Paving 101: What You Should Know About Asphalt Paving
Paving 101: What You Should Know About Asphalt Paving
Although you most likely won't ever do it yourself, knowing how the process of asphalt paving works is still pretty cool! Find out all about it here!
Keyword(s): asphalt paving
The asphalt industry is important to the American economy. Each year, Americans produce about $30 billion dollars of asphalt materials.
The industry employs over 400,000 people, including those in the construction sector.
Asphalt is a great paving option if you're considering a new driveway or parking lot. Wondering how the asphalt paving process works?
Keep reading for everything you need to know about the asphalt paving process.
What is Asphalt?
Asphalt is a conglomeration of aggregates, binders, and fillers. The aggregates are gravel, sand, crushed rock, and slags.
The most common binder is bitumen. Bitumen holds the aggregates together.
All the ingredients are measured, mixed and then baked together for the final asphalt product.
And the cool thing about asphalt is that it's almost 100% recycled.
Asphalt is safe as well as durable. Asphalt melts ice quicker than concrete. This makes the surface safe for walking in bad weather.
Porous asphalt has tiny holes and qualifies for EPA best-practice paving. Water falling on porous asphalt goes through the asphalt into the ground.
The New Installation Paving Process
Asphalt paving is several layers deep. It starts with demolishing and hauling away the existing surface. Several steps follow.
Grading the Surface
Before laying down asphalt, grading is first done. The contractor slopes the grading toward grassy areas. This keeps water from sitting on the surface of the finished asphalt.
Sub Base Preparation
After grading, a sub-base layer is put down first. This is the load-bearing, supporting layer.
Aggregate materials comprise the sub-base layer. More than half the layer is usually crushed stones.
The Binder Layer
Commonly made from bitumen, this layer is mixed with oil, making it durable and strong. After finishing the binder layer, a proof roll is put down.
The proof layer detects any soft areas not strong enough for load bearing. If there are soft areas, workers dig down several feet. They replace the soft area with stronger aggregates.
New Asphalt
When the sub-base layer is fixed and strong, the new asphalt is put down. Then the surface is rolled smooth. This step also compacts the asphalt.
Asphalt is ready for action as soon as it cools after rolling. Drying time varies based on conditions. But wait at least 24 hours before driving on it.
Don't let cars on the surface too soon or you'll need repairs before you've even used it!
As the sun oxidizes the oil in the binder, the asphalt turns from black to gray. Oxidation is important for releasing the extra oils in the binder. But stopping oxidation with curing is crucial.
The asphalt needs curing after about 30 days for a commercial parking lot. Wait about 90 days for a residential driveway.
Use Asphalt Paving
Asphalt paving is perfect for residential and commercial use. It's safe and eco-conscious using 100% recyclable materials.
The American paving industry is a backbone of the economy, producing over 400 million tons of pavement each year.
If you need a new driveway or commercial parking lot, use asphalt paving. Find a licensed and insured paving company here.