How to make new asphalt from old. How and from what you can make real asphalt yourself

It is a multi-component mixture based on sand, stone and bituminous binder. The “correct” name of the material is asphalt concrete, which does not prevent the use of the term “asphalt” even in specialized publications.

The composition of asphalt includes bitumen, sand, varieties of crushed stone or gravel, as well as mineral additives and fillers. Bitumen remains the only constant component, and the remaining components can be added in various proportions.

Functions of Fine Asphalt Mix Components

Sand, contained in the asphalt, plays the role of a filler and a shallow base, contributes to the distribution of pressure from the road to the ground. Without sand, the bituminous binder would flow out and crushed stone would be squeezed up.

In the case of special asphalts containing cement, sand is involved in the cementation process and gives the pavement additional hardness.

mineral filler- is a rock (sandstone, limestone or chalk) crushed to a dusty state, designed to fill residual voids. Sandstone is the most versatile, as it is inert to almost any chemical attack. Calcium carbonates (limestone and chalk) are commonly used on public roads, while sandstone can be used near chemical plants.

Rubber- added to the asphalt in the form of rubber crumb (1-1.5 mm), gives the coating high water resistance and plasticity. Rubber-treated asphalts are much less likely to crack, which increases the time between repairs. The disadvantage of such roads is the high cost, so their use is limited to laying the most critical sections of highways.

Change in asphalt structure when mineral filler is added

Classification

One of the main parameters is the size of the crushed stone used, dividing asphalts into the following groups:

1. dense- are used for laying the top layer of the coating and contain fine gravel. In the case of a crushed stone fraction of less than 5 mm, such asphalts are used for pavements with a low load (sidewalks and pedestrian crossings) and are called fine-grained. Larger fractions of crushed stone (5-15 mm) are suitable for creating the top layer of roads;
2. porous– are used in the lower part of the multi-layer pavement and contain less bitumen than dense asphalts;
3. highly porous- optimal as a basis for highly loaded highways. In their production, the largest crushed stone of a fraction of 15-40 mm is used. Such dimensions provide the necessary water permeability, creating drainage in lowlands and swampy areas. Larger size reduces the shift of the road base and indentation into upper layer soil, reducing the risk of washout and subsidence of the coating.

Manufacturing technology

The basis of any asphalt production lies in the preparation of the initial components, mixing at high temperature and storage in special heated bins.

Important proximity plant to the construction site, since the material must be transported for laying in a heated state. If the mixture cools, it will be very difficult to compact it, and the resulting coating will not be strong enough. Consider the stages of asphalt production.

Preparation of the components from which asphalt is made

This includes drying and sifting. Sand, crushed stone and rock usually arrive at the plant in a wet or air-dry state. The presence of residual moisture is fraught with a decrease in the strength of the coating and splashing of the hot bituminous mixture when water enters it.

To eliminate possible consequences, the material is dried at a temperature of 150-160 ° C - this temperature allows you to get rid of moisture adsorbed in the pores of the material.

Screening of crushed stone is carried out using a screen. The mineral filler is pre-crushed in a crusher, after which it is also subjected to fractionation. Depending on the production technology, drying can be single or double, repeated after crushing or screening.

Mixing components

Crushed stone and sand are fed to a belt conveyor, transporting them to a common bunker. Mixing with filler and bitumen can occur simultaneously or be carried out after reaching a homogeneous crushed stone-sand mass.

After adding bitumen, the temperature is maintained at the level of 160-170?C. After reaching the required consistency, the mixture (already asphalt) enters the storage bin, where it can remain heated for up to 4 days. During this period, it must be shipped to the consumer in order to avoid loss of strength characteristics.

Modification of asphalt with additives that give useful performance properties is carried out simultaneously with asphalt mixing. When creating a rubber-asphalt mixture, rubber crumb is added to a heated, ready-to-use product.

Delivery

Transportation of asphalt concrete to the construction site is carried out by road. Most often, ordinary dump trucks are used, which have a body that is resistant to hot asphalt. For transportation over long distances, kochers can be used - cars with special heat-saving containers. They are designed to preserve the properties of asphalt concrete for 2 days.

How asphalt is made at the factory and whether it is possible to do it yourself with your own hands will tell the video:

How to check the parameters of the roadway and raw materials for its production

To avoid purchasing low-quality asphalt concrete, you should ask the seller for a product conformity certificate. It is issued only after passing a set of tests corresponding to GOST or SNiP (depending on the scope).

In the market for quality control services, there are a number of regional laboratories that carry out sampling and testing of asphalt pavements. During the study, an average sample is taken from the total mass of the material. The analysis of the roadway is carried out by examining the core, which is an asphalt rod obtained by drilling the road with a special hollow drill.

Cold asphalt do it yourself

Let's make a reservation right away that cold asphalt is only laid on its own, and its production is carried out only at the factory. The technology itself differs from the traditional coating in lower operating temperatures (70-110 °C) and the addition of a complex of protective and polymeric additives to its composition. The latter are necessary to give greater strength and the formation of a protective antioxidant film on the bitumen surface.

Despite the name, cold asphalt still has to be heated in cold weather to convert the bitumen into a plastic state. Together with this burner, you need to heat up the place where the asphalt will be laid. Depending on the manufacturer, it is possible to carry out work with cold mixtures even when negative temperatures(up to -20 ... -10 ° С).

The advantage of cold asphalt is long term storage. Unlike classic asphalt concrete, it does not need to be applied immediately after purchase. The disadvantages include lower strength, which is almost 2 times less than that of hot asphalt.

