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Paving Machine: How it worksHave you ever drove down the road and thought to yourself how did they make this. In this article we dig into the inner workings of laying asphalt and show you have these same methods can be used in both road construction and for your residential driveway. The origin of todays paving machines can trace their history back to a patent that was filed in the 1930's. The same principle identified that long ago is still used today. The difference is that with todays technologies we can better control all aspects of the paving process and provide you with the highest quality asphalt available in High Point.
The equipment that we use will ensure that the asphalt being laid on your surface is as dense and deposited in an even layer. This will extend the life of the surface to provide years of use. |
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The process starts by a dump truck coming from the asphalt plant with the paving material in the bed. The dump truck will then back up to the paving machine and begin to dump the load of asphalt into the paving machine. This transfer of material requires a high level of skill from both the truck driver and paving machine operator. If at any point the truck gets too far ahead of the paver it will leave asphalt on the surface that the paving machine has to drive over. This results is the paving machine no-longer being level and what you end up with is a dip in the surface that will either hold water increasing the risk of hydroplaning or leaving dips in the road that you feel when you are driving across them.
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Once the material is transferred from the dump truck into the paving machines hopper a conveyor belt will deliver the asphalt from the hopper to an auger. This augers purpose is to keep a constant supply of asphalt in front of the screed. The screed is where the real magic happens during the paving process. This component of the paving machine is responsible for the quality of the paved surface. The screed is responsible for depositing the asphalt onto the foundation in an even level layer. The screed has multiple adjustments that can control slope, crown, or superelevation of the resulting surface. An experienced operator can make all the necessary adjustments on the fly but todays paving machines have automatic screed controls that will ensure a consistent surface regardless of who is controlling the screed. If there is one thing that needs to be correct during the paving process it is the control of the free floating screed. The free floating nature of this feature is what allows for the ability to absorb small changes in the foundation while still maintaining a smooth surface layer. The downside to the free floating design is that because the screed is "floating" on top of the asphalt and an operator goes to fast the pavement will end up being to thick and also if they begin to slow down to much the screed will sink lower and not only leave a dip in the pavement but also have a thinner layer in that area. At High Point Paving and Sealcoating we take pride in the quality of driving surface we provide because we know that you will have years of service from the asphalt and want you to be satisfied that entire time. Please reach out to us either by calling or filling out the form below as we would love to speak with you more about how a new paved driveway could be right for you.