Posted by Jesse Willoughby on Wed, Mar 03, 2010 @ 01:19 PM
We all have certain misconceptions that we've heard over time, read on a blog, seen on TV, or just believed we had reliable information. I'd like to address some common misconceptions about asphalt, and the paving industry, that I've heard before.
Misconception 1: There shouldn't be any rocks showing in the asphalt.
When asphalt is made it has a few ingredients in it. It has crushed rocks and a mix of petroleum composites that are produced in oil refineries. The asphalt ingredients are heated up and then mix together. After the asphalt is placed on the ground, it can be different sizes. Typical rocks in asphalt are ¾ inch, some are ½ inch, and some are 3/8 inch. The different sizes will obviously have different appearance once it is spread and compacted. Because concrete usually has high sand and water content and is smoothed with a steel trowel it is a smooth surface appearance.
Misconception 2: Asphalt should be like concrete.
Some consider that most pavement surfaces are alike, when in reality they are made with different mixtures, ingredients, chemicals, and rocks. Asphalt is petroleum based and concrete is water based. There are different installation procedures, various equipment used, and concrete is more labor intensive than asphalt.
Misconception 3: The black top asphalt color will come off on my shoes?
Some people think that because it's hot, black, and looks like clay sometimes, that it will cling to your shoes. Asphalt, once installed and compacted should not get on your shoes. Seal coat, however when freshly applied will get on your shoes, so don't walk on it for 24 hours.
Misconception 4:Paving contractors always try to give you a change order.
We have been in business more than 20 years and the jobs that have kept us in business are not from change orders. The times a change order arrises into the project is when an unforeseen problem develops that was not part of the original scope of work. Paving contractors do not create the change orders, the issue that comes about as a surprise to everyone creates the change order. We are in business for the long term, not to make a quick dollar on a change order. We use high quality materials, well-trained employees, and well-maintained equipment and we are considered by current and previous customers as a reputable contractor. Feel free to read some testimonials.
Of course many misconceptions arise when expectations are unclear. To learn more visit www.hotmix.org
Posted by Jesse Willoughby on Tue, Apr 21, 2009 @ 12:49 PM
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Posted by Jesse Willoughby on Fri, Jan 09, 2009 @ 01:42 PM
Asphalt history goes all the way back to ancient Mesopotamians who used asphalt to waterproof temple baths and water tanks.
Today, 96% of all paved roads and streets in the U.S. - almost two million miles - are surfaced with asphalt. Almost all paving asphalt used today is obtained by processing crude oils. After everything of value is removed, the leftovers are made into asphalt cement for pavement. Man-made asphalt consists of compounds of hydrogen and carbon with minor proportions of nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen. Natural forming asphalt, or brea, also contains mineral deposits.
The first indications of constructed roads date from about 4000 BC and consist of stone paved streets at Ur in modern-day Iraq and timber roads preserved in a swamp in Glastonbury, England.
Similarly, ancient Phoenicians, Egyptians, and Romans used the binding and insulating effects of natural asphalt (found naturally in both asphalt lakes and in rock asphalt).
The word "asphalt" comes from ancient Greeks, from the Greek word ""asphaltos," meaning "secure".
While the most ancient uses of asphalt were to waterproof and bind material with asphalt, the first uses for road-building occurred in Babylon, 625 B.C.
Asphalt History - 1800s
The use of asphalt as a road-building material increased exponentially during the 1800s.
One of the builders, Thomas Telford, built more than 900 miles of roads in Scotland, perfecting the method of building roads with broken stones.
Similarly, John Loudon McAdam, used broken stone joined to form a hard surface to build a Scottish turnpike.
The construction method was later improved, to reduce dust and maintenance, as builders used hot tar to bond the broken stones together, producing "tarmacadam" pavements.
In 1870, a Belgian chemist named Edmund J. DeSmedt made the first true asphalt pavement in the U.S. in Newark, N.J.
The first asphalt plant was opened by The Cummer Company in the 1800s, while the first modern asphalt production facility was opened by the Warren Brothers in East Cambridge, MA, in 1901.
The first asphalt production patent, meanwhile, was filed by Nathan B. Abbott of Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1871.
Asphalt History - 1900s to 2000s
In the year 1900 Frederick J. Warren filed a patent for "Bitulithic" pavement, a mixture of bitumen and aggregate.
As advances in the use of asphalt increased, the production of refined petroleum asphalt outstripped the use of natural asphalt by early 1900s.
This innovation boom was fueled by the fact that as cars grew in popularity, the demand for more and better roads led to innovations in both producing and laying asphalt.
During World War II, asphalt technology improved vastly, primarily due to the fact that military uses needed surfaces that could withstand heavy loads.
Standards development within the asphalt industry took a leap 1955, as The National Bituminous Concrete Association(now known as the National Asphalt Pavement Association or NAPA) was founded.
As car ownership since World War II skyrocketed, innovations for heavy equipment to facilitate more road-building included electronic leveling controls, extra-wide finishers for paving two lanes at once and vibratory steel-wheel rollers.
The energy crisis of the 1970s spurred the need for recycled asphalt.
As a result, asphalt is the most recycled material in the U.S. today, with more than 70 million metric tons of asphalt paving material being recycled each year.
In fact, the major innovations in the industry today have to do with improvements in recyclable asphalt methods and equipment.
Also, the industry has developed advanced pavement materials including Open Graded Friction Course (OGFC), Superpave, and Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA), also called gap-graded Superpave.
The major development efforts of today include asphalt development for less noise, greater durability, enhanced skid resistance, reduced splash and spray in rainy weather, and a smoother ride for today's demanding drivers.
To Learn More go to
Asphalt History FAQs
Posted by Jesse Willoughby on Tue, Jan 06, 2009 @ 11:28 AM
What if you could buy enough gas for a years worth of driving at today's prices? Would you find a way to come up with the money to save on the large increase in prices that are sure to come? Well, if you are thinking of having asphalt placed on your property you surely will want to have it done in the next few months.
The oil that makes asphalt is a by-product of petroleum and thus rises and falls with the cost of a barrel of oil. Prices are down this winter and are sure to go up this summer with the increase in travel for vacations. Some industry analysists are even predicting a price of $5 a gallon at the pumps in 2009. It is safe to say that gasoline and asphalt prices will never be cheaper than they are right now. So if you have any work that requires new pavement, repairs or scheduled maintenance you should get it done during the slow winter or early spring months. Asphalt companies are especially hungry for business during this time of year so they sharpen their pencils to get the best price for you.