Ok I just saw an article in NE construction MAg. about green asphalt? I have not looked over the whole thing yet but the jist of it was saying about not heating it up to the 300+ heat that regular mix needs and and keeping it lower I supose using differant ingredients . Has any one used this new process yet and what about price? will it be cheaper ?
I was in a class where the insctrutor spoke of this. The mix is called WMA, Warm Mix Asphalt. He didn't say much about it other than it will have less fumes. That was about it. Telescooper
How things change.................."Green" asphalt in the old days used to mean asphalt that had not cured...........that is it was still soft and vulnerable to damage from traffic.I would still refer to asphalt curb as "Green" if it was not safe to work close to it.Ron G
Doh! I read green, and thought colour not enviromentally friendly :Banghead
I always like the fumes it gave off nothing like being near hot mix on a fall day .
Many years ago my brother and I ran a little asphalt company in Michigan. He lived in a nice little subdivision just out of town, one that had nice size lots and no fences you know. He didn't much like yard work and so his wife mowed the lawn and took care of the plants. But she was always after him to do the mowing and he finally told her if she kept bitching about it he would pave the yard over with asphalt and paint it green. I went off to the service and upon visiting my brother on leave a couple of years later I noted that he had indeed done just as he had threatened. Beautiful yard, and it stayed green year round. Probably one of the reasons they divorced about the time I got married a few years later. I still laugh when I think about it.
You're right LowBoy, the asphalt is initially black but with traffic wear the surface layer of asphalt wears off exposing the stone in the mix. We have three blacktop plants in the area, one of them uses aggregate that is different in color than the other two. 6 months after a job is done you can always tell when the asphalt came from that plant.
I don't know if this is the same article you saw, but this was in the recent Texas Contractor magazine about green asphalt: http://www.acppubs.com/article/CA6597208.html
Our asphalt here is green in color. There is a lot of jade mixed in. Locals don't notice it because that is all most of them ever see at 1 time but those in the business notice it right away.
With the price of heating the mix I was begining to think it all came out just warm anymort