ASPHALT FIELD

Sayed Zubair
 INTRODUCTION

 Host will introduce himself and the Academy

 Presenter will introduce himself and an overview of this webinar
Introduction to Asphalt
Project Communication and Safety
Surface Preparation
Equipment and Laydown Operation
Mat Compaction
Density Testing
 Participants will introduce themselves
 Ground rules
 INTRODUCTION TO ASHPHALT
 History: Began in the late 1800s, and grew rapidly.
 Components: Three basic components
 Types:
 Asphalt Concrete (dense-graded hot or warm mix
asphalt)
 Emulsified Asphalt Mixes (cold mixes)
 Asphalt Surface Treatments
 Open-graded Asphalt
 Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA)
 In-Place Recycled Mixes, and Others.
 We will primarily discuss here about Asphalt Concrete (AC).
Interchange in
Springfield, Virginia
Year Built: 1960s
Diverging Diamond
Interchange, in Virginia
Year Built: 2015
 PROJECT COMMUNICATION
AND SAFETY
 Communication is the most essential part of project planning and organization.
 Project Documents
 Preconstruction Conference, Formal and informal meetings, Daily
communications
 Project Records
 Safety cannot be maintained without proper communication
 Safety trainings, re-training, safety talks
 SURFACE PREPARATION

 Introduction: AC performance is directly related to the condition of the surface.

 Drainage consideration:
 Proper drainage
 Moisture sources
 Primary means to prevent surface drainage
 Subgrade/base preparation for new pavements:
 Greater subgrade, greater load bearing and structural capacity
 Elevation, grade and slope requirements
 Preparation of existing surfaces for AC overlays:
 EQUIPMENT AND LAYDOWN
OPERATION
 Equipment: Paving Machine, Material Transfer Vehicle (MTV), Rollers, Tack
Trucks, Dump Trucks, Sweepers, Water tankers…

 Laydown: The process that the AC is actually placed or “laid down” by the
paving machine.

 Constructing transverse and longitudinal joints: All pavements have one

potential internal weakness that cause more problems than any other – joints.
Material Transfer Vehicle
Tacking Truck
Roller
Pneumatic Tire Roller
 MAT COMPACTION

 AC compaction:
 The single most important factor that affects the ultimate performance of
asphalt concrete layers is compaction.
 Compaction is the final stage of AC paving operations.
 Factors affecting mat compaction:
 Environmental Factors
 Mix Property Factors
 Construction Process Factors

Below is a list of some of the factors affecting compaction: Next page…

 Compacting the mat:
 Must begin immediately at which the mix will support the rollers without
moving horizontally
 Must be compacted to the required degree of compaction
 Must obtain uniform density over the entire section.
 A typical compaction train consists of the following:
 Screed
 Breakdown Roller
 Intermediate Roller
 Finish Roller
 Traffic
 DENSITY TESTING
VDOT requires its contractors to complete the following procedures for density testing:
 Determine the Roller Pattern
 Establish the Control Strip
 Divide up the Test Sections

 The Roller Pattern: The purpose of the roller pattern is to determine the number of
passes required to get the maximum density for that mix.
 The Control Strip: The Control Strip is built by following the procedure established in
the roller pattern section to determine if the density can be achieved.
 The Test Sections: After the roller pattern has been approved and the target density
is set, the rest of the project is divided up into Test Sections

Below is an overhead illustration of the roller pattern and control strip together, end to
end.
X – Number of passes
N – Location of nuclear gauge readings (Random)
• – Location of cores/plugs (Three sites closest to target density)
Density can be measured using two different processes – either the Core Density Method
(Method A) or the Nuclear Density Method (Method B).
 As per FHWA in 2009, there are 8.5 Million lane miles of roads in the United States,
which is equal to 340 times of earth’s equator.
QUESTIONS and FEEDBACKS