For tamping the coating, a vibrating plate or improvised means is used - thick wooden beam, car wheel. The final finishing of the surface occurs after repeated passage of cars. It is not recommended to make solid sections of the road from cold asphalt, as they collapse under pressure. vehicle weighing over 3.5 tons.

Modified cold asphalt:

Recycling of old asphalt

The high cost of creating a road makes it necessary to look for ways to save money. One of them is recycling - processing of waste asphalt, with the aim of its reuse. Processing is carried out in stationary conditions or in mobile recyclers.

The process is carried out in several stages:

• removal of a layer of old asphalt - performed by a remixer that removes the roadway by milling;
• crushing the milled layer to the size of crushed stone. The resulting product is called granulate and can be used for laying roads and preparing crushed stone-sand building mixtures;
• heating in a furnace without direct contact with fire (to avoid ignition);
• adding a fresh portion of bitumen and polymer additives, if necessary.

Recycling technology is of industrial importance and is usually used in the laying of urban and intercity highways. If there is an opportunity to buy recycling asphalt for private purposes, do not hesitate - there is no difference in performance properties, while the price will be significantly lower.

Mobile asphalt recycling plants

Installation #1 Installation #2

Modernization of asphalt concrete pavements

Despite sufficient practicality, roadbeds can be improved. One way is to use special mastics for asphalt. They include bitumen or bitumen emulsions containing rubber polymer additives.

Conventional bituminous mastics are used hot, while emulsions are used cold. The principle of operation of mastics is to seal cracks and pores on the surface of the web. This prevents water from entering the road and its destruction - water contributes to cracking of the coating during freezing and water hammer during the passage of vehicles.

Advantages and disadvantages of the material

It is worth noting the following:

1. For light-duty applications, asphalts are not very expensive, unlike the multi-million dollar cost of laying highways;
2. With proper quality, asphalt is indispensable in any weather.
3. Numerous defects are rarely visible from the car window, which are clearly visible to pedestrians;
4. The production of heated and viscous mixtures is not an easy task, despite the automation of the process;
5. The difficulty of using heated mixes is partly offset by the appearance of cold asphalt;
6. Asphalt paths in the garden are not made precisely because of the unpleasant smell of bitumen, although over time the mixture hardens and causes inconvenience only in the hot season.

Existing alternatives to asphalt are currently too expensive and not as practical. Unlike others building materials, the improvement of asphalt occurs not by the development of new materials, but by the modernization of old ones.

The widespread introduction of polymer modifiers makes it possible to fundamentally improve the properties of road surfaces and expand the limits of their technological application, which is confirmed by numerous tests of the material.

Instruction

Determine the proportions of the mixture components (inert materials - 90%, mineral powder - 5%, bitumen - 6%); select materials for the mix and process them (eg dry aggregates, heat bitumen).

Feed wet and cold sand and gravel into the feed unit hopper using grab cranes, loaders or conveyors.

Load sand and gravel into the conveyor, which is an inclined type bucket elevator. After the conveyor bucket is full, transport the materials to the dryer.

Equip it with special furnaces, where fuel will be burned in a liquid or gaseous state. Liquid fuel before entering the dryer, store in heated tanks. Thus, it will enter the furnace already heated.

Ensure continuous combustion with special pumps. The unit must be equipped with fans that direct air into the furnace. In the process of drying and burning the fuel, the resulting high temperature gases and dust particles are drawn out by the filter dust collection system. As a result, sand and gravel are thoroughly dried in the drum of the unit, heating up to the required temperature, which is approximately 200 ° C.

Add mineral powder and bitumen to the mixing unit at a temperature of 160 degrees. As a result of all stages of production, asphalt will be obtained.

note

From the bunker of the power unit, a constant supply of sand and crushed stone, also wet and cold, to the collecting conveyor should be carried out. The settled dust can be used in the process of making mixtures or disposed of as sludge. Hot gases, no longer containing solid particles, are emitted through chimneys.

Sources:

• Asphalt technology (asphalt concrete) - manufacturing, production.
• do-it-yourself asphalt

To lay asphalt in your yard, you will need a tool, curb tile, cement mortar, crushed stone of various fractions, sand, asphalt itself. Additional materials will be needed for the arrangement drainage system or stormwater, tape measure and level, twine and pegs for marking paths, diesel fuel for lubricating tools when laying asphalt. Clear weather with positive temperatures is also important.

Asphalt preparation

At the first stage, the layout of the tracks and the site for the site, which will be asphalted, is done. Asphalt paths should not be laid near trees (less than one meter), otherwise the roots will damage the coating. It is better not to lay asphalt on sites where there will be sun all day in the absence of shade. Marking is conveniently carried out using pegs and twine.

Next, the "earthen trough" is being prepared. This is a deepening throughout the territory marked for asphalting. Its depth is 20-30 cm. The depth directly depends on the expected loads on the asphalt. The sod is removed, the roots are carefully selected from the soil. Grooves for curbs are being prepared. They can be laid at the height of the future asphalt pavement or slightly higher for more decorative effect. The curbs will keep the shape of the paths and platforms, protect from the formation of cracks. The borders are fixed to the cement mortar, then they will stand firmly.

For work, you will need bayonet shovels and grabbars. Twine, tape measure, a set of pegs and a hammer. Hand roller weighing 100 kg or more. Rammer or vibrating plate. Mop for leveling asphalt before laying, