you faced and how you overcame them to make a difference for the business.
10
Don’t get discouraged by low ROI numbers. They can be improved. Taking a proactive stance and a comprehensive view of job support and other adoption practices will get your ROI numbers where they need to be and ensure the continuation and advancement of your learning programs.
Arrow Gives Chicago Magnificent Green Asphalt by Sandy Lender
50 August/september 2012
below: Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) Commissioner Gabe Klein told the audience at the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) midyear meeting in Chicago that the new asphalt surface on Michigan Avenue is quieter than the former pavement. He said that now “You can hear the kids laughing across the street.” What makes this pavement so special? Both NAPA and Jay Behnke of S.T.A.T.E. Testing LLC reported that the project involved a bumped binder and lots of recycled materials. The contractor started with a PG58-28 base liquid asphalt, but the use of 3.3 percent ground tire rubber (GTR) in the mix gave an effective final binder grade equivalent to a polymer-modified PG70-28 and stiffened the mix sufficiently to prevent the need for fibers. Check out the “Rejuvenate Binder with GTR in RAP” article in this issue for a discussion on GTR’s ability to carry AC rejuvenators. Arrow Road Construction also used RAP and RAS in the mix. Totals were high for CDOT. Behnke explained that using RAP and RAS with a rubber binder to create a stone matrix asphalt in a warm-mix asphalt system was a big change for CDOT. RAP made up 1 percent of the 6 percent binder; RAS made up 2 percent.
above From left, Cindy Williams of CDOT, Jay Behnke of S.T.A.T.E. Testing LLC, Gabe Klein of CDOT, Kurt Bechthold of NAPA, John Healy of Arrow Road Construction Co. and Mike Acott of NAPA stand on the wisely preserved surface of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile with the NAPA Environmental Leadership Award. The bus in the background is one of the many that’s in constant rotation on this stretch of pavement. Klein, Williams and Behnke spoke of the bus routes that punish pavements in Chicago. Eleven routes send buses filled with commuters at quick speeds and hard stops, thus CDOT needed the strength of an SMA mix with its stone-on-stone structure. Williams shared with the NAPA midyear meeting audience that CDOT typically performs maintenance or preservation on 25 to 30 miles of pavement per year. That’s not the story for 2012. This year, contractors will perform more than 100 miles of 2-inch mill and fill for the arterial resurfacing program. Klein said something similar: “We’ll do double the paving with the same amount of money this year.” Check out more about projects and lettings at www.chicagodot.org.
left: CDOT Commissioner Gabe Klein (center) accepts the Environmental Leadership Award from 2012 NAPA Chairman Kurt Bechthold (at left) and Executive Director Mike Acott (at right) on behalf of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Right: John Healy of Arrow Road Construction Co. reported that the company used a 500-TPH Gencor plant at the Mt. Prospect location, which offered a 21mile round trip for haul trucks. The plant site features a 300-TPH 5600LP fractionator for processing RAP. It has two dust silos and six binder tanks. The team made about 150 tons to place a test strip at the Mt. Prospect parking lot so they knew they’d be in the ballpark for VMA and compaction. The crew milled 2 inches off the existing surface, placed a trackless tack and paved six consecutive nights to complete the project. Healy stressed the importance of using the trackless tack, keeping the distributor on the project all night and paving immediately behind the distributor. Segregation of the mix wasn’t an issue. “Because of the RAS in there and the stiffness of the mix, it just didn’t segregate,” Healy said. For building the longitudinal joints, he said they rolled 6 inches from the hot side and pinched to the cold side. Something novel the crew had to work with was foot traffic. New York might have the tagline of “the city that never sleeps,” but Chicago holds that distinction as well. Pedestrians—sober and otherwise—wandered into and around the work zone. “People would walk across the hot mat, behind the paver, oblivious,” Healy said. “Then lots of people were out lending advice.” Right bottom: When the team took cores of the original pavement, they found a thick band of sheet asphalt—which is AC with some sand—at different depths. That led to the decision to mill only 2 inches from the surface so they could stay away from the sheet asphalt. John Healy explained that the crew did structure adjustments when milling during the day to speed tacking and paving at night. The project took 23 days total, which included curb removal, milling, paving and striping, etc. In the end, Arrow Road Construction Co. built an innovative pavement preservation project that used rubber from 2,200 tires, tear-off shingles from about 130 houses and 24 truckloads of RAP. www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 51
equipment gallery
Prepare Employees for Training W
hether you invite a consultant to observe and assist your plant and paving crews or you sign your employees up for online or classroom education, you can set the stage for successful training. Figure out what your employees already know about their jobs, their equipment, quality control and other aspects that are important to your company’s success prior to training. At the end of training, you’ll be able to see the improvement in employee performance. Reinforce that improvement and watch your company performance improve, too. Here are a few specific training opportunities coming up this winter, but of course we encourage you to check out the websites of companies that regularly offer education in your area of interest. Astec, Inc., Chattanooga, announced the dates for the Advanced Customer Schools in late July. When registration opens October 1, students can choose to attend one of five sessions. • Dec. 10-13, 2012 • Jan. 7-10, 2013 • Jan. 14-17, 2013 • Jan. 28-31, 2013 • Feb. 4-7, 2013 In addition to hands-on maintenance and advanced troubleshooting techniques, Astec and Heatec engineers and service techs will offer a new controls class this school year. The three-hour controls class covers networking, diagnostics, hard PLC, warm mix and calibrating for the PMII, PMIII and TCII systems. Visit www.astecinc.com for more information. Brookfield Engineering, Middleboro, Mass., announced the way to take your lab to the next level this fall: Take a one-day training session at the company’s headquarters (or at a major metropolitan area) to improve R&D and QC testing. The “Practical Course on Viscosity Measurements” provides attendees with the tools and concepts they need to make precise measurements and is designed to benefit beginner to advanced operators. The “Applied Course on Viscosity Test Methods” is designed or the intermediate
Astec has added a new three-hour controls class to this school year. 52 August/september 2012
to advanced Brookfield instrumentation user and focuses on test methods and techniques. Visit www.brookfieldengineering.com/services/educationalprograms.
Immerse Heat with Process Heating
Process Heating Co., Inc., Seattle, offers its flanged immersion heaters for use in tanks, large vats and reservoirs. The heaters consist of a standard 150-pound or 300-pound flange for mounting and PHCo’s exclusive heating elements. The heating elements are “dry well” and “low density” design. The dry wells allow the elements to be serviced or replaced without draining the tank. The low-watt density design keeps the element sheath temperature low, reducing the chance of coking or buildup on the heater. The flange and heater tubes can be made of mild steel or various grades of stainless steel depending on the application. These direct immersion heaters are virtually 100 percent efficient, meaning all the energy consumed is transferred to your process, and easily controlled. The heaters can be supplied either with PHCo’s custom, U.L.-listed industrial control panels integrally mounted and wired to the heaters or without if controls are already present. Flanged immersion heaters are one of the most widely used methods of heating liquids. For more information, contact Rick Jay at (866) 682-1582 or visit www.processheating.com. Tell them you saw it in AsphaltPro Magazine.
Powerscreen Launches Warrior 1400X
New for 2012, Powerscreen of Dungannon, Northern Ireland, has launched the Powerscreen® Warrior 1400X screen. The 1400X has been designed with economy in mind. With reduced engine running speed and enhanced hydraulics, the 1400X offers a reduction in fuel consumption of up to 15 percent in comparison to its predecessor, according to the manufacturer. Standard stockpiling capacity on all conveyors has increased by up to 25 percent. With the chassis riser option and the telescopic side conveyor option, the fines and mid-grade stockpiling capacity is increased to more than double that of a standard Warrior 1400. Optimal chute design in conjunction with the new feeder under-tray slide-out feature will minimize any potential spillage and reduce any harmful material buildup around the machine. The Warrior 1400X can be fitted continued on page 56
equipment gallery continued from page 52
with either a Tier 3 / Stage 3A Caterpillar C4.4 ATAAC - 4 cylinder diesel engine developing 90kW (120hp) at 1800 rpm, or a Tier 4i / Stage 3B Caterpillar C4.4 - 4 cylinder diesel engine developing 82kW (110hp) at 1800 rpm. For more information, contact a local dealer by visiting www.powerscreen.com. Tell them you saw it in AsphaltPro Magazine.
