Asphalt Pro - February 2011

Innovation Starts in the Desert

Agg, Asphalt, Controls Spell Bright Future for Nampa Save Money: Good Veil = Good Temps

Manage Here, Abroad Validate Testing with MPD New Tech for Winter Maintenance Round Up Automation/Technology Know-How February 2011

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CONEXPO-CON/AGG™ features more equipment, technology, products, services and education than you can shake a stick at. If you need information on a piece of asphalt-related equipment, some vendor in one of the 13 lots and halls will have it. See related section beginning on page 31. Photo courtesy of Circle R Side Dump Trailer.

A control house mishap didn’t take Nampa Paving and Asphalt Co. out of the game. Management used the minor set-back to bulk up on B&S Light Industry controls for its CMI PTD300 for optimum efficiency and repeatable mix quality. See related article on page 12. Photo courtesy of Field Services, Longmont, Utah.

February 2011 Departments

Articles

Letter From the Editor 5 What Comes After CONEXPO?

16 Automate Your Production Control

by Sandy Lender

Around the Globe 6

22 Get Optimum Exit Gas Temperatures with Flighting

by Sandy Lender

Safety Spotlight 8 Keep Loads Safe with Smart Haul Practices from National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Mix It Up 10 Using Test Track Data to Validate Mechanistic Pavement Design Models

by Courtney Jones Producer Profile 12 Nampa Paving Regains Control by AsphaltPro Staff

28 Technology Beefs up Winter Road Maintenance State DOTs use new equipment, eco-solutions, more to battle winter from American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials CONEXPO-CON/AGG Preview Section 31 Innovate with Expo’s Exhibitors 32 Exhibitor Listing 34 Top 10 Continuing Innovations for 2011 37 Innovation Spreads to Funding

18 Control house operators at Superior Bowen have a clear view of the loadout area and the immediate technology that improves their mix quality. See related article on page 18. Photo courtesy of Astec Industries, Inc., Chattanooga.

Project Management 16 Manage 2011’s PM Trends for Success ESI International shares top 10 project management success factors for leadership in the New Year

by J. LeRoy Ward Here’s How It Works 44 TK Controls’ Asphalt Inventory System 46 PTI’s Foamer Last Cut 48 Stocks Influence All Energy Prices from U.S. Energy Information Administration Resource Directory 50

Moba technology enhances this R-190 paver from Roadtec to give C.W. Matthews crews a precise look at slope and grade on an interstate project in Rockdale, Ga. See related article on page 18. Photo courtesy of Roadtec, Chattanooga.

22 Good material veiling gives good heat performance. See related article on page 22. Photo courtesy of Kenco Engineering, Co. Inc., Roseville, Calif.

ASPHALT PRO 3

February 2011 • Vol. 4 No. 5

What Comes After CONEXPO? editor’s note

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

publisher Chris Harrison associate publisher Sally Shoemaker

sally@theasphaltpro.com (660) 248-2258

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

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

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

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

This issue of The AsphaltPro Magazine is dedicated to two things: technology and CONEXPOCON/AGG 2011. I’ve noticed that, similar to the turn of a new century, winding up to CONEXPO sends the construction industry into a sort of burst of technological advancement. There’s more on that concept in this issue’s technology roundup article “Automate Your Production Control” on page 18, so I’d like to concentrate on the “event” side of things here.

With technology and automation comes the promise of doing things more efficiently, more quickly, with better quality, with better control, with precision and with confidence. Whether it’s mixing asphalt at the plant, loading it safely from the silo, tracking it by the minute from Point A to Point Z, or placing it at the perfect depth and rolling it to the perfect density, there’s an app for that.

What I wonder is will there be a need for that?

What are we going to do after the excitement of CONEXPO dies down and we all stare at the messes in our research & development departments. Technology has been on everyone’s collective mind as we rush toward the deadline of March 22—and much earlier if you’re shipping the final product out to a stand in Vegas.

Drayage invoices and credit card statements make for a financial hangover that puts corporate bosses in a foul mood. They don’t feel so technologically motivated after CONEXPO, do they? Who carries the load then? Who’s going to come up with the next great idea that provides a super funding idea for the transportation construction industry?

Ah, yes. After CONEXPO, we still have to fight for our right to support the nation. The President’s State of the Union address Jan. 25 suggested he’s all for taking care of our crumbling infrastructure.

He’s all about getting people back to work fixing our roads, bridges and transportation network.

The problem is he’s got this grand idea that we can do all that and build a bunch of high-speed trains that few people are interested in while Congress is going behind our backs with secret ballots to appropriate federal highway funds for whatever special need they come up with. AEM’s Dennis Slater and AASHTO’s John Horsley can get up the morning after such a speech and say they’ll hold the President accountable for his promises (and they did), but who in this country believes that man can get anything besides stump speeches done in the next two years?

It’s Congress we have to appeal to.

It’s Congress we have to write to.

It’s Congress that has to create a reliable highway bill this spring.

It’s Congress that has to pass a strong, fully funded highway bill that contains provisions that keep special interest groups—such as Congress—from undercutting the Highway Trust Fund on a whim.

It’s Congress that we have to get in touch with and get in touch with right now.

You all saw the timeline Jay Hansen outlined in this magazine in December. Get on the ball! The President releases his budget in early February, about the time this magazine hits the streets. By the time dandelions start blooming in the cracks in your concrete sidewalks, Congress needs to have a transportation authorization bill drafted. That’s not a lot of time for members of this job-creating force of ours to get ideas in front of the drafters.

Have you informed your representatives of just how important it is to improve roads and highways? As sad as it sounds, you also have to inform them of how important it is to guarantee funding for improving those roads and highways so your state can make long-term, realistic, efficient plans.

Stop-gap measures don’t cut it anymore. This is where we put technology and intelligence to work.

I asked you what we do after CONEXPO. We can’t wait until after CONEXPO. You and I have to pick up the phone today. After CONEXPO, what does all our fancy technology matter?

Stay Safe,

Sandy Lender

ASPHALT PRO 5

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

At the close of the year, Petrosil reported that bitumen consumption in Spain had dropped slightly for 2010.

Sweden

The team at Volvo Construction Equipment, Gothenburg, Sweden, has laid a challenge before the construction industry. If your U.S. or Canadian team works hard, capture that hard work on film, and then register and submit the video to workingironchallenge.com for your chance to win sports tickets. Entrants have until Feb. 24, 2011, to submit video entries.

fully serviced by the division closest to him. Chris Thompson has assumed the role of vice president of sales and marketing for ECCO Group Americas with support from Paul Shaffer, who has accepted the role of director of sales and marketing for aftermarket.

Kansas

Petrosil reported at the end of 2010, that Taiwan’s domestic demand for bitumen was less than its production at that time, but the company expected that relationship to change in the early new year.

If the U.S. Congress can lift protections against distributing Federal Highway Funds to other budgets, why not continue the practice at state levels? Governor Sam Brownback from Kansas has proposed a budget that transfers $200 million in highway funds to the state’s main bank account, according to LJWorld.com, where the money will be used for social services and other programs. Policy Director Landon Fulmer stated this one-time transfer of funds would not alter the 10-year, $8.2-billion transportation program Kansas legislators approved in 2010. Source: LJWorld.com

Thailand

Kentucky

Taiwan

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

Asphalt Institute (AI) management is proud to add Lyle E. Moran and Carlos E. Rosenberger to the association’s Roll of Honor. Moran was instrumental in developing and sustaining a Centre of Excellence for asphalt at the Sarnia Research Centre and holds 12 U.S. patent awards as well as the AI Distinguished Service Award. Rosenberger recently spent 27 years as a senior regional engineer for AI and led a national research project to improve longitudinal joint construction, specification and acceptance. Source: AI

Florida

Maryland

Petrosil announced at the close of 2010 that bitumen FOB prices in Thailand were down by 4 percent for the year, but demand of domestic bitumen, and import, grew for the nation “at a healthy pace.”

United States

John Mica (R-Fla) might get on board high-speed rail in his home state, if the majority of the funding, $2.4 billion in Federal stimulus money, for the project is complemented by private interests. Because the rail will connect the tourist destination of Orlando to a major airport hub in Tampa, Mica and many pundits feel the private sector should invest in the rail’s successful completion. Source: The Florida Times Union

Idaho

ECCO Group, Boise, announces structural changes that embrace a global restructuring of its safety business in three geographic regions: ECCO Group Americas in the United States; ECCO Group Europe in the United Kingdom (covering Africa and the Middle East); and ECCO Group Asia-Pacific in Australia. The realignment of all export customers means that each customer is 6 february 2011

NAPA staff met late in December with allied organizations to review an EPA pre-proposal to reduce exposure to particulate matter/fugitive dust by up to 50 percent. Research shows the majority of fugitive dust from asphalt plants and quarrying operations comes from unpaved roads and stockpiles and that aggregate crushing operations produce very low emissions.

Because quarries already use best available control technology, the only apparent solution to reduce dust further would be to cut production. NSSGA estimates the magnitude of impact could be to reduce quarrying operations by as much as 67 percent. NAPA members are also starting to encounter more stringent fugitive dust requirements during permit applications and renewals. EPA’s proposed rule is due out in February. NAPA plans to participate in a Fugitive Dust / Coarse Particulate Matter Coalition and will keep NAPA members informed as the issue progresses. Source: NAPA

Massachusetts Brookfield Engineering, Middleboro, Mass., again hosts its “Practical Course on Viscosity Measurements” and “Applied Course on Viscosity Test Methods” one-day training sessions at the company’s headquarters and at major metropolitan areas across the United States this spring. For course information, to register or to schedule a course at your lab, call (800) 628-8139 or visit www.brookfieldengineering.com/services/ educational-programs.

Missouri Emerson Industrial Automation, a division of Emersion, St. Louis, has released an updated version of its desk reference Drives and Components catalog, which features new drive tables and showcases v-belts, sheaves and bushings, poly-v sheaves, gears, sprockets, chain drives, and more. Visit www. emerson-ept.com to order your copy or view it online at www. emersononlinecatalog.com.

New Hampshire BID2WIN Software, Inc., Portsmouth, N.H., will host its annual user conference at the Encore Las Vegas right before CONEXPOCON/AGG, March 19 through 20. Register now with Megan Call at mcall@bid2win.com or (800) 336-3808 x2540.

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell of Virginia has presented an idea to the General Assembly for a highway funding investment bank in the state. One of the ways to fund the bank that he’s suggesting is to take funds already being raised from existing sales tax revenue. Source: The Virginian-Pilot

Washington, D.C. • The Roadway Safety Foundation and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will accept applications for the 2011 National Roadway Safety Awards until May 1. Visit www.roadwaysafety.org for the nomination package.

• AASHTO is making its facebook page available for viewers to post their own YouTube videos and written comments about their transportation priorities and ideas in an effort to influence the legislative process. Visit www.facebook. com/pages/American-Association-of-State-Highwayand-Transportation-Officials to make your voice heard.

SAFETY SPOTLIGHT Keep Loads Safe with Smart Haul Practices from National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

I

t was three years ago that a 47-year-old male truck driver for trailer until all material is completely offloaded from the trailer and a Massachusetts company tried to dislodge material from the the movable floor unloading system is turned off. unloading system of his open top tractor-trailer unit. The trailer had 3. Conduct routine hazard assessments of equipment and how tasks a movable floor unloading system, which presents safe work aspects in are completed to identify potential hazards to which workers are some cases, such as keeping truck bodies from lifting into power lines, exposed. etcetera. During the unloading process, it appears the truck’s material 4. Identify all confined spaces and develop, implement and enforce a became jammed and the operator stepped from the top of the trailer permit space program for permit-required confined spaces, such as onto the material pile. The pile gave way as he stepped onto it and he loaded trailers. was engulfed and suffocated by the material.

