Make Asphalt

Asphalt is technically not the hard cement surface we may walk or drive on, but is actually a sticky substance derived from crude oil (petroleum). This sticky asphalt is mixed with other substances and may or may not be heated for use in paving roads, lining reservoirs or other purposes. Here are 3 ways to make asphalt.

Steps

Initial heating

  1. Heat asphalt cement or dried crushed rock in a heater at an asphalt plant. The heating temperature may be as high as 300 degrees F (149 C).
  2. Mix the asphalt cement or crushed rock with aggregates in a drum mixer. The aggregates may be fine and/or coarse. Petroleum compounds or mineral fillers may also be added to the asphalt mixture.
  3. Send the asphalt mix through a dryer burner.

Admixing

  1. Add additives to reduce the thickness of binders used to make asphalt pavement. These additives could be water-based, chemical, organic, or a hybrid mixture of these types.
  2. Mix the binders and additives with asphalt aggregates. A drum mixer could be used to mix these ingredients together.
  3. Heat the asphalt mixture 30 to 120 degrees lower than normally required to make heated asphalt.

Cold Mix Preparation

  1. Shear asphalt cement into fine particles.
  2. Mix the particles of asphalt with water and soap-like chemicals.

Tips

  • Recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) may also be used as material in a heated asphalt mixture. Asphalt pavement is natural and completely recyclable.
  • A heated asphalt production plant may include storage areas and bins to hold necessary components in making asphalt pavement. Conveyor belts, an exhaust fan and emission controls may also be part of the plant's equipment.
  • Using warm-mix asphalt (WMA) or cold asphalt can help lower energy costs and save time in asphalt production.
  • Heating asphalt makes it easier to pump and apply.
  • Heated asphalt pavement is immediately loaded onto trucks to be taken to major construction sites. It can also be stored in silos for later use.
  • The United States generally uses a heated asphalt mixture to pave roads. Other countries, such as South Africa and India, make a cold asphalt mix.
  • A cold asphalt mix may also be known as an emulsion. Its use reduces carbon dioxide emissions and other gas emissions.
  • Asphalt is also good for paving roads because it sticks to and holds granular substances it is mixed with in their place in the upper, stronger layers of pavement.

Warnings

  • How fast an asphalt mix cools affects its durability in pavement projects. The greater the difference in temperature between fresh asphalt and its paving environment, the faster the mix will cool and be less durable.

Things You'll Need

  • Asphalt cement
  • Crushed rock
  • Asphalt plant
  • Heater
  • Fine or coarse asphalt aggregates
  • Drum mixer
  • Petroleum compounds
  • Mineral fillers
  • Dryer burner
  • Additives that reduce binder thickness
  • Asphalt binders
  • Asphalt cement shearer
  • Water
  • Soap-like chemicals

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Sources and Citations

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