Honeywell Protects Workers’ Eyes
Honeywell Safety Products, Smithfield, R.I., launched the Uvex® Carbonvision wide-view safety goggle in late June. The goggles are designed to deliver supreme protection with lightweight comfort. Weighing only 46 grams, the goggles should be a non-nuisance to workers. The style’s proprietary Uvex Durastreme dual lens coating is intended to ensure maximum anti-scratch and anti-fog properties for longer lens life, clear vision and improved worker safety. The goggles are made to protect workers from impact, dust and other airborne particles, and chemical splash hazards. Uvex Carbonvision is available in clear and gray lens tints. Honeywell Safety Products also added Spectrum Control Technology (SCT) tints to its popular Uvex Seismic Sealed Eyewear line earlier in the year. These goggles are designed for use in dirty, high-particulate matter areas and the tints available to consumers are SCT-Gray and SCT-Low IR. These tints incorporate unique dyes and tints that absorb select wavelengths of light into the polycarbonate lens to reduce spectral hazards and more. For more information, visit www.uvex.us or call (800) 430-5490 in the United States and (888) 212-7233 in Canada. Tell them you saw it in AsphaltPro Magazine.
Paint for Long-term Asphalt Pavements
Valspar Corp., Chicago, offers water-based traffic paint, marking paint and line saving paint for longlasting paint performance. The product manager, Katie Whiting said the aerosols have been reformulated. They dry to the touch in 15 minutes, resist all types of elements and leave markings in place for “a very long time.” Valspar’s marking paint is water-based. It can be sprayed by hand or in a marking wand. It sprays upside down for easy use on the job. It’s available in an assortment of colors including bright fluorescents and OSHA colors. For more information, contact John Lanctot at (312) 7687376 or visit www.valsparglobal.com. Tell them you saw it in AsphaltPro Magazine 56 August/september 2012
here's how it works Step 1
Step 2
The lab tech records the mass of a prepared HMA sample in the empty, dry pycnometer; this is input A.
He adds water and places the cover on the pycnometer. *Be sure to secure the pycnometer in place, but don’t over-tighten, which can damage the pycnometer, and that means loss of action.*
Step 6 Numbers in an equation offer Gmm.
Step 5 After drying the pycnometer, the tech weighs it again; this repeated process results in an average; this is input E.
Step 3 The SG-16A Pycnometer is an aluminum volumetric canister 7.5 inches in diameter x 6 inches deep with a transparent vacuum lid. It tests a maximum 2,000-gram sample, sufficient for mixes with up to ¾-inch aggregates.
He applies a vacuum for 15 minutes while an SGA-5R agitates the water, removing any entrapped air.
Step 4 The tech puts the pycnometer in a water bath for 10 minutes. The SGA-5R Vibro-Deairator automates sample agitation.