5. Provide employees frequent training on loading, unloading and It took 20 minutes before a co-worker realized the victim had not clearing jammed product from tractor trailers. FACE researchers been seen for a while. When the co-worker walked over to the victim’s remind employers that training is not going to be effective if the trailer, he found the victim in the discharged pile of material at the rear employer doesn’t strictly enforce the training content. Enforcement of the trailer. When emergency medical services (EMS) and local police should include random inspections of employee work habits related arrived, the victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The medical to the training’s content. examiner listed the cause of death as cardiac arrest due to compresWhile the Massachusetts company in this example had a written sion asphyxia. employee manual that included health and safety information, the Such a tragedy is preventable at your production facility. The company’s initial on-the-job training for employees did not include a Massachusetts Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) confined space entry program, according to FACE. The company also had program, a division of NIOSH, made the following recommendations written company protocols for operating the movable floor system of to help employers keep truck drivers trailers and for clearing any potential safe when it comes to trailers with jams during the use of the movable Automatic sweeping tarps are movable unloading systems. floor system, but the employee in 1. Minimize product jamming by question didn’t follow those instrucdesigned to sweep a trailer’s floor, ensuring that trailers equipped tions. The protocol to clear jams reducing the number of times with both cross stability bars and included directions to shuffle the movable floor unloading systems floor unloading system by employees have to enter the trailer. movable are not loaded up to or above the having the system move in the forward cross stability bar. Fleet managers and reverse directions in quick succeswill want to be cautious with this concept. In some cases, FACE sions. The company’s protocol states that employees should not walk on researchers state that an option to minimize product jamming top of a load while the movable floor is in operation. while unloading is for employers to use movable floor unloading NIOSH FACE researchers had a task for OEMs to help keep workers systems only in trailers designed without cross stability bars. safe as well. They recommend manufacturers of movable floor unloading Trailers designed without these bars, although heavier than those systems should consider providing safety decals that address the hazards with the bars, would allow woodchips and other loaded products of engulfment, clearing jams and overloading trailers. It should be made to flow continuously from the front to the rear of the trailer when clear that the decals are to be placed on trailers in which movable floor being offloaded. However, FACE researchers point out that cross unloading systems are installed. stability bars should never be removed from a trailer without first While the accident that took place in January of 2008 cannot be consulting the trailer’s original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or reversed, trailer operators and employers can learn from the unfortunate an engineer. incident. A worker lost his life when he went about the daily business of 2. Ensure that trailers with movable floor unloading systems are either clearing a material jam in the back of his truck. By enforcing the training equipped with automatic sweeping tarps or that manual sweeping you provide trailer operators at your facility, you can keep this kind of does not begin until after the entire trailer has been offloaded. Automindset from settling into your employees. No one should think it’s matic sweeping tarps are designed to sweep a trailer’s floor, reducing acceptable to climb onto a load of material in the back of a truck. The the number of times employees have to enter the trailer. If trailers are staff at AsphaltPro sends our condolences to the family and co-workers not equipped with automatic sweeping tarps and need to be swept who lost a loved one and a colleague, and hope that others can learn manually, employers should ensure that employees do not enter the from the recommendations FACE has set out in light of the accident.

8 february 2011

mix it up Using Test Track Data to Validate Mechanistic Pavement Design Models

by Courtney Jones

A

sphalt pavement thickness has historically been designed based on vehicle type, standardized axle loads and material properties based on results from the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Road Test in the late 1950s. In recent years, however, pavement design has begun to shift toward a mechanistic-empirical framework that uses engineering principles to design pavement structures that will resist specific distresses, including fatigue cracking and rutting, over the required performance period.

Mechanistic-empirical (M-E) design incorporates material properties and environmental data, and uses mechanical analysis to more accurately model a pavement structure. Pavement response, which is calculated based on expected traffic loading, can then be used to predict pavement performance through empirical correlations.

Figure 1

M-E design is slated to become the new AASHTO standard, with DarWIN M-E software scheduled for release in early 2011. As M-E design is implemented, there is an ongoing need for local calibration/validation of the empirically derived pavement performance models, which depend on both materials and climate. Data from structural sections at the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) test track provide a perfect opportunity to compare actual pavement performance with that predicted by M-E design models.

Comparing Actual and Predicted Performance A variety of inputs are needed in the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) analysis procedure, including the following: Figure 2

Figure 3 Figure 4

Figure 1. Comparison of measured and MEPDG-predicted IRI values for all sections. Figure 2. Comparison of measured and MEPDG-predicted rut depths for all sections. Figure 3. Comparison of measured and MEPDG-predicted fatigue cracking for all sections. Figure 4. Comparison of measured and predicted fatigue cracking for section N7 using the TTI-developed fatigue model.

10 february 2011

• detailed traffic data, referred to as load spectra • detailed climate data, such as air temperature, rainfall, wind speed, relative humidity and percent cloud cover • mechanistic material properties—dynamic modulus (E*) for hot mix asphalt (HMA) and resilient modulus (Mr) for granular base and subgrade materials • HMA properties, such as asphalt content, lift thickness and density These inputs are readily available for the structural sections of the completed 2003 and 2006 research cycles at the test track. These sections were instrumented with strain gauges to measure pavement response under loading and were subjected to 10 million equivalent single-axle loads (ESALs) during each two-year testing cycle. Design variables included total hot-mix asphalt (HMA) thickness, HMA mix type, base material type and subgrade material type. All structural sections were assessed on a weekly basis for surface performance (rut depth, fatigue cracking and international roughness index, or IRI) as well as structural response (strain and pressure).

A comparison of measured and predicted IRI values for all sections (Figure 1) shows that the MEPDG model gives fairly reasonable results. Several sections, most notably N1 2003 and N2 2003, exhibited severe fatigue cracking—well beyond what is typically considered failure—and the resulting roughness is reflected in the measured IRI data but not in the MEPDG-predicted values for those sections, since the MEPDG model is not based on such severe distress. When comparing actual and predicted rut depths for all sections (Figure 2), it can be seen that the MEPDG rutting model overpredicts permanent deformation, but this can be calibrated or corrected with a simple offset. However, a comparison of measured and predicted fatigue cracking for all sections (Figure 3) reveals mixed results. In several cases, the MEPDG fatigue model does not match actual performance.

NCAT plans to continue MEPDG validation/calibration efforts as data becomes available for structural sections currently under loading at the test track.

Test Track Data Used in TexME Calibration

Recent research conducted by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) also employed data from previous test track structural sections in calibrating and validating distress prediction models within the proposed TexME design system.

To predict rutting, TTI selected the VESYS layer rutting model, which accounts for the permanent deformation properties of each layer. Material properties were determined using dynamic modulus and repeated load testing. Calibration of the proposed rutting prediction model involved three correction factors—pavement temperature, modulus and HMA thickness—that were determined using field rutting data. Eight structural sections from the 2006 NCAT test track cycle, representing a range of rut depths from low to very high, were used to determine the pavement temperature and modulus correction factors.

In addition, the LTPP SPS-5 sections on US175 in Texas were used to determine the thickness correction factor. The correction factors were established by minimizing the difference between predicted and measured rutting. The accuracy of the calibrated rutting model was verified using data from three sections of the 2000 test track cycle, with predicted rutting generally matching the rutting observed in the field. The proposed TexME fatigue cracking model, which considers crack initiation and crack propagation, uses an enhanced two-step Overlay Test to determine HMA fracture properties. Preliminary calibration included data from seven 2006 test track sections, some with no fatigue cracking and others exhibiting severe fatigue damage. The differences between measured and predicted fatigue cracking were minimized in order to develop the necessary calibration factors. Figure 4 illustrates the measured and predicted fatigue cracking for section N7. Data from two sections of the 2003 test track cycle were used to validate the fatigue cracking model.

Performance data from the current test track cycle will allow further validation/calibration of the TexME distress prediction models.

Courtney Jones is a writer for the National Center for Asphalt Technology. This article is reprinted with permission from NCAT.

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AT WORK Since 1994

RFID + GPS

Tracking the transportation of construction material with wireless technology delivered on a web based platform.

Enterprise electronic data acquisition and real-time monitoring of plant energy.

Process Controls for Asphalt Plants Emulsion Plants

www.mindsinc.ca • 250.862.8813 contact@mindsinc.ca

producer profile

From left to right, the B&S Light Digi-Loader, Hauck burner control and EZ-Blend controls are within arm’s reach for Plant Operator Benjie Hughes. He can see the extended truck scales and two silos from the control house. The trucks he loads are a mix of company-owned and customers’ trucks. He explained that Nampa Asphalt and Paving Co. runs about 20 trucks of their own. “If we ‘rent’ trucks, they are typically used for hauling gravel and not asphalt as we like to use our experienced drivers for the asphalt laydown.”

Nampa Paving Regains Control

by AsphaltPro Staff

N

ot every company starts out with a plant already in place. The owners at Nampa Paving and Asphalt Co., Nampa, Idaho, had that kind of plan in mind. Back in 1984, they bought an existing company that owned a hot mix asphalt (HMA) plant and put it to work in combination with a grading crew, paving crew and all the trimmings.

They had some shuffling to do in the early years.

First, they moved their plant to Boise for production around 1990 or ’91. When they moved their headquarters operation to their current location, Karcher Road in Nampa, they purchased an early ’80s CMI PTD300 triple drum rated for 300 tons per hour (TPH) for home base.

By 1998, managers decided two plants was one too many for their needs.

The company retained the CMI plant and upgraded it with a new drum and baghouse, extended the truck scales and added another silo. In the early 2000s, they 12 february 2011

The EZ-Blend™ system from B&S Light Industries, Oklahoma City, offers Nampa repeatable quality. It can control 2 liquid asphalts, 2 recycled materials, 12 cold feed bins, multiple mineral fillers, baghouse fines, anti-strip, lime, rejuvenator and other materials, thus expanding as Nampa grows. It will handle an infinite number of raw materials and an infinite number of mix formulas with history breakdowns for each.

upgraded the control house with B&S Light controls. They didn’t count on a set-back last winter to force more upgrades.

Plant Operator Benjie Hughes told the story of winter 2009/2010 when the set-back occurred. Luckily, Nampa Paving and Asphalt Co. goes from 50 employees in the busy season to a skeleton crew during the down season, and the plant had already shut down when an electrical short caused a problem in the control house.

“There was an electrical short in the main panel coming from the power company, which in turn completely engulfed the control house with electrical insulation smoke,” Hughes explained. “With the help of the insurance company, it was decided that everything needed to be replaced, including all the switch gear as it couldn’t be trusted anymore.”

The good news is no one was hurt; Hughes attributes that to the season. “No one was hurt because we were down for the winter already.”

The silver lining from this dark cloud is Nampa was able to work with Scott Roy of Field Services of Longmont to get a new-to-them control house with new controls from B&S Light Industries. Hughes explained that their previous general manager investigated several companies who provided controls and selected B&S as their best fit. Now Hughes can list the EZ-Blend™, Digi-Loader, Hauck burner control, touch screen controls, and virgin and RAP scale integrators as automation he uses in the larger-and-improved control house.

While the house that Roy built from scratch may have been for another client who outgrew it, it met Nampa’s needs perfectly, according to Nampa staff.

They say Roy was able to tie it all into the plant perfectly and they attribute the plant’s efficiency to the increased number of automated systems, among a knowledgeable crew.

For all this new technology and automation, Hughes had no trouble getting up to speed. “I find it to be user-friendly with an excellent technical support team.”

He explained that automation makes the plant operator’s job easier. “The control technology makes all components run consistently when calibrated on a regular basis.”

As an example, he used the 2010 paving season.

“All mix made in 2010 after the installation of the new control house and controls met all required volumetrics as well as volumetric bonuses on some jobs.” The mixes Hughes boasts about aren’t run-of-the-mill mixes, either. The company now has two silos at 100 tons capacity each and runs recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) about 95 percent of the time, typically at a 15 percent ratio. They haven’t jumped on the warm-mix asphalt (WMA) train yet, but Hughes said management has discussed it. They supply their own crews, of course, but customer needs take up about 10 percent of their production.

Hughes has been with Nampa for 17 years. He started out working on a grade crew and moved up to grade crew foreman. From there, he took over running the plant when the previous plant operator retired.

He suggests that other plant operators can adjust to automation and controls as easily as he did because “change is not always bad.”

For a company like Nampa, change can range from jobs to responsibilities. The company is known in the Treasure Valley for efficient, quality work. Hughes was proud to weigh in on the crew’s success: “Our paving crew is known in the valley for being the most efficient as they can lay more asphalt in one day than any other according to our plant size. With our 300 tph plant, we can lay over 2,000 tons in an 8- to 10-hour shift. It

would be more with a bigger plant.” In fact, the team at Nampa sees the crew laying closer to 3,000 tons on straight pulls already.

One way the crew stays efficient is with veteran workers; another is through good training. “Our paving superintendent has been with us for 22 years and our paving foreman has been with us 16 years, so with seasonal workers and such, it’s not hard to bring them in and train them.”

As in Hughes’ case, workers can move up through the ranks when they show promise and skill. It’s that kind of change, and acceptance of change, that makes a good employee in any company.

Nampa also keeps its fulltime employees working. “We keep all our key employees busy all winter working on various shop projects. Both our superintendent and foreman have vast knowledge of maintenance, mechanics, fabricating, etcetera, and make sure all the paving equipment is in good order, as well as helping on the maintenance of the hot plant.”

While no one can predict the future, management at Nampa Paving and Asphalt Co. has set the company up for success. Hughes stated that the company was able to take on quite a few projects funded with stimulus money in 2010, but the industry can’t expect to dip from that well again. “We’re not sure what will happen in 2011,” Hughes said.

“However, we are prepared for whatever comes our way that is a ‘fit’ for us. We are well established with low overhead.”

Hughes describes a company that’s free of debt with little or no equipment financing and that has automated production controls to produce bonus-worthy, repeatable mix designs for its dependable paving crew. Nampa Paving and Asphalt Co. is set up with a winning combination for its business, and with a quality plan for its customers and clients, no matter what the next season brings.

project management Manage 2011’s PM Trends for Success ESI International shares top 10 project management success factors for leadership in the New Year

by J. LeRoy Ward

I

n early January, ESI International, Arlington, Va., an international project management learning company, revealed our Top 10 Global Project Management Trends for 2011.

Key themes include building the project manager’s (PM) influence, accelerating new leadership and communication skills, and increased use of informal learning approaches such as social media and experiential training.

A global panel of consultants and senior executives assembled by ESI identified the trends.

1. Leadership skills will be the PM’s critical success factor.

Leadership skills, such as critical thinking, crucial communication and organizational change management, will be strategically imperative project management competencies to master. In 2011’s project management landscape—which will feature more complex projects and greater use of virtual teams—being on time and on budget will require not just a laser-like focus on the triple constraints, but on the requisite leadership skills necessary for an individual PM’s success. The challenge for organizations will be to define what “leadership” means in the project and program management context.

2. No industry will be spared from the war for PM talent.

Savvy talent management and retention strategies will be essential to ward off poaching in 2011. Although economic recovery has been uneven worldwide, PMs with the greatest mobility and experience will have the best opportunities for career growth through “overseas” assignments.

In particular, India and China will continue to be plagued by a lack of competent and experienced PMs to manage large and complex infrastructure and IT projects.

Additionally, as mega-projects at the King Abdullah Economic City north of Jeddah and King Abdullah Financial District on the outskirts of Riyadh kick into high gear, 16 february 2011

more opportunities for work in the Middle East will become a reality.

3. Agile will be seen for what it is…and isn’t.

Project management organizations embracing Agile software and product development approaches will continue to grow while being faced with the challenge of demonstrating return-on-investment through Agile adoption. In addition, they will need to disabuse their stakeholders and executives of the expectations set by IT consultants, the media and the vendor community that Agile is the next “silver bullet.” Organizations that do it right— including selecting the right projects for Agile—will reap the rewards.

4. Competency models will be core to managing professional development and promotions for PMs.

As project management gains greater acceptance as a discipline, the hiring, assignment, promotion and professional development of PMs will be based on comprehensive competency models. For these models to be effective, they must be company-specific. Competency models illuminate the behaviors required for a PM to be successful and take on larger and more complex projects. Accordingly, the CLO (or senior HR executive), business unit heads and the enterprise project management office (EPMO) need to work shoulder-to-shoulder to identify and codify organization-specific competencies, thereby building a framework for talent management success.

5. Experiential learning will be more the norm than the exception.

The professional development of PMs will increasingly focus on reality-based learning

This Powerpoint slide shows a real process from envisioning a product or trend to releasing it successfully to the marketplace.

Organizations will continue to develop and exploit informal learning approaches such as communities of practice (CoP), various forms of social media, as well as coaching and mentoring. and on-the-job training, an approach certain organizations in Asia have taken for many years. Learning providers will be required to send PMs back to the job from such sessions with the ability to immediately apply what they learned to their current projects. Even the many universities that offer project management degrees will face the challenge of making their courses and programs relevant and practical based on participants’ real projects. The lecture mode is dead.

6. Informal learning for PMs will gain momentum.

Organizations will continue to develop and exploit informal learning approaches such as communities of practice (CoP), various forms of social media, as well as coaching and mentoring. With millenials joining the workforce in greater numbers, we will witness more effective use of social learning technologies and approaches, such as wikis, blogs, videos, podcasts and other methods of communication. With four generations now in the workplace, it is not only the millenials who will benefit by such relatively new forms of learning.

7. Project sponsorship will become an area of focus in South Asia.

The roles and responsibilities of the project sponsor will be a key focus in South Asia, especially in India and Bangladesh, as organizations try to accelerate their structured approach to project management. Such organizations are trying to avoid the experience of others in their industries around the world whose “spotty” record of success in project sponsorship has contributed in whole, or in part, to less than successful projects.

8. Outsourcing will remain a risky business.

The continued growth of outsourcing will force organizations to pay more heed to its associated risks and conduct better due diligence. As a response, organizations will strengthen their risk management cultures and recognize the value of best practices in

contract management. More than a euphemism, the word “sourcing” will replace the term outsourcing as it more accurately describes the resource allocation approach.

9. PMs will team with “change partners” and use structured methods to facilitate adoption.

Projects initiate change and PMs are change agents. Yet, they have been illequipped to facilitate the type of change required to adopt the product or service the project delivers. In 2011, we will see more organizations developing and assigning “change partners,” also known as change management experts, to projects to assist in such adoption. Moreover, project teams will slowly, but steadily, increase their use of change management methods, which will be packaged as methodologies.

10. The PMP® will continue its world domination, but will no longer be enough.

With 400,000+ holders, the PMP® will continue to be a popular project management credential, outpacing its rivals as the “credential of choice” among practitioners.

While most organizations will continue to support their PMs in earning the credential, the value of proven experience and demonstrated competency will take on even more relevance beyond having the certification itself.

Project management continues to play a critical role in driving operational efficiencies. Savvy business leaders are putting more stead in project management to fine tune their competitive advantage. Alongside technical savvy, other skills such as negotiation, communication, critical thinking, change management and leadership are taking on new importance for project managers. Influence and organizational agility will be key factors for performance improvement going forward.

J. LeRoy Ward, PMP, PgMP, is the executive vice president of ESI International, a subsidiary of Informa plc. For more information, visit www.esi-intl.com.

Automate Your Production Control

by Sandy Lender

H

istorians tell us that innovations in technology occur more rapidly as society closes in on a new century.

For the asphalt industry, automation, software and controls seem to continue evolving even after we passed the 2000 mark. While control house systems and improved paving technology have been a standard for decades, original equipment manufacturers have taken a lesson from computer software support staffs when it comes to providing updates and modifications. For instance, Libra Systems, Harleysville, Pa., provides automatic updates to its plant and fleet controls throughout the year. Customers merely download the update and incorporate a new bit of information instead of bringing a completely new product with a large learning curve for operators on board every year or so.

Other OEMs offer similar programs. What it comes down to is providing up-to-the-minute technology for up-to-the-minute automation.

“Whether you’re the operations manager, the paving foreman, purchasing manager or accountant, single-point access of all plant controls can provide up-to-the-minute data to maximize operations, maintain accurate inventory and minimize waste,” Astec Industries, Inc., Chattanooga, officials reported.

The learning curve mentioned above is something owners don’t have to struggle with any longer. If what you need is plant or fleet management controls, the systems are so varied that there’s bound to be one your plant operator is comfortable with from the get-go. If what you need is paving or compaction automation, everyone from OEMs to on-site paving consultants can help you train veterans to newbies on working the systems with expert skill.

“In the past decade, highly configurable software has allowed producers to tailor the systems for their exacting requirements without programmer involvement,” Libra’s Ken Cardy explained. “This includes the ability to add data fields, lay out printing on delivery tickets, add or modify reports, add special logic, create pricing schemes, etcetera. …the configurable and modular design of today’s software allows users to receive new releases and features.

“Until recently, operators were asked to put in more and more data, when what they really needed to concentrate on was 18 february 2011

Plant operators who can’t see the whole plant can set up cameras to give a clear view of important safety spots. Just ask your controls provider how to arrange it. Photo courtesy of Astec Industries, Inc., Chattanooga.

keeping the plants running and making good asphalt. New developments on centralized management software have changed all that by giving the people responsible for the accuracy and timeliness of the data the ability to control it. The great benefit to operators is that they now merely pick the data from lists rather than keying it in. The learning curve for operators is very fast because they have less data to maintain and the software is much more intuitive. Inherently, accurate, up-tothe-minute data is available throughout the company, and the time-consuming task of correcting mistakes prior to invoicing is virtually eliminated.”

Even if an operator needs a few hours to learn a system, the benefits are hundredfold.

“Automation systems have come a long way in the last 20 years,” Curtis Kieres said. He’s the regional manager for Minds, Inc., Boisbriand, Quebec. “From completely manual operation to remote relay interfaces through PLC logic programs and now fully integrated control environments, the evolution has taken away from the plant operators the tedious and unproductive tasks of running around the plant to gather information and operate equipment, and replaced them with meaningful information, remote equipment control

and automated logic. All this toward the goal of improved productivity, repeatability and better quality control. The operator’s work load is generally reduced, allowing them to be more alert to any mechanical issues, process supervision and contract scheduling.”

As Kieres pointed out, having intuitive operator-oriented interfaces makes for a fast learning curve. And that builds the operator’s confidence.

Interfacing is something sources mentioned frequently. Gregg Gilpin, director of electronic control systems for Stansteel® Asphalt Plant Products, Louisville, Ky., brought it up in light of system compatibility. “A major consideration to make when researching new asphalt controls for your operation is the system’s ability to interface with the plant’s existing components. … With some controls on the market being inflexible, the customer must be aware of the system demanding only a certain type of input from the mechanical device, thus increasing the cost of conversions by many tens of thousands of dollars. In some extreme cases, the control system will require that an entire motor control center be changed, including the starting devices, which can be cumbersome and cost-prohibitive.”

Check the wiring leading to the control as well, Gilpin suggested. If the wiring is in bad shape, that will be another expense to factor into the upgrade.

Clear and concise, a silo system offers safeguards for optimum loadout efficiency. Photo courtesy of Libra Systems, Harleysville, Pa.

The Trimble PCS400 screen lets operators see and control both sides of the screed.

Not all companies make their own controls, but build their components to interface with other OEM’s controls. Tarmac, Kansas City, Mo., offers B&S Light blending and loading controls out of Claremore, Okla.

