Many people favor asphalt pavements for their parking lots due to their resilience and durability. Asphalt is the best paving option for residential and commercial pavements because it lasts longer and requires little to no maintenance. Ideally, asphalt pavement can last for 20-25years when properly laid. It is suitable for driveways, parking lots, airstrips, roadways, etc. The good thing is that asphalt pavement can be recycled when removed, making it environmentally friendly.
Asphalt pavement is one of the best choices if you are looking for a long-lasting pavement that you can recycle over and over. Before choosing an asphalt paving company, discover more about it and why it is the best choice.
What makes asphalt pavement?
Asphalt is also commonly known as bitumen and consists of liquid asphalt, stone, sand, and additives. The liquid asphalt is a sticky material used as the binding agent for asphalt pavements. It is viscous and is also available in solid forms.
The viscosity of asphalt binds the materials that make up asphalt pavement allowing it to maintain flexibility and durability. When mixed, 90-95% is aggregate and sand and 5-10% asphalt. The flexibility of asphalt is its greatest strength because it allows it to withstand and adapt to changing weather conditions and the surface beneath it.
Note that the cooler the asphalt pavement is, the less flexibility it has. Another great feature of asphalt pavement is its ability to repel water. Since water is the greatest enemy to pavements, that is what makes asphalt the best paving material.
The process of installing asphalt pavement
First, the contractor weighs the asphalt materials using a belt weighing instrument depending on the recipe they want to use. A belt weighing instrument allows them to weigh the materials simultaneously.
The next step is drying the asphalt components. A rotary drying drum comes in handy to dry the components at about 300degrees. After that, the ingredients are weighed again to check whether the drying process has altered their weight. Then the contractor sifts the dried components and stores them in silos.
Step three involves transferring the aggregates into the mixer. The liquid asphalt, the binding element, stays in separate heated tanks to remain fluid, ideal for mixing. The contractor adds asphalt into the mixer depending on the measured flow rate when the aggregate is in the mixer. Then the aggregate and asphalt are mixed thoroughly to form asphalt paving material.
The mixed asphalt is stored in a heated silo until transportation to the construction site using dump trucks. The contractors have to maintain the high temperature throughout the paving process to ensure that it is not compacted.
Surface preparation is important before applying the asphalt pavement to ensure it binds well to the surface. Asphalt rollers come in handy to lay and compact the material over the surface. The quality of the asphalt pavement depends on the quality of the asphalt mix, compaction, and rolling methods.
Conclusion
As you can see, installing asphalt pavement can be intricate, so you should choose an experienced asphalt paving company for the job. Also, maintenance is vital to extend its life.