Gilson’s SG-16A T
he standard test method to determine Theoretical Maximum Specific Gravity (Gmm) is commonly referred to as the Rice Test. The team at Gilson Co., Inc., Lewis Center, Ohio, developed the SG-16A to assist in determining Gmm. The instrument allows the lab technician to weigh an uncompacted HMA sample and determine its volume by calculating the volume of water it displaces. Here’s how it works. First, the lab technician calibrates the SG-16A. Step 1 for calibration is to fill the entire vessel with water at exactly 25°C.* Next the tech places the cover on the pycnometer, making sure no air bubbles are trapped. For the third step, he dries the outside of the device, weighs it, and then records the mass to the nearest gram (D). To perform the Rice test, the tech prepares an HMA sample and places it in an oven at 135°C (±5°C) for at least 2 hours—or a time that matches the mix design procedure. The emptied pycnometer is dried and tared on a scale. The tech adds the sample and records the mass to the nearest 0.1 58 August/september 2012
gram. This is the mass of the sample in air (A). Next, the tech adds water to cover the sample completely and places the cover on the pycnometer. A vacuum is applied until the MA-170C residual pressure manometer reads 3.7 ±0.3 kPa. Vacuum is held at this level for 15 minutes (±2 minutes). During this time, an SGA-5R Vibro-Deairator mechanically agitates the water to help remove any entrapped air. After the vacuum has been applied for 15 minutes, the tech gradually releases it at a rate not to exceed 8 kPa per second. He then places the pycnometer in a 25°C water bath for 10 minutes (±1 minute). He places the cover in the bath as well, but not yet on top of the pycnometer. While it’s in the water bath, the cover goes back on top of the pycnometer in the same fashion as during calibration, making sure to avoid entrapping air. The tech then pulls the pycnometer out of the bath, dries it carefully, and then weighs it. The process is repeated without the 10-minute wait until successive
readings are within 1.0 gram of each other. The average is recorded as (E). The recorded numbers are used in the following equation to report theoretical maximum specific gravity to the third decimal place. Gmm =
A A+D–E
Where: Gmm = maximum specific gravity; A = mass of dry sample in air, g; D = mass of lid and bowl w/water at 25°C, g; and E = mass of lid, bowl, sample, and water at 25°C, g. * If the technician fills the pycnometer with water at any other temperature, he will have to develop a calibration curve to allow for varying water temperature ranges likely to be encountered during the test. For more information about the SG16A, contact Gilson at (800) 444-1508 or jbibler@gilsonco.com.Tell them you saw it in AsphaltPro Magazine.
here's how it works Step 2
Step 1 A worker hangs a component such as a guard and sends it into the first of five wash stations.
Gilson’s SG-16A Step 7
The fully cured and cooled part goes to assembly.
Step 3
Inside the wash stations, the patented Zirconization™ process cleans the metal to help the coating stick.
Step 6
The part travels through a cool-off tunnel for 8 minutes.
Step 5 The part hangs in a 350° oven for 50 minutes.
The part enters the powder paint booth for coating.
Step 4 The part passes in front of an 850° IR heater bank for one minute.
KPI-JCI’s Green Coating Process H
ard-to-reach crusher, conveyor or other components are just as prone to corrosion as ductwork or the outside of a silo. Engineers at KolbergPioneer, Inc., (KPI-JCI), Yankton, S.D., came up with a pretreatment process that helps the coating stick to the metal and slows rusting if the paint gets damaged during use. Here’s how it works. The KPI-JCI worker hangs the part, which could be a guard, a mounting bracket or any bolt-on assembly part that will fit in the booth opening, to be painted on a line and sends it through a five-station wash for pretreatment. The metal is cleaned using the Zirconization™ process, which is a patented, water-based, low-temperature technology based on corrosion-resistant 62 August/september 2012
materials that are free of solvents, phosphates and heavy metals. Next, the part enters the powder paint booth. No primer application is required, according to Randy Heying, a manufacturing engineer at KPI-JCI. He stated that the cost ratio of powder paint to liquid paint is about 1:5. Once the part is painted, it passes in front of an 850-degree infrared heater for one minute. While the powder coat oven and IR bank has a natural gas input requirement of 4.5 million btu per hour, Heying points out that there is a slightly higher energy requirement when using spray booths for liquid solvent based paints. From the IR heater, the component enters a 350-degree oven for 50 minutes. Finally, it enters the cool-off
tunnel for 8 minutes where one fan supplies the tunnel with fresh air and a second fan pulls the fresh air across the parts and blows the heated air back into the facility for heating purposes (in the winter) or sends it outside (in the summer). Once the part is cooled and fully cured, the worker can send it to assembly. The pretreatment and coating process takes approximately 2.5 hours, which is a shorter turn-around period than when using liquid paint, according to Mark Folkers, production manager at KPI-JCI. For more information about the green coating process, contact Lisa Carson at (605) 668-2524 or lisacarson@kpijci.com. Tell them you saw it in AsphaltPro Magazine.
Preserve Parts, Environment with Powder Process
by Sandy Lender
Left: Mark Folkers, production manager at Kolberg-Pioneer, Inc., stands in front of a painted part that is waiting to be fully-cured and sent to assembly. Top: One of the steps KPI-JCI uses during its process is to cure the powder coat in an infra-red chamber. The part is subjected to one minute in front of an 850-degree IR heater and 50 minutes in a 350-degree oven.
E
lectrical boxes, garbage dumpsters, underbody automotive parts, hydraulic cylinders and more are eligible for the Zirconization™ pretreatment and powder-coating process. Such a finish also serves the asphalt and crushing industry, and the folks at Kolberg-Pioneer, Inc. (KPI-JCI), Yankton, S.D., have put a new twist on the process into practice on more than the typical plant features you’d expect. Bruce Dunham of DuBois Chemical Company explained that it’s not new to powder-coat components, but it is novel of KPI-JCI to use infra-red heat as a boost to help cure thicker parts that some manufacturers might leave uncoated. “What’s unique or rare is the combination of the technologies—zirconization pretreatment, powder coat and IR boost to help curing.” The zirconization that Dunham mentions is the specific washing and pretreating process a part goes through. KPI-JCI hangs the component on a conveyor that carries it through a fivestage washer where Production Manager Mark Folkers said the DuBois zirconization process happens. Dunham explained that the washing system uses ambient process
temperatures instead of 120 to 140-degree temperatures used in some pretreating processes. Also, the DuBois zirconization process is devoid of phosphates, which eliminates eutrophication, and devoid of heavy metals that require expensive waste water treatment. “Zirconization is much easier to operate than zinc phosphate with less controls, titrations and maintenance,” Dunham shared. “It has higher corrosion resistance for a longer lasting durable good. There’s a reduction in sludge generation with our zirconization compared to iron or zinc phosphate process.” Randy Heying, a manufacturing engineer at KPI-JCI, pointed out additional environmental benefits to the process. “In addition to the benefits of the zirconization process used in the washer, other powder coating process benefits that KPI realized include an estimated 17 percent reduction of HAPS and VOCs emitted to the atmosphere. Salt spray and impact tests have confirmed greatly improved part finish quality and outstanding corrosion protection. “Liquid paint required a primer application before the top coat,” Heying
continued. “A primer application is not required with powder paint. Cost ratio of powder paint to liquid paint is about 1 to 5. Parts that were sprayed with liquid paint frequently required touch up after the assembly process was complete. That task is eliminated completely with powder coated parts. Finally, throughput has increased dramatically. Small parts painting used to be a significant bottleneck in our process—not any longer.” With savings in time, energy, cost and environmental concerns, KPIJCI uses its innovative combination of technologies to create corrosionresistant components for its customers. To see how it works, visit page 62 at right.