Tarmac builds the control house, start/stop operators, start package and does the field wire in the house. “There is an enclosure with input and output modules that connects the actual plant equipment to the computer inside the control house,” Ron Heap said.

“These units are found in new plants and in retrofit installations all over the United States and Central and South America.”

For plant controls, the caveats Gilpin offered give producers a good blueprint for entering a mix-and-match situation carefully. Overall, most OEMs can trade out their controls with other equipment when it’s done professionally, with care and attention to plant requirements, amp pull, the system’s true competence, etcetera. For

paving and compaction controls, equipment exchange is not so easy. As Jeroen Snoeck, paving segment manager for Trimble, Sunnyvale, Calif., pointed out, many systems for compaction automation that are owned by the OEM are provided for one machine brand or certain models only.

The Cat AccuGrade Compaction Control System is designed for use only on Cat compactors. It integrates fully with the technology of the machines, allowing the

A Sampling of Controls for the Asphalt Industry

Accuracy, repeatability and ease of function are just a few of the goals when it comes to controls. The participating original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) you see in this handy table have come through for you in your search for automation and technology. Keep in mind, some controls systems manufacturers, plant manufacturers, and paving and compaction equipment manufacturers offer more than the one control listed in each category below. Due to space constraints, we asked each manufacturer to list only their favorite of their offerings in each category for your viewing pleasure. By contacting the representative they’ve provided, you can get a full listing and more information.

Plant Controls Company

Control

Year Introduced

Contact Information

Notes

Astec Industries

TC2II.v

2000

Floyd Cheek, (423) 867-4210, fcheek@astecinc.com

aftermarket availability

B&S Light Industries EZ Blend

1992

Mike Young, (918) 342-1181 x115, mike@bslight.com

Libra Systems

Generation3

2002

Ken Cardy, (215) 256-1700, kcardy@librasystems.com

automatic updates

Minds, Inc.

Drumtronic

1992

Curtis Kieres, (250) 862-8813, ckieres@mindsinc.ca

for drum plants

Stansteel

Accu-Track™

early 1980s

Gregg Gilpin, (800) 826-0223 x1275, ggilpin@stansteel.com

aftermarket availability

Systems Equipment

ADP-100GUI

1987

David Enyart, (563) 568-6387, dlenyart@systemsequipment.com

new blending system 2010

TK Controls, Inc.

Precision Asphalt Inventory System

2010

Walter Dutcher, (585) 224-5581, wdutcher@tkcontrols.com

6-point temp compensation

WEM Automation

WEM4000 Pro Series

2001

Michael Caldwell, (262) 782-2340 mcaldwell@wemautomation.com

Control

Year Introduced

Contact Information

Notes

B&S Light Industries EZ Loader

1990

Mike Young, (918) 342-1181 x115 mike@bslight.com

fleet mgt/ticketing

Libra Systems

Enterprise Information Server—DS

2008

Ken Cardy, (215) 256-1700 kcardy@librasystems.com

automatic updates

Minds, Inc.

PaveTag

2007

Curtis Kieres, (250) 862-8813 ckieres@mindsinc.ca

wireless tracking

Orion Software

Sirius Pro

2002

Gary Kappel, (877) 755-2012 x226 gkappel@orion-soft.com

fleet mgt software

Systems Equipment

WINLC-1000

2010

David Enyart, (563) 568-6387 dlenyart@systemsequipment.com

loading system

Year Introduced

Contact Information

Notes

Fleet Controls Company

Compaction & Paving Controls Company

Control

Caterpillar

AccuGrade Compaction Control System for Asphalt Compactors 2009

local dealer

also soil compactors (2007)

Caterpillar

Cat Grade and Slope System for Asphalt Pavers

2010

local dealer

factory installation

Sakai

Compaction Information System (CIS)

2008

Todd Mansell, (800) 323-0535 x223 t-mansell@sakaiamerica.com

color-coded visual display

Trimble

CCS900 Compaction Control System

2007

Jeroen Snoeck, jeroen_snoeck@trimble.com

aftermarket availability

Trimble

PCS400 Paving Control System

2009

Eric Crim, eric_crim@trimble.com

split screen option

Volvo

in development for asphalt compactors

n/a

Bob Marcum, (828) 650-2429 bob.marcum@volvo.com

also soil compactors (2010)

20 february 2011

machines to share information with other AccuGrade-equipped machines. Through the use of AccuGrade Office Suite, it offers another component to paving: managers can access the data to uncover “greater jobsite efficiency” and manage the fleet.

The same is true of the Cat Grade and Slope System that is factory-installed and calibrated on Cat asphalt pavers.

One compaction system available for aftermarket “movement” is the Trimble CCS900. Snoeck said it’s used as a coverage mapping and pass-count control system for asphalt compactors. “The one outstanding feature is that it is an aftermarket solution that can be mounted on any brand or model of compactor.”

That aftermarket flexibility is true of Trimble’s PCS400 paving control system as well. Snoeck described its large 2-dimensional paving display as being easy to learn and operate with both text and icons. The split screen option of the display allows operators to monitor and control both sides of the screed from one display, no matter what brand of screed they’re on.

The variety of controls and technology available to contractors and producers is astounding. Whether an owner wants to

The WEM 4000 Pro Series offers a visual display for plant operators.

find one brand to remain loyal to or wants to mix and match, the options are endless and the training opportunities abound. Once an operator gets past the ever-shrinking learning curves with controls, the technology is designed to make the design of mixes and placement of mixes a more exact science. Luckily for the asphalt industry,

the beginning of the new century has seen continuing advances and innovations from the OEMs who have shared their experiences here, and from many others around the globe. As time goes on, more controls will take more worry out of the asphalt mix equation and put ever more confidence in our product.

ASPHALT PRO 21

Get Optimum Exit Gas Temperatures with Flighting

These shiny flights represent the typical 44-inch saw-tooth basket flights from Kenco on a Gencor Ultradrum. This set has seen 4 million tons of production. Photo courtesy of Kenco Engineering.

T

o get optimum gas temperatures to exit the drum and enter the baghouse safely, the plant operator wants to take a look at what’s happening inside the drum. The operator wants to see a continuous veil or curtain of material as the drum turns. As Bill Garrett of Meeker Equipment Co., Inc., Belleville, Pa., explained it, the producer wants “a fog of material across the dryer so that no heated air can leave the drum without first coming in contact with material.”

A proper veil of material starts with well-worn flights churning material in a cascade of falling aggregate for perfect heat distribution.

Because energy will take the path of least resistance, heat will travel through any gaps that worn, broken or missing flights allow in the veil.

Errant heat means higher exit gas temperatures leave the drum.

Brian Handshoe, vice president of operations for Kenco Engineering, Inc., Roseville, Calif., reminded producers of failures—such as worn flights—that influence the veil: “Flights that are badly worn, broken or bent over from heat distortion will lose their ability to veil properly. Problems can also occur when a plant’s burner or fuel is changed drastically and the flights aren’t redesigned to match the change in flame shape.”

Handshoe recommends maintaining the original shape and profile of the flighting throughout the life of the flights to maintain an efficient veil of material in the drum.

Flights, Mike Mauzy of Reliable Asphalt Products, Shelbyville, Ky., pointed out, serve a sacrificial purpose. They’re obviously less expensive to replace than a drum shell, thus they take the brunt of material abuse.

22 february 2011

by Sandy Lender

“The idea is to have material fall on and scour the flights of the drum and not as much on the shell, saving abrasion on the shell,” Mauzy said.

“Not only do they facilitate material veiling, they also serve to prolong the life of the more costly drum shell. That is another reason that they need to be checked and replaced often. They are a normal maintenance item that will save the contractor on fuel cost as well as a much more costly and time-consuming drum shell replacement.”

If a producer lets the flights wear and the veil get sloppy, cost overruns will result. Dennis Hunt of Gencor Industries, Inc., Orlando, brought up increased fuel consumption. Meeker’s Garrett added “lower production” to the list of problems. As Handshoe explained, holes in the veil mean hot gases are going straight to the baghouse instead of drying the rock, thus raising exhaust gas temperatures. The aggregate in the veil essentially grabs, absorbs and uses the heat from the burner flame, thus reducing the temperature of the gases exiting the drum.

Hunt reminded readers that “It’s the hot exhaust gases that dry and heat the aggregate. To be efficient a ‘veil’ of aggregate must go from the rising side of the drum to the falling side. We want the maximum amount of heat energy transferred to the aggregate. The best measure of this is the side to side temperature of the exit gas temperature at the breeching duct work. The side to side temperature should not be greater than 50 to 70 degrees.”

An operator can tell something’s wrong without climbing into the drum to check out the flights or standing next to duct work to measure

Here’s the inside of a Cedarapids drum with typical basket flights after 1 million tons in one year.

Photo courtesy of Kenco Engineering.

temperatures, although equipment inspection is part of proper routine maintenance. Look to the baghouse.

“Exhaust gas temperatures higher than those needed to prevent condensation in the baghouse represent heat that is being wasted,” Handshoe said. “Fuel is being wasted to create that excess heat.

Reducing exhaust gas temperature is directly related to fuel costs.”

By replacing or repairing worn flights, you retain more heat in the drum. That means better efficiency, no matter what type of production system you’re working with.

Mike Mauzy of Reliable Asphalt Products, Shelbyville, Ky., explained why flighting is critical to an efficient veil, thus efficient exit gas temperatures, in the parallel-flow environment.

“Ideally, you will achieve lower exit gas temperatures by upgrading or replacing worn out flights in a parallel flow drum mixer,” Mauzy said.

“In most cases, exit gas temperatures exceed exit material temperatures in a parallel flow drum mix plant. The reason for this varies but in most cases, it can be directly attributed to the fact that most difficult drying taking place in the drum mixer—removal of internal moisture—is occurring when the material is nearly exiting the drum.” He reminded readers that in a counter flow application, the exact opposite occurs, resulting in lower exit gas temperatures than exit material temperatures.

“The goal of improving flights is usually to achieve better fuel savings,” Mauzy said. “This is directly tied to lower exhaust gas temperatures, assuming that the exit material temperatures remain constant.

Introduction of RAP in a parallel flow drum mixer also negatively affects exit gas temperatures but is offset by the material savings from the RAP.” Obviously, different flights serve different purposes. Depending on which type of dryer and burner a producer uses, she will want to investigate specific flights for the materials and mixes she’ll be running.

Mauzy explained: “This is specific to the material, mix designs, RAP percentages, dust percentages, drum design (counter flow, parallel flow), burner type (naturally aspirated, combustion cone, total air), material, moisture, etc. Most manufacturers use a few specific flight types (saw tooth, basket, “J” style, combustion, “L” style, mixing flights) and disperse them throughout the drum in an effort to facilitate optimum material veil. Other retrofit companies attempt to improve upon the OEM flight design by studying even closer the above mentioned specifics of each plant. I recommend that improvement suggestions need to be catered to the specific plant and situation.”

Handshoe concurred that getting the right flight for the right application points to success. “Each manufacturer of plants and burners has done extensive research to design a flight, and therefore a veil shape, that works best in their plant. That’s why Kenco Engineering has developed our long-life flight designs to replicate the original manufacturer’s shape, profile and carrying capacity. Having said that, it’s not the type of flight that makes a plant run to the designed efficiency, it’s maintaining the designed shape or veil effect throughout the entire life of the flight.

“As flights wear or fail, the volume of material creating the veil changes,” he continued. “That alters the veil density and that has a direct effect on the exhaust gas temperature, generally requiring the plant operator to raise the temperature of exit gases in an attempt to bring the stone to its required temp. Always keep in mind the exhaust gas temp is a delicate balance between many factors and reducing the exhaust gas temp too low can be detrimental to baghouse operations and create another set of problems.”

ASPHALT PRO 25

Technology Beefs up Winter Road Maintenance State DOTs use new equipment, eco-solutions, more to battle winter from American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

B

efore Christmas, large portions of North America had already recorded significant snowfall and freezing temperatures.

This presented a challenge to cash-strapped state departments of transportation (DOTs).

One of a state DOT’s many responsibilities is keeping the roads clear of snow and ice— despite financial hardships. Producers and contractors aren’t the only entities turning to new technology to deal with financial crises these days. Many state DOTs have found ways to put new technology and environmentally sensitive solutions to work cutting costs and improving efficiency as they strive to maintain a high level of service during this winter season.

The National Weather Service says a “La Nina” pattern is at least partially responsible for the severe start to winter in many states this year. The agency predicts this weather pattern could cause a second consecutive year of record snowfall in many parts of the United States.

“We called it Snowmageddon,” John Horsley said. He’s the executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). “In February 2010, after months of bad weather, a monster snowstorm buried the Mid-Atlantic states in more than 2 feet of snow. No one can say if it’ll happen again; however, I can say with confidence that our states are as ready as they can possibly be.”

Examples of state DOTs’ innovative approaches to winter maintenance include everything from new equipment to new monitoring. For instance, the Utah DOT recently installed 17 HomeView Technologies road-condition-monitoring cameras at remote locations throughout the state. The solar-powered system uses state-of-the-art, low-cost Web cameras, high-speed wireless communication, and infrared sensors to broadcast video from distant mountain passes or other problem areas. Now, instead of sending a snowplow to investigate a location, supervisors can take a quick look and decide whether an area needs to be plowed. “So far this winter, we have a net cost savings of about $200,000 using this system,” Lynn Bernhard, UDOT operations program manager said.

28 february 2011

The Colorado DOT has deployed 222 snowplows statewide, equipped with a Maintenance Decision Support System, which combines advanced weather and roadcondition prediction as well as rules of practice to help operators determine the proper application of anti-icing and deicing chemicals on a route-by-route basis. CDOT is also using automatic deicing systems to spray liquid deicers once on-site sensors detect a decrease in surface temperatures and an increase in moisture.

This season, more than a dozen state DOTs will use a 26-foot-wide tow plow that is pulled behind a conventional plow truck, allowing two interstate travel lanes to be cleared and treated in a single pass. The original design for the tow plow was the brainchild of a Missouri DOT employee who applied his knowledge of farm equipment to snowplows. MoDOT worked with a snowplow contractor to design and build the version in use today.

The Connecticut DOT has taken delivery of their first Bagela asphalt recycler, which they’ll use to recycle existing piles of discarded asphalt to repair state roadways this winter.

The Bagela recycler is designed to recycle HMA for a total cost of under $25 per ton, saving Connecticut several hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.

The Tennessee DOT will use a substance called Magic Salt to help melt ice and snow during lower temperatures. Magic Salt, made from potato juice, is a biodegradable, non-corrosive and environmentally friendly substance. TDOT and several other states including Maryland will also use beet juice to improve snow and ice removal from roadways when temperatures fall. TDOT is also adding 10 new 14-foot snowplows across the state.

The plows are more than 4 feet wider than traditional plows and have the ability to clear an entire travel lane in one pass. Some TDOT trucks will be fitted with new, underbody plows that are being tested for the capability to remove hard-packed ice from the roadway.

The California DOT (Caltrans) and other state agencies that respond to emergencies within California will use WeatherShare, a new Webbased tool that sends alerts, warnings, and

advisories (depending on the level of danger) for fog, ice, winds, fire and more. The system downloads National Weather Service forecast warnings and alerts every 15 minutes and sends weather data to Caltrans’ transportation management center operators, maintenance staff and other agencies such as Emergency Medical Services and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Users can easily gather more information about a specific location or a statewide region through WeatherShare’s easy-to-use online maps.

“Innovation is critical. And so is efficiency,” Horsley said. “Part of AASHTO’s mission is to help install new technologies as they become market-ready. We accomplish this objective through an AASHTO committee called the Technology Implementation Group, which helped to deploy the Maintenance Decision Support System and the tow plow. States suffered a major financial blow last year due to record-setting storms and blizzards, and all indications are state budgets will remain tight throughout 2011.”

Last winter, for example, the Virginia DOT budgeted $94 million and spent more than $250 million on snow removal. Tennessee DOT spent more than $23 million during the 2009-10 winter season, double the cost of the previous year. Arizona DOT spent $9 million for snow removal last season, nearly $6 million more than it typically spends. Arizona also paid an additional $16 million to repair damage done to the state’s roads and bridges during the winter season.

State DOTs also encourage motorists to do their part to keep roads clear and drivers safe. When major storms are forecast, drivers should visit state DOT websites for the latest traveler information. Most states also offer 511 information lines and Twitter alerts. Citizens should also plan to stay off the roadways during major snow events to give more room to the plow trucks. They should also keep a set of chains in their vehicle and install them when necessary for adequate tire traction. Motorists should carry an emergency kit with items such as water, food, blankets, battery-operated radio, shovel, ice scraper, and flashlight.

ASPHALT PRO 29

CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2011 SHOWCASE Asphalt Pro Special Section

Innovate with Expo’s Exhibitors

by AsphaltPro Staff

I

f you haven’t already made the decision to attend, maybe this CONEXPO-CON/AGG™ pre-show section can convince you to visit Las Vegas this March 22 through 26 for the construction industry’s largest tradeshow titled “Innovation From the Ground Up.” You probably know you only get one shot at this collection of equipment and technology on U.S. soil every three years, so finding a hotel vacancy in Vegas amid all those other construction industry professionals is top priority. Visit www.conexpoconagg.com/Hotel for the easiest way to book a room. Show management already did the hard work by negotiating group rates with hotels near the tradeshow; and even made arrangements for shuttles to move attendees back and forth in blocks of time each morning and afternoon.

Use the app to sign up for the education sessions you need.

Don’t forget that your AsphaltPro editor teaches two of them this year. Sandy Lender shows you how to save time and garner more positive attention with your free online marketing in Thursday and Friday’s management best practices track. Sign up for #TH35 “Using Online Social Media to Get Construction Work” and #F36 “Building a Blog for the Construction Industry and Marketing With It.” Both presentations are from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Innovation starts with the opening ceremony Tuesday, March 22, at 8:30 a.m. at 3150 Paradise Road. The show’s open Tuesday, March 22, through Friday, March 25, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, and Saturday, March 26, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

That’s 38 hours of tradeshow floor time. You’ve got more than 2,000 exhibitors to visit on the tradeshow floor in 13 lots and halls during that mere 38 hours. Add in the 125+ education sessions in 9 tracks that you’ll want to attend and you need to start mapping out your game plan now. Did you know IFPE and ICONExpo are hosting their shows in conjunction with CONEXPO-CON/AGG? It’s starting to make your head spin, isn’t it?

Finally, the app will help you keep track of all those booths you want to visit. You know if a non-Association of Equipment Manufacturer (AEM) member paid upward of $19 a square foot for booth space, that vendor is going to have something fancy for you to see, do or take with you when you stop by. Plan those stops for maximum information collection. For instance, the AsphaltPro booth #8013 in the Central Hall will feature the popular “Ask the Expert” sessions. John Ball is our main presenter this year. Stop by Tuesday to get the booth schedule and see the list of other experts we have on tap.

The administrators at CONEXPO-CON/AGG have a familiar feature to help with planning at the tradeshow website, www. conexpoconagg.com. It’s the “My Show Planner” tab that lets you visit a booth virtually and select it for inclusion in your list of booths to visit “in real life” in March. They’ve also built a handy app for your iPhone, Blackberry, Android, etcetera. Visit www.conexpoconagg.com/FollowMe to download the app for a variety of functions.

First, schedule your meetings with colleagues you haven’t seen since last CONEXPO-CON/AGG. You’ve got paving stories to share and compare.

The app also lets you grab coupons for local merchants and lets you download info from vendors around the tradeshow floor instead of carrying all their promo material back in a suitcase.

Notice that vendors this year are pulling out all the stops.

As you’ll see in the upcoming pages, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), parts suppliers, software developers, associations, safety engineers, and others save their latest technological updates and new equipment models for debut at CONEXPO-CON/AGG. The marketing arm at Caterpillar went so far as to hire Mike Rowe to help them unveil the new models they’re launching at the show. When the R&D department at Roadtec announced its new industrial size broom and reclaimer/stabilizer, they only let publications have renderings of the models. You attendees get to see the new product “in the iron” first at the show. Staff at Bergkamp, Cardinal Scale, Hamm, Hydronix, Kleemann, Continues on page 32

CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2011 SHOWCASE Asphalt Pro Special Section KPI-JCI, Sakai, W.S. Tyler and other asphalt-related suppliers are bringing out new pieces of equipment designed to make you reach for your corporate wallet so fast your employees will cheer. “A new roller!” “A new paver!” “We’re finally replacing that old crusher!”

Besides new equipment, there are more than 200 innovative products that marketers thought to highlight on the show site for visitors to “rate” with a thumbs-up. Visit the website and click on the “New Products & Technologies” option from the menu on the left-hand side of the page. You’ll find information on such varied items as the Thermoil Battery Demister and De-Sulfater, the Elobau Sensor Technology 361G grips for vehicles, the Shur-Co® Arm-Matic™ aluminum flip tarp system for dump bodies, the Rite in the Rain weather-proof notebook, the Ames Engineering real time profiler, the Accu-Shear Advanced™ from Stansteel-Hotmix Parts, and the RELS Japan K.K. LED light attachment for safety helmets.

Innovation in safety pertains to more than the devices and technology you’re looking for on the website or tradeshow floor. Remember, Las Vegas is in the desert. If you’re not used to the climate, take a few minutes to consider what your body will tolerate. If your first stop within the tradeshow doesn’t see

Blue Lot

you picking up a complimentary water bottle, make sure you grab one from the CONEXPO-CON/AGG store in the Grand Lobby. Sure, it may be a pricey souvenir, but it’s a healthy, safe habit to drink lots of water, without contributing to the plastic bottle population. Even if March sees cool, comfortable temperatures, don’t forget about sunscreen in Vegas. Buying a $20 bottle of SPF45 is less expensive than treating basal skin cell carcinomas when you get home. Believe me, there are plenty of new machines to see in the Blue, Gold, Green and four Silver lots to keep you out under the sun.

No matter which lot or hall you elect to spend the most time in, you can map your show before you arrive in Vegas or take the show one booth at a time for 38 hours the best you can.

Here at AsphaltPro, we look forward to meeting you in the Central Hall. To follow, you’ll find a list of exhibitors relevant to the asphalt industry who have participated with AsphaltPro staff to bring you a preview of their CONEXPO-CON/AGG new technology and planned events. You’ll notice that AsphaltPro advertisers are highlighted with colored backgrounds.

When you stop by their booths, let them know you saw their information in AsphaltPro magazine.

Central Hall

W.S. Tyler Booth 901

BMG Marketing Booth 4855

W.S. Tyler, St. Catharines, Ontario, representatives will display three aggregate and mineral processing equipment solutions. The Haver Pelletizing Disc will make its first North American appearance. Stop by to check out the Haver Hydro-Clean™ and the Computerized Particle Analysis System (CPA). Visit www.wstyler.ca.

BMG Marketing, Ft. Wayne, Ind., representatives will officially launch the environmentally focused division—BMG Green—and celebrate the 20th anniversary at the show. Connect with BMG at www.linkedin.com/in/brianbarlowbmg.

Cardinal Scale Booth 7733 Computerized Particle Analysis System

Central Hall Asphalt Pro Booth 8013 AsphaltPro Magazine, Columbia, Mo., staff will host a variety of industry experts during the show to offer you sound advice and information for best paving and production practices. Stop by to renew your free subscription to the industry’s how-to resource and ask about our new and improved website at www.theasphaltpro.com.

Astec Booth 5133 Astec Industries, Inc., Chattanooga, representatives, will be on hand to point out the many components the company offers for asphalt producers with their built-to-scale models. Also check out the company’s newest warm-mix asphalt technology. The large booth will feature many of the Astec family brands. Visit astecindustries.com.

32 february 2011

Cardinal Scale Mfg. Co., Webb City, Mo., representatives will display the new EPR+ Plus Truck Scale. It is available in hydraulic or electronic load cell types. Visit cardinalscale.com.

EPR+ truck scale

CEI Enterprises

Booth 5133

CEI Enterprises, Albuquerque, representatives will be available to discuss the company’s portable asphalt plants, such as the Nomad™; continuousprocess asphalt-rubber blendCEI RAP King™ Drum Mixer ing systems; and systems for heating and storing liquid asphalt and fuel oils. Bring your questions about the RAP King™ and CEI’s comprehensive service programs, training opportunities, and worldwide service and parts support. Visit www.ceienterprises.com before the show for info and to sign up for RSS Feed; also see the company’s ad in this magazine.

CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2011 SHOWCASE Asphalt Pro Special Section

Central Hall

Eagle Crusher

Booth 7281

Eagle Crusher Co., Inc., Galion, Ohio, representatives will be ready to show you the ins and outs of the UltraMax® series of impactors for recycling or aggregate applications. Ask about the Hybrid Traxx®, jaw crushers, screens and conveyors that the Team Eagle members can customize/organize to your operation. Visit their website at www.eaglecrusher.com and see the company’s ad in this magazine.

Emerson Booth 5061 Emerson Industrial Automation, Florence, Ky., representatives will host training seminars on proper bearing and helical shaftmount installation.

There will be two sessions daily that will focus on correct mounting procedures featured in the Browning Torq Taper Plus and the Sealmaster USRB Adapter lock Spherical bearings. The Browning Helical Shaftmount Speed Reducer features a A paver bearing from patented, single bushing system with staEmerson bilizer ring. The Sealmaster USRB Spherical Bearing offers an advanced, adapter lock system that provides optimum lock with minimal force. Visit www.emerson.com.

EZ Street

Booth 7746

EZ Street Co., Miami, representatives will share not only information about the EZ Street and EZ Street Hybrid cold mix asphalt products, but also information on becoming a producer/ distributor of the products.

Easily figure how much of the polymer-modified, highThe latest EZ Street booth configuration features the EZ performance cold asphalt Street Hybrid product and your project requires at the information about the EZ www.ezstreet-miami.com site, Street App. or discuss it with staff at the show. Staff will also be available to discuss the new EZ Street application for the iPad, announced in the December issue of AsphaltPro. Visit www.pothole.info and see the company’s ad in this magazine.

Grasan Booth 6815 Grasan, Mansfield, Ohio, representatives will have information on hand for their 3,000-tph tracked impact crusher, 1,500-tph belt feeder hopper on tracks and other specialized modular conveyors, etc. Visit www.grasan.com.

Central Hall

Gilson

Booth 7995

Gilson Co., Lewis Center, Ohio, representatives will display a variety of asphalt testing equipment pieces, including the new SG-4 asphalt bulk specific gravity device for use with Measure bulk specific gravity asphalt cores and gyratory with Gilson’s SG-4. specimens. The SG-4 uses a computer-controlled system to measure water displacement per AASHTO’s recently published TP-82 provisional spec. Personnel will perform demonstrations with the SG-4 in the booth. Visit www.globalgilson.com and see the company’s ad in this magazine.

Heatec

Booth 5133

Heatec, Chattanooga, representatives will share information on replacing waste oil pumps less frequently, maintaining burners more effectively, and heating your most valuable product more efficiently overall, among any other needs you bring to the Astec family booth.

The company will have built-to-scale models of heaters and burners on display to help exemplify its hot oil heaters, asphalt tanks, polymer asphalt blending systems, Firestorm™ direct contact water heaters and asphalt terminal heaters. Visit www.heatec.com and see the company’s ad in this magazine.

Kleemann Booth 5733 Kleemann, Antioch, Tenn., representatives will display the new MR 110 EVO plant from the Kleemann track-mounted, mobile impact crushers from Wirtgen America, Inc. The EVO line constitutes their next generation of impact crushers. Visit www.wirtgenamerica.com.

KPI-JCI AMS

Booth 5133

KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens, Yankton, S.D., representatives will feature the new Model GT200 cone crusher. The closed circuit track plant features a 6-foot wide vibrating screen and is part of the Global Track System. Visit www.kpijci.com and www. beFRAPready.com and see the company’s ad in this magazine.

ASPHALT PRO 33

CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2011 SHOWCASE Asphalt Pro Special Section

Innovation Spreads to Funding

P

by AsphaltPro Staff

ublic-Private Partnerships (PPP) for project funding may be gaining in popularity, but Marc Scribner, land-use and transportation policy analyst with Competitive Enterprise Institute, Washington, has found that the PPP growth as of late has mixed results for society. Specifically, CEI reported, Scribner found that its use is increasing efficiency in the transportation sector while having a negative effect on real estate development.

“In the case of surface transportation infrastructure, innovative new private-sector financing, management and ownership regimes have much to offer in terms of minimizing taxpayer exposure to risk, capturing user revenues and creating an efficient transport network,” Scribner explained.

“A responsible path forward would be to utilize PPPs in surface transportation infrastructure development and management, while cutting bureaucratic impediments such as land-use regulations and business licensing to promote redevelopment. In essence, both require reducing political intervention and expanding market opportunities. Only when policy makers realize their own limitations will these sectors be free to maximize wealth creation that could potentially bring about a new era of American prosperity.”

Source: Competitive Enterprise Institute

Central Hall

Libra Systems

Major Wire Booth 7433 Major Wire Industries, Ltd., Montreal, representatives will display multiple screen media solutions including the Flex-Mat® 3 in tensioned and modular versions, OptimumWire® woven wire and LFM™ Harp Wire, DoubleWeave™ Woven Wire and Flex-Mat 3 Double-Wire™ and HyperSlot™ for warm and hot mix asphalt applications. Visit www.majorwire.cc.

Peterson/Telsmith Booth 5133 Peterson Pacific Corp., Eugene, Ore., representatives will feature the Peterson 4700B asphalt shingle grinder, which can be converted to a wood grinder. It uses cast carbide bits designed specifically for the asphalt shingle grinding application and a drum-style, upturning rotor in its three-stage grindS.T. Wooten Corp. uses the 4700B ASG to create ground ing system. Final sizing of material shingles for mixes. is accomplished through 500 Brinell Hardox® grates or carbide overlay grates. Visit www.petersoncorp.com.

Process Heating

Booth 8007

Process Heating Co., Seattle, representatives will be available to field questions about responsible and cost-effective heating. The booth will feature a massive photo mural of all PHCo products, a mounted video, and a model of a unitized PHCo tank heater, the company’s most popular product. Visit www.processheating. com and see the company’s ad in this magazine.

Booth 4755

Libra Systems Corp., Harleysville, Pa., representatives will showcase new technologies in automation and control with the company’s self-service kiosks, remote printer terminals, Enterprise Information Server, Generation3 asphalt plant control Libra’s Enterprise Information and truck scale ticketing Server offers centralized mansystem, and silo safety sysagement and open database tem. The Enterprise Informaarchitecture for multi-site aggregate companies. tion Server creates an online gateway between the office and the aggregate/mining facilities. The Generation3 is designed to allow operators to select data to be shown on transaction screens, design reports, add fields to files, set field lengths and labels, and make selection lists for field entries. Visit www.librasystems.com and see the company’s ad in this magazine.

34 february 2011

Central Hall

Roadtec

Booth 5133

Roadtec, Chattanooga, representatives will introduce the new SX-5 mid-size stabilizer/reclaimer, the new FM-85 heavy-duty, front-mounted broom and a new generation Shuttle Buggy® material transfer vehicle during the show.

The E-series Shuttle Buggy A rendering of the new SX-5 stabilizer/reclaimer from Roadtec has enhanced conveyor wear resistance to lower contractors’ operating costs, among other new features to see in the display. The machine monitoring/diagnostic software will be shown in the booth. Visit www.roadtec.com and see the company’s ad in this magazine.

FO C R AL A LU Q S U O TE • Minimum fuel savings 15% • Ease of Installation • Small footprint • Retrofits to any make of drum plant • Eliminates blue smoke • Compatible with most blend control systems • UL listed

We now have an AquaFoam System for Batch Plants!

Foaming asphalt is simple.

Your equipment should be too.

513-874-0201

AquaFoam, LLC | Cincinnati OH www.aquafoamllc.com

CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2011 SHOWCASE Asphalt Pro Special Section

Central Hall

Stansteel

Doosan Infracore Booth 100 Booth 4557

Stansteel, Louisville, Ky., representatives will feature a number of products targeted at improving customers’ existing plants, especially in the following aspects: production ton per hour, efficiency, recycling and shingle additions. Equipment and technology on display includes the Accu-Shear™ multi-purpose warm-mix in-line blend- Accu-Shear™ in-line ing system, hot oil heat exchangWMA system. ers, the Rap Gator® recycling breaker, the Accu-Trac™ total plant control system, the Nite Owl® plant alert, the T-Trac™ tire and trunnion alignment system, examples of custom conversion products such as Get ready for high-percounterflow drum conversions centage RAP mixes with a for parallel and batch plant upRap Gator®. grades for high recycle shingle use, upgrades to proper air combustion and heating systems, and more. Visit www.stansteel.com and see the company’s ad in this magazine.

WEM Automation Booth 4730 WEM Automation, New Berlin, Wis., representatives will have the company’s WEM4000 line of PC/PLC-based plant controls for complete drum, batch, loadout and scale ticketing operations on display. Systems include PC/PLC/Ethernet, off-the-shelf parts, automatic multi-point calibration, built-in redundancy and energy efficiency tools. Visit www.wemautomation.com.

Wirtgen America

Booth 5733

Wirtgen America, Antioch, Tenn., representatives take their wares indoors for 2011 to discuss the new MR 110 EVO track-mounted, mobile, impact crusher plant from Kleemann, as well as the new 11.5-ton Hamm HD+ 110 VO 66The Wirtgen W 210 cold mill makes its debut in Vegas with inch tandem roller and a milling drum assembly of up the new GRW 280, eightto 87 inches in working width. wheel pneumatic roller from Hamm. Most of the equipment models displayed in the 30,800-square-foot Central Hall stand from Hamm Compaction Division, Kleemann, Vogele America, Inc., and Wirtgen America, Inc., will be either new to the marketplace or will have updates and new technologies for visitors to check out. Visit www.wirtgenamerica. com and see the company’s ad in this magazine.

36 february 2011

Gold Lot Doosan Infracore Construction Equipment, West Fargo, N.D., representatives will display machines from Tramac, Bobcat, Doosan Portable Power and Doosan heavy product brands.

Activities at the booth will include product demonstrations, meetings to discuss dealership opportunities and customerappreciation moments.

Doosan DX190W excavator.

Caterpillar Booth 130 Caterpillar, Inc., Peoria, Ill., representatives will display the AP555E asphalt paver, the CB24 and CB54 asphalt compactors, the PM-200 cold planer, as well as a variety of excavators, wheel loaders, other loaders, and other machines. They’ll have Discovery Channel’s Mike Rowe on hand Download your Microsoft Tag to assist in unveiling new techapp prior to the show so you can nologies. Before the show, visit scan the Mobi tag on the AP555E paver for instant info on site. http://events.cat.com/conexpo to sign up for the RSS newsfeed and to download the Microsoft Tag app to your Blackberry, Droid or iPhone so you can scan Mobi tags for immediate equipment information while visiting the booth.

