Although asphalt is one of the oldest substances used for paving, it has undergone a tremendous change from the way it was used and laid down before. There have been many advances pertaining to making asphalt quicker and easy to lay. People are also trying to find newer ways to make it safe and environment-friendly. Contemporary asphalt processes are based mostly around reclamation and recycling but are foundations of modern day asphalt work that uses specialized techniques and specific equipment. There are precisely three major technologies behind modern day asphalt: milling, pulverizing and stabilization.
The process of Milling
It is not surprising that many tend to confuse between the milling and pulverizing processes as both mainly involve pulling up and crushing existing pavement. Milling, however, is a recycling and re-paving procedure which aims to remove the topmost layer of asphalt from a road, parking lot or driveway without touching the base. In the milling process, a cold planer typically drives down the street and driving a spiked drumhead into the asphalt, ripping and capturing it. A series of conveyor belts then carry the milled asphalt to the plant.
This old asphalt is then mixed with new paving. The milling process does not impact the sub-base, leaving it intact. New asphalt is simply installed on the top of this sub-base creating a smooth textured surface. This helps to save time, money and efforts on the paving projects and also helps to make the process more environment-friendly as we recycle old asphalt, rather than converting it to waste. The process of milling is also used when roadways become too elevated due to repeated repaving and need to be levelled down.
Pulverizing
Another asphalt process similar to milling is the pulverization process. Pulverization involves a huge machine that drives on the roadway and rips off the existing asphalt. In contrast to milling, pulverization uses the same asphalt to repave the area from which it is ripped. Pulverization results in several inches of asphalt residue spread across an area where the old asphalt used to be. The process of stabilization helps to reform the asphalt and make it into a solid surface again. Pulverization is again an environment-friendly and sustainable way to reuse asphalt.
Stabilization
The process of stabilization is the second part of the pulverizing process. The crushed asphalt that is left behind in the pulverization process is then overlaid with a mix of tar, waterproofing agents and some binding agents. This results in the binding fluid getting thoroughly mixed up with the crushed asphalt. This resulting mixture takes about 24-48 hours to harden adequately and the resulting asphalt road or driveway is ready to be used. One of the best parts of the stabilizing process is that the asphalt used is made using minimum new material. And its quality and tenacity are just as good as that of a strong and robust road that may have been built with new materials.
Pulverizing and stabilization can help to replace asphalt with minimum investment, effort, and traffic disruption.
West York Paving believes in using these modern techniques to not only pave reliable and solid asphalt roads, driveways, etc. but also because they are environmentally friendly, eliminate waste and a great way to reuse and recycle. To know if these asphalt processes are fit for your next paving project, contact West York Paving today. We can transform your driveways, roads, and parking lots with asphalt paving.