Eutrophication = increasing how quickly organic matter enters an ecosystem; used in relation to a body of water receiving high concentrations of nutrients. Source: toxics.usgs.gov Titration = similar to an experiment; one solution gets added to another solution, after the solution reacts under certain conditions, the added volume is measured. Source: chemistry.about.com
www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 63
RAP-13455 – 1998 Dillman Duo Drum 500 TPH Plant •RAP 13616 – (2) 200 Ton Astec Silos w/ Weigh Batchers •RAP 13567 – 100 Ton Bituma Silo System •RAP 13481 – (3) 200 Ton Standard Havens Silo System
Stansteel Dryer - 41’ x 10’ 1998 Dillman Mixing Drum 6 Dillman Cold Feeds: 10x15 2 Dillman 300 Ton Silos (1997) w/ Oil Heat Cone, Elec Heat - Gate Dillman Main Drag Slat w/ Elec Heat 36”W x 48” D 2 - 30,000 Gal Dillman “Porta-Stor” AC Tanks 20,000 Gal Vert Waste Oil Tank w/ Pre-Heater Under Burner
•RAP 13548 – Astec 51k CFM Stationary •RAP 12674 – 50k CFM Standard Havens Magnum
HOT OIL HEATERS •RAP 13605 – 1.5mbtu Gentec Serpentine •RAP 13604 – 1.0mbtu Stansteel Helical •RAP 13416 – 1.2mbtu Heatec •RAP 13492 – 1.0mbtu Heatec •RAP 13438 – 1.2mbtu Heatec •RAP 13360 – 2.1mbtu Gencor-HyWay •RAP 13377 – 6.0 Gencor –HyWay •RAP 13264 – 6.0 Fulton Vertical
•RAP 13515 – 150 Ton Bituma Silo and Drag •RAP 13513 – 100 Ton ALmix Silo and Drag
•RAP 13424 – 2002 CMI PTD-300 Port. •RAP 13455 – 1998 Dillman Duo Drum 500 TPH
RAP-13055 CEDARAPIDS E500 CF DRUM
•RAP 13580 – 2000 CMI PTD 400 Port.
•RAP13224 – Gencor 10x15 Rap Bin •RAP 13568 – 9x14 Barber Greene Rap Bin •RAP 13523 – 9x12 Gentec Rap Bin •RAP 13561 – (4) 9x13 Barber Greene Cold Feed Bins RAP 12531 – (4) 9x12 Cold Feed System SCREEN DECKS •RAP 13418 – 2007 4x8 Telsmith Double Deck •RAP 13422 – 1998 4x8 Telsmith Single Deck •RAP 13410 – 1997 4x8 Telsmith Single Deck •RAP 12176 – Telsmith 5x12 Double Deck •RAP 13585 – Deister 6x14 4 Deck Batch Plant Screen
• 114” x 52’ long w/ 126 mbtu burner • Shell thickness close to ½” throughout • Rap collar, trunnion drive, left side discharge
VISIT US ON THE WEB OR CALL TOLL FREE
Inc.
PO Box 519, Shelbyville KY 40066 • Fax 502.647.1786
www.ReliableAsphalt.com 866.647.1782
resource directory ACE Group..........................................45, 57 Contact: Carl McKenzie Tel: 888-878-0898 sales.enquiries@asphaltacesales.com www.asphaltace.com Asphalt Drum Mixers.....................16-17, 41 Contact: Steve Shawd or Jeff Dunne Tel: 260-637-5729 sales@admasphaltplants.com www.admasphaltplants.com
CEI............................................................... 4 Contact: Andy Guth Tel: 800-545-4034 info@ceienterprises.com www.ceienterprises.com C.M Consulting.........................................65 Contact: Cliff Mansfield Tel: 541-354-6188 Cmconsulting@aol.com www.hotplantconsulting.com
Heatec, Inc...................... Inside Front Cover Contact: Sharlene Burney Tel: 800-235-5200 sburney@heatec.com www.heatec.com
Roadtec................................................... 7, 9 Contact: Sales Tel: 423-265-0600 Sales@roadtec.com www.roadtec.com
Herman Grant Co., Inc..............................39 Contact: Paula Shuford Tel: 800-472-6826 hg@hermangrant.com www.hermangrant.com
Rotochopper, Inc.............. Inside Back Cover Tel: 320-548-3586 Info@rotochopper.com www.rotochopper.com
Dillman Equipment..............................54-55 Tel: 608-326-4820 www.dillmanequipment.com
Humboldt Manufacturing.........................38 Contact: Robin Bailey Tel: 800-544-7220 Rbailey@humboldtmfg.com www.humboldtmfg.com
B & S Light Industries................................ 59 Contact: Mike Young Tel: 918-342-1181 Sales@bslight.com www.bslight.com
E.D. Etnyre................................................42 Contact: sales@etnyre.com Tel: 800-995-2116 www.etnyre.com
Maxam Equipment....................................33 Contact: Lonnie Greene Tel: 800-292-6070 lgreene@maxamequipment.com www.maxamequipment.com
Boca Construction..................................... 47 Tel: 419-668-5575 www.bocaconsructioninc.com
EZ Street.............................................29, 31 Tel: 800-734-1476 Info@ezstreet-miami.com www.ezstreetasphalt.com
Astec, Inc...................... 13-14, 25, 36-37, 43 Contact: Tom Baugh Tel: 423-867-4210 tbaugh@astecinc.com www.astecinc.com
Bomag Industries...................................... 49 Tel: 800-782-6624 or 309-853-3571 info.bomag@bomag.com www.bomag.com
Fast-Measure.............................................56 Tel: 888-876-6050 www.Fast-measure.com
Bullis Fabrication....................................... 30 Contact: Greg Bullis Tel: 866-981-8965 gregbullis@bullisfabrication.com www.bullisfabrication.com
Gencor Industries......................................11 Contact: Dennis Hunt Dhunt@gencor.com www.gencor.com
Meadwestvaco..........................................21 Tel: 800-458-4034 www.evotherm.com www.mvw.com NAPA.........................................................60 Annual Meeting www.asphaltpavement.org Reliable Asphalt Products................................Back Cover, 64 Contact: Charles Grote Tel: 502-647-1782 cgrote@reliableasphalt.com www.reliableasphalt.com
Rushing Enterprises................................. .47 Contact: Darrell Martin Tel: 800-654-8030 Dmartin@rushingenterprises.com www.rushingenterprises.com Stansteel AsphaltPlant Products............... 19 Contact: Dave Payne Tel: 800-826-0223 dpayne@stansteel.com www.stansteel.com Stansteel.................................................... 27 Contact: Dawn Kochert Tel: 800-826-0223 dkochert@hotmixparts.com www.hotmixparts.com Tarmac International, Inc........................... 53 Contact: Ron Heap Tel 816-220-0700 info@tarmacinc.com www.tarmacinc.com Top Quality Paving.................................... 65 Contact: John Ball Tel 603-624-8300 Tqpaving@yahoo.com www.tqpaving
AsphaltPro’s Resource Directory is designed for you to have quick access to the manufacturers that can get you the information you need to run your business efficiently. Please support the advertisers that support this magazine and tell them you saw them in AsphaltPro magazine.
“Hot Mix Asphalt, Paving the Highway to the Future”
C.M. Consulting Looking for a used 150 tph hot plant?
WE CAN HELP!
2007 TEREX Counter-Flow Drum Plant, w/diesel fuel burner, 50-ton selferecting, back weighing silo w/batcher & 200 tph slat conveyor. 4-bin cold feed w/scale conveyor & slinger conveyor, computer controlled AC oil pump injection system, baghouse with exhaust fan, dust return blower and rotary air compressor. Portable 20,000 gallon AC tank. Plant moves in 4 loads. This plant has made less than 20,000 tons since new. Plant is FOB Seattle Washington and is available now. CMC is available for set-up & operational training. $850,000 obo
Many New and Used Asphalt Plants for Sale New Portable Counterflow Drum Plants, 100 to 500 TPH .......................................... Call. 2005 ADM 160 TPH Skidded Drum Plant, 2-AC Tanks, 3-bin, 90t Silo ..................... .Call. 1980s Boeing MS-200 250 TPH Portable Drum with Slinger & Burner .................... Call. 90-Ton Silo 350 TPH Drag & 12-Ton Weigh Batcher, very nice! .............................. Call. 1978 Wylie 40 tph Hot Plant. Baghouse. Generator, AC tank Complete & Running ... Call. 1966 MADSEN 5,000-Lb. Batch Plant, Baghouse w/silo and drag ...................... $80,000.
Cliff Mansfield Inc. • P.O. Box 407 • Odell, OR 97044 Office 541-352-7942 • Fax 541-352-7943 • www.hotplantconsulting.com
www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 65
the last cut
China Makes Oil Moves by Sandy Lender
T
he Energy Information Administration reported May 31 that total U.S. crude imports fell about 94,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) from the first quarter of 2011 to Q1 2012. EIA considers the continued rise in flows from Canada into the Midwest to be the most important development in U.S. crude oil import patterns. That flow grows thanks to what EIA calls “continued production growth” from the oil sands in Alberta. In fact, reports show the oil sands account for virtually all of the imports into the Midwest (PADD 2) to the tune of an average 1.76 million bb/d in Q1 2012. EIA’s Petroleum Supply Monthly figures that to be a 323,000-bb/d, or 22 percent, increase from a year ago. China comes into play because state-run companies seem to be taking an interest in U.S. suppliers. Officials for a Chinese state-run oil company named CNOOC announced July 23 that they would buy Nexen, a Canadian oil and natural gas company, for $15.1 billion, according to the New York Times’s DealBook. The Canadian industry minister will review the deal. Nexen’s properties include the oil sands in the Alberta province that represent the starting point of the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline. Nexen also owns assets in the United States. It has oil drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, which would give China a foothold in North American oil territory. In related news, DealBook reported that another Chinese oil company—Sinopec—announced July 23 that it had purchased a 49 percent stake in Talisman Energy’s holdings in the North Sea for $1.5 billion. The EIA reported that the United States imports the majority of its crude from Canada at 2.5 million bbl/d in Q1 2012. The next closest supplier is Saudi Arabia at 1.4 million bbl/d. The volume of crude the United States takes in from Mexico, Venezuela and Iraq has declined since last year. The amount taken in from Nigeria has dropped significantly.
Officials for a Chinese state-run oil company named CNOOC announced July 23 that they would buy Nexen, a Canadian oil and natural gas company, for $15.1 billion.
Liquid Asphalt Cement Prices—average per ton Company, State
Apr ’12
May ’12
June ’12
July ’12
ConocoPhillips, Tenn.
$625.00
$625.00
$635.00
$605.00
NuStar Energy, Ga.
630.00
630.00
630.00
615.00
NuStar Energy, N.C.
630.00
630.00
630.00
615.00
NuStar Energy, Va.
650.00
650.00
650.00
610.00
Assoc’d Asphalt Inman, N.C.
640.00
645.00
645.00
625.00
Assoc’d Asphalt Inman, S.C.
640.00
645.00
645.00
625.00
Assoc’d Asphalt Inman, Va.
640.00
645.00
645.00
625.00
Marathon Petroleum, Tenn.
610.00
625.00
625.00
600.00
Marathon Petroleum, N.C.
615.00
630.00
630.00
600.00
Valero Petroleum, N.C.
625.00
625.00
620.00
605.00
Massachusetts Average
647.50
645.00
637.50
610.00
California Average
655.50
640.90
518.00
520.80
Missouri Average
577.50
591.25
592.50
570.00
Colorado Average
394.20
421.35
371.93
xxx
Data for Southeast region, Source: ncdot.org; Data for Massachusetts, Source: mass.gov; Data for California, Source: dot.ca.gov; Data for Missouri, Source: modot.mo.gov; Data for Colorado, Source: CDOT and Cenovus
Crude Oil Activity (U.S. Crude) futures spot data
stocks
May 4
$98.49
379.5 m bbl
May 11
$96.13
381.6 m bbl
May 18
$91.48
382.5 m bbl
May 25
$90.86
384.7 m bbl
Jun 1
$83.23
384.6 m bbl
Jun 8
$84.10
384.4 m bbl
Jun 15
$84.03
Jun 22 Jun 29
May 7
4.057
May 14
4.004
May 21
3.956
May 28
3.897
Jun 4
3.846
Jun 11
3.781
387.3 m bbl
Jun 18
3.729
$79.76
387.2 m bbl
Jun 25
3.678
$84.96
382.9 m bbl
Jul 2
3.648
Sources: Energy Information Administration
66 August/september 2012
Diesel Fuel Retail Price (dollars per gallon)