Caterpillar’s CB Compactors

Terex Booth 140 Terex Corp., Westport, Conn., representatives will have Terex Roadbuilding experts on hand to discuss the company’s warm-mix asphalt system, the CR662RM RoadMix and the TL310 wheel loader, among many other asphalt-related machines producers and contractors want to see in person. Visit www.terex.com.

Load up efficiently at the plant or the quarry with the new TL310 from Terex.

Visit the Asphalt Pro Booth in the Central Hall, #8013

Renew your free subscription and “Ask the Expert” your asphalt questions. Your AsphaltPro staff can’t wait to meet you in person!

CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2011 SHOWCASE Asphalt Pro Special Section

Top 10 Continuing Innovations for 2011

will take a comprehensive approach to eliminating roadway fatalities that combines aspects of new technology, roadway design, law enforcement and cultural change.

by AsphaltPro Staff

4. Move on high-speed rail grants States and their contractors are geared up to begin work on an unprecedented level of investment in our nation’s passenger rail system.

T

he American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has compiled a list of issues its members consider pressing at the local, state and federal levels. According to a late December press release, here are those issues that AASHTO leaders believe will be part of the “national conversation” that media, government and grass roots partners carry on during 2011.

1. Enact a long-term transportation bill to keep America moving Representative John Mica (R-Fla.) is the new chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and he’s stated that he’d like a new bill ready for consideration in the spring.

2. Pay for the transportation system we need AASHTO officials expect Congress to adopt a series of sustainable funding sources for transportation infrastructure, identify state and federal responsibilities for the funding of transportation, and create innovative financing options.

3. Ensure safer roads Just because fewer vehicles were on the roads in 2010 doesn’t mean deaths from traffic accidents will remain “down.” A program called Toward Zero Deaths will be unveiled in 2011, and

5. Bring modernization and new technologies to our transportation network Smart cars, smart roads and smart construction are designed to increase safety for us all. Also watch for AASHTO’s new Green Book—A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets in early summer.

6. Move freight to keep our communities more competitive in the global economy With the widening of the Panama Canal by the year 2014, ports along the eastern seaboard and in the Gulf of Mexico gear up to serve larger ships, which will place new burdens on the aging transportation system.

7. Assess increasingly assertive environmental regulations With more stringent rules to control stormwater from transportation sources, and other regs addressing air quality coming up, construction is getting more pressure.

8. Social media continues to rock the transportation world Nebraska DOT, countless OEMs and contractors have YouTube channels with videos to feature their transportation Continues on page 40

Grand Lobby AEMA Booth 3205

Asphalt Emulsion Manufacturers Association, Annapolis, Md.

AEMP Booth 3213

Association of Equipment Management Professionals, Glenwood Springs, Colo.

AEM Safety Materials Booth 3305 Milwaukee, Wis.

AI Booth 3527

Asphalt Institute, Lexington, Ky., representatives will debut their new booth at the show. Visit www.asphaltinstitute.org.

Grand Lobby CMRA Booth 3204

Construction Materials Recycling Association, Eola, Ill., representatives will have information about the upcoming 5th annual recycling conference. Visit www.cdrecycling.org.

HCEA Booth 3138

Historical Construction Equipment Association, Bowling Green, Ohio.

NAPA Booth 3322

National Asphalt Pavement Association, Lanham, Md.

NAWIC Booth 3523

National Association of Women in Construction, Ft. Worth.

ARRA Booth 3207

Safety Alliance, LLC Booth 3514

Asphalt Recycling & Reclaiming Association, Annapolis, Md.

Franklin, Ohio.

ARTBA Booth 3212

TRIP Booth 3144

American Road & Transportation Builders Association, Washington.

Washington, D.C.

ATSSA Booth 3131

Verizon Booth 3323

American Traffic Safety Services Association, Fredericksburg, Va., representatives will be available to discuss safety programs and hand out schedules for upcoming safety seminars. www.atssa.com.

Don’t let a failing battery or other technical problem mess up your meetings. Verizon staff will be on site at booth 3323. There’s even a booth dedicated to Blackberries immediately behind Verizon.

ASPHALT PRO 37

CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2011 SHOWCASE Asphalt Pro Special Section construction projects. More than 12,000 twitterers follow Washington State DOT. AASHTO sees that more targeted use of social media, with better communication and information, is ahead. Join AsphaltPro Editor Sandy Lender at CONEXPOCON/AGG during her presentation of “Using Online Social Media to Get Construction Work” for useful, how-to tips for time-saving, targeted manipulation of social media for your business. (Management Best Practices Track, Session TH35).

9. New support systems will bolster renewable and reliable energy sources AASHTO is working with the Pew Center on Global Climate Change on a project to integrate plug-in electric vehicles with the U.S. electricity grid nationwide. There are other opportunities to support energy renewal with vehicle technology, alternative fuels, transportation system operation and driver behavior, and reducing travel demand.

10. Wrap up Recovery Act projects and look ahead With no additional funding in sight after ARRA monies, how will states respond to their backlog of aging road, bridge and transit projects? There are examples of what’s still out there at http://recovery.transportation.org.

Source: AASHTO News

Hilton Center Dexter + Chaney Booth 31329 Dexter + Chaney, Seattle, representatives will demonstrate the company’s Spectrum Equipment Service System (ESS), which electronically collects asset-management data for heavy equipment. Learn more about Spectrum’s 28 integrated modules that handle project management, construction accounting, equipment management, human resources, document imaging, service management, remote connectivity and data sharing tasks. Visit dexterchaney.com.

Orion Software Booth 31801 Orion Software, Montreal, Quebec, representatives will demonstrate the company’s Sirius Pro fleet management software. Also, the company will offer a free 3G-iPad for all purchases at the show, allowing new customers to benefit from the Sirius Pro for iPad Orion’s Sirius Pro screen shot access. The system permits real-time shows technical details. access to equipment availability and bookings at the customers’ sites. Visit www.orion-soft.com.

Paradigm Software Booth 31113 Paradigm Software, LLC, Hunt Valley, Md., representatives will be on hand to demonstrate a variety of weighing and routing software solutions, including the CompuWeigh system shown here. Visit www. paradigmsoftware.com.

40 february 2011

Silver Lot 1 KTP Enterprises Booth 515 KTP Enterprises, Inc., Deerfield, Ill., representatives will display the FastMeasure distance measuring device, which mounts on a dashboard and lets contractors and engineers measure parking lots, roads, utilities and more while driving at posted speeds. Distance is measured in feet or meters, and speed is displayed in miles per hour, kilometers per hour or feet per minute. Visit www.fast-measure.com.

Meeker Booth 600b Meeker Equipment Co., Lansdale, Pa., representatives will display the company’s warm-mix asphalt metering skid to help discuss the myriad benefits of WMA production. www. meekerequipment.com.

Check out the batch foaming device, as well as the rest of Meeker’s WMA system.

Rotochopper

Booth 546

Rotochopper, St. Martin, Minn., representatives will display several grinding systems including the B-66 with asphalt shingle recycling package and the RG-1 Rotochopper’s RG-1 grinds shingles shingle grinder. Known for asphalt mixes. for its Perfect In One Pass™ particle size control, Rotochopper grinding equipment takes resources such as shingle waste and makes them into an HMA supplement. Visit www.rotochopper. com and see the company’s ad in this magazine.

Silver Lot 2 Allmand Booth 632 Allmand Bros., Inc., Holdrege, Neb., representatives will display a variety of light systems to help you create a safer work environment in the work zone or around the shop. Also check out the portable heaters and backhoe/ tractor equipment on display.

Visit www.allmand.com.

ADM

Get safer with the Nite Lite PRO V-Series light tower from Allmand.

Booth 670

Asphalt Drum Mixers, Inc., Huntertown, Ind., representatives will show the company’s MileMaker mixing and drying drum, four cold feed bins, the Self-Erecting Silo and an SPL 110 TPH plant with 2 bins. Visit www.admasphaltplants. com and see the company’s ad in this magazine.

ASPHALT PRO 41

CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2011 SHOWCASE Asphalt Pro Special Section

Silver Lot 2

South Hall (Lower Level)

Bergkamp Booth 700

Hydronix Booth 20949

Bergkamp, Inc., Salina, Kan., representatives will display the new Mobile Stockpile machine to decrease paving time for less cost. It is designed to connect with truck-mounted microsurfacing pavers easily for aggregate Create stockpiles onsite with and emulsion replenishing. Bergkamp Bergkamp’s material transfer and storage trailer. staff will also display the M310 truckmounted slurry seal and micro-surfacing paver and the variablewidth spreader box. Visit www.bergkampinc.com.

Hydronix Limited, Surrey, England, representatives will display the new ThermoTuff fast-response temperature sensor for aggregate bins. The sensor thermally isolates its high speed, high accuracy electronics from their surroundings and The Thermo-Tuff temperafeatures an extension mounting sleeve for ture sensor from Hydronix use in aggregate bins. Visit hydronix.com.

Silver Lot 4 Sakai Booth 19216 Sakai America, Inc., Adairsville, Ga., representatives will display a host of 18 machines, including the new SW770WN oscillation/vibration asphalt roller, vibratory asphalt rollers SW320-1 and CR270-1, and the SW990 with CIS installed. Visit www.sakaiamerica.com.

South Hall (Lower Level)

ACE Group

Booth 11908

ACE Group, British Columbia, representatives will have a variety of equipment parts on display. The company manufactures and/or distributes paver wear parts, plant equipment and parts, windrow elevators, pick-up machines, material transfer devices, track pads and chains, live-bottom trailer parts, and more. The ACE Group’s RAPwrangler is designed to reduce football-sized chunks of asphalt to suitable gradations for mixing. Visit www.asphaltace.com and see the company’s ad in this magazine.

Belt-Way Scales Booth 12515 Belt-Way Scales, Inc., Rock Falls, Ill., representatives will be available to discuss conveying systems for the asphalt, aggregate, mining, portable crushing industries and more. Ask about remote monitoring with the Belt-Way Integrator. Visit www.beltwayscales.com.

Safety Vision, Houston, representatives will display the SV-1500 DVR three-in-one flashlight, still-photo camera and handheld video recorder. They’ll also showcase the company’s SafeDrive MiniDVR™, which is an event-based mobile DVR that installs directly to a windshield to incorporate both a forward-facing road-view camera and a rear-facing cabin-view camera to record video, audio and metadata. Visit www.safetyvision.com.

Standard Filter Booth 11145 Standard Filter Corp., Carlsbad, Calif., representatives will display their bags for dust collection systems and will be available to discuss filter media selection. Visit www.standardfilter.com.

Filter dust with good bags.

Systems Equipment

Booth 11353b

Systems Equipment Corp., Waukon, Iowa, representatives will display the company’s asphalt drum mix blending system with graphical user interface, ADP100GUI, as well as the WIN-LC1000 Windows terminal blending system and the WIN-MC1000 Windows –based motor control system for asphalt terminals. Visit www. systemsequipment.com and see the company’s ad in this magazine.

South Hall (Upper Level) ConExpo Booth S-12515

GGB Booth 15817 GGB Bearing Technologies, Thorofare, N.J., representatives will have catalogs on display of their primary products for the ConAgg market including the DP31 Marginally Lubricated bearings, the DX®10 with DuraStrong Technology, and Filament Wound High Load Selflubricating Bearings Designer’s Handbook. GGB is a division of EnPro Industries. Visit www.ggbearings.com.

Command Alkon Booth 9923 Command Alkon, Birmingham, Ala., representatives will have the Apex Loadout system on display, for loading asphalt, aggregate or other material into trucks and rail cars. It integrates with the Apex Ticketing module to open and close single or multiple overhead silo gates, etc. Visit www.commandalkon.com

QBC Booth 14659

Screen capture of the Apex Loadout system 42 february 2011

Safety Vision Booth 10732

Quality Bearings and Components, New Hyde Park, N.Y., representatives will display not only the super ball bushing bearing (open type) for end-supported applications that you see here, but also any Thomson Linear Bearing that you find on the company’s website. Visit www.qbcbearings.com.

Super ball bushing bearing

here's how it works

TK Controls’ Asphalt Inventory System

T

racking liquid asphalt cement (AC) costs requires personnel to get accurate measurements from tanks and transports. Plant operators and ground personnel can start by tossing away the chain and float mechanisms in the tank farm. The engineers at TK Controls, Inc., Ontario, N.Y., have an automated method. The Precision Asphalt Inventory System from TK Controls is designed to provide inventory measurements in large storage tanks up to plus or minus 3 mm accuracy with compensation for temperature or volume changes within the tank.

Here’s how it works: First, two sensors are installed in each tank that is to be monitored. The first sensor is an Ohmart Vega precision level radar transmitter,

44 february 2011

which measures the liquid material level. It is a non-contact Radar Level Transmitter.

The second sensor is typically a 50-foot assembly with six equally-spaced RTD temperature sensors, which measure the liquid material temperature in each zone. It is a Weed Instrument Co. multi-point RTD temperature probe assembly.

Next, the two sensors collect data and transmit the information through a Yokogawa wireless modem on the tank to a Yokogawa MW100 Data Logger, which is located in the plant office.

The Yokogawa MW100 Data Logger executes an algorithm, developed by TK Controls, which calculates average bulk temperature from the six temperature points and computes the API gravity and the exact

weight of the asphalt in the tank. The MW100 also captures the tank volume, actual measured temperatures and tank level.

The data logger also sends the data through a router or Ethernet connection to the Yokogawa MW100 viewer on the plant operator’s desktop, where it is displayed graphically in real time. Management can also access the same data on the Internet through an IP address and password.

The Yokogawa MD100 stores the data so it can be downloaded from the Internet or transferred in real time to any central data collection system.

For more information, contact Walter Dutcher at (585) 224-5581 or wdutcher@tkcontrols.com or visit www.tkcontrols.com.

here's how it works

PTI’s Foamer

T

esting warm-mix asphalt (WMA) designs in the lab gets a helping hand from the engineers at Pavement Technology Inc., Covington, Ga. The Foamer is designed to provide accurate and repeatable foamed asphalt samples in the lab and can be used in tandem with a lab mixer. Here’s how it works: First, the lab technician places a standard 1 quart or 1 gallon can of liquid asphalt cement (AC), at room temperature, in the heated and pressurized aluminum reservoir, which is mounted on load cells. The Foamer is designed to accommodate up to 14 pounds of AC. Second, the tech enters the desired asphalt temperature, up to 350 degrees F; the grams of asphalt; and the percentage of water to include in the reaction chamber on a touch-pad screen.

46 february 2011

At the operator’s command, the system heats the AC to the desired temperature and sends it to the reaction chamber. Water from an onboard water tank with a 2-gallon capacity sends water through an electronic proportional valve to the reaction chamber. The heated AC and water meet simultaneously in the reaction chamber where foaming takes place.

To operate with less time spent waiting for AC to heat up, the operator can pour the AC directly into the reservoir. The reservoir is lined with a special high-temperature, disposable polymer bag, which can be discarded upon completion of foamed sample production. (No additional cleanup of The Foamer is required.)

The foamed asphalt travels from the reaction chamber down an insulated tube for discharge to a waiting container or mixing

device. The entire foaming device is situated on a pneumatic cylinder, and mounted on wheels, which allows the technician to raise or lower The Foamer to accommodate water and AC loading, and foamed AC discharge height.

For more information, contact Wade Collins at (770) 856-9268 or wadec@pavementtechnology. com or visit www.pavementtechnology.com.

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

the last cut Stocks Influence All Energy Prices from U.S. Energy Information Administration

T

he Energy Information Administration (EIA) had seen the average retail price for a gallon of gas rise steadily through December, which everyone who watches travel trends expected. The largest increase in the country happened on the Gulf Coast, where retail diesel prices increased at almost twice the rate of gasoline prices.

Residential heating oil prices saw increases as well. The average price at the beginning of the year had reached $3.34 per gallon, which is 46 cents more per gallon than the beginning of 2010. Wholesale heating oil prices were only 42 cents more per gallon than this time last year.

The 4-cent difference isn’t all that comforting. Propane costs followed suit, showing the average residential propane price at $2.74 per gallon in early 2011. That’s 21 cents per gallon more than last year. The shiny spot in all this news is the wholesale propane prices, which showed a decrease of 5 cents per gallon compared to the Jan. 4, 2010, price of $1.47 per gallon.

Propane stocks showed their seasonal decline in early January, dropping 2.7 million barrels to end at 52.6 million barrels. Considering the record snowfalls and “snow fatigue” weather forecasters discuss almost nightly, those stocks will take record hits. While consumers across the United States experience higher petroleum product prices—in part due to rising crude prices, which you can review in the Liquid Asphalt Cement Prices table below—propane consumers in the Northeast have seen regional supply issues add to overall price pressures. Residential Liquid Asphalt Cement Prices "average per ton" Company, State

Nov ’10

Dec ’10

Jan ’11

$437.50

$457.50

$482.50

NuStar Energy, Ga.

455.00

455.00

455.00

NuStar Energy, N.C.

455.00

455.00

455.00

NuStar Energy, S.C.

455.00

455.00

455.00

NuStar Energy, Va.

460.00

466.67

466.67

Assoc’d Asphalt Inman, N.C.

460.00

460.00

475.00

Assoc’d Asphalt Inman, S.C.

460.00

460.00

475.00

Assoc’d Asphalt Inman, Va.

460.00

460.00

475.00

Marathon Petroleum, Tenn.

440.00

460.00

460.00

Marathon Petroleum, N.C.

435.00

455.00

455.00

Valero Petroleum, Va.

460.00

460.00

470.00

Massachusetts Average

460.00

460.00

California Average

432.20

Missouri Average

426.25

ConocoPhillips, Tenn.

Diesel Fuel Retail Price (dollars per gallon) Nov 29

3.162

Dec 6

3.197

467.50

Dec 13

3.231

450.60

477.10

Dec 20

3.248

426.25

n/a

Dec 27

3.294

Jan 3

3.331

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 48 february 2011

propane in New England has risen to $3.28 per gallon. Central Atlantic prices are the highest in the Northeast at $3.37 per gallon. Consider this: Prices in the Midwest have experienced a 29-cent increase per gallon. In the Northeast, prices have risen more than 45 cents per gallon.

Once again, price hikes in a commodity can be traced to supply interruptions. An outage early in the season on the Enterprise TE Products Pipeline (TEPPCO) that brings propane into the Northeast through New York State disrupted supply into New York State and the Central Atlantic and New England regions. The pipeline failure occurred downstream of the Watkins Glen, N.Y., terminal, which was able to remain operational, but pipeline flows to the Harford Mills, Oneonta and Selkirk terminals were curtailed.

Rail and truck shipments from outside the region, as well as waterborne imports into Providence, R.I., and Newington, N.H., have thus far sustained propane stocks in the Northeast while portions of the pipeline remain out of service. In fact, propane stocks in New England fell to 39,000 barrels in mid-October, prompting companies to use truck and rail shipments from outside the region much earlier than they typically would to rebuild supply. The ongoing supply chain issues warrant monitoring, as there is potential for supply difficulties as we move deeper into the winter.

Cold weather in the Northeast during December translated into five consecutive stock draws in the Central Atlantic, while New England stocks fluctuated during the month. New England propane inventories were 0.7 million barrels Dec. 31, which is 72 percent above the 5-year average. Central Atlantic inventories, at 1.6 million barrels, were 20 percent below the 5-year average.

By early January, product transportation issues in the region were more pressing than relative stock levels. Enterprise had successfully completed hydrostatic testing of the portion of the pipeline between Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Marathon, N.Y., and received regulatory approval to resume operation from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).

Source: Energy Information Administration

U.S. Crude Oil Activity futures spot data

stocks in millions bbls

Dec 3

$89.19/bbl

355.9

Dec 10

$87.79/bbl

346.0

Dec 17

$88.01/bbl

340.7

Dec 24

n/a

339.4

Dec 31

$91.38 335.3 Source: Energy Information Administration

resource directory ACE Group................ 41, 47 Contact: Carl McKenzie Tel: 888-878-0898

Asphalt Solutions….25

EZ Street..........................15

Humboldt

Contact: Pat Ronyack

Tel: 800-734-1476

Manufacturing................21

Tel: 623-853-2273

Info@ezstreet-miami.com

Contact: Robin Bailey

sales.enquiries@ashaltacesales.com

Nosmellasphalt@msn.com

www.asphaltace.com

Tel: 800-544-7220

www.asphaltsolutions.com

www.ezstreetasphalt.com

AquaFoam LLC................35 Contact: Paul Schwan Tel: 513-874-0201 www.aquafoamllc.com Asphalt Drum Mixers .............................17, 26-27 Contact: Steve Shawd or Jeff Dunne Tel: 260-637-5729 sales@admasphaltplants.com www.admasphaltplants.com Asphalt Plant Products..........................50 Contact: Tom Holley Tel: 866-595-3268 Cell: 706-466-3678 www.asphaltplantproducts.com

B & S Light................. 38-39 Contact: Mike Young Tel: 918-342-1160 Sales@bslight.com www.bslight.com

Rbailey@humboldtmfg.com Gilson...............................14 Contact: Jim Bibler Tel: 740-548-7298 Email: jbibler@gilsonco.com www.globalgilson.com

Brookfield

Heatec, Inc.

Engineering.....................24

..............Inside Front Cover

sales@brookfieldengineering.com

Contact: Sharlene Burney

Tel: 800-628-8139 or

Tel: 800-235-5200

508-946-6200 www.brookfieldengineering.com

CEI......................................4 Contact: Andy Guth

sburney@heatec.com www.heatec.com Homestead Valve............19

www.humboldtmfg.com Libra Systems..................13 Contact: Ken Cardy Tel: 215-256-1700 Sales@librasystems.com

Roadtec..............................7 Contact: Sales Tel: 429-265-0600 Sales@roadtec.com www.roadtec.com

Stansteel..........................29 Contact: Dawn Kochert Tel: 800-826-0223 dkochert@hotmixparts.com www.hotmixparts.com Systems Equipment........43 Contact: Dave Enyart Sr. Tel: 563-568-6387 Dlenyart@systemsequipment.com

www.systemsequipment.com

www.librasystems.com Maxam Equipment.........23 Contact: Lonnie Greene Tel: 800-292-6070 lgreene@maxamequipment.com

www.maxamequipment.com Minds, Inc........................11 Contact: Curtis Kieres

Tel: 610-770-1100

Tel: 250-862-8813 x 226

info@ceienterprises.com

Sales@homesteadvalves.com

Email: ckieres@mindsinc.ca

www.ceienterprises.com

www.homesteadvalves.com

www.mindsinc.ca

Tel: 800-545-4034

Reliable Asphalt Products ..........................Back Cover Contact: Charles Grote Tel: 502-647-1782 cgrote@reliableasphalt.com www.reliableasphalt.com

Rotochopper, Inc. ...............Inside Back Cover Tel: 320-548-3586 Info@rotochopper.com www.rotochopper.com Stansteel Asphalt Plant Products................49 Contact: Tom McCune Tel: 800-826-0223 tmccune@stansteel.com www.stansteel.com

Tarmac International, Inc........ 9,45 Contact: Ron Heap Tel 816-220-0700 info@tarmacinc.com www.tarmacinc.com Wirtgen America.............30 Tel: 615-501-0600 Info@wirtgenamerica.com www.wirtgenamerica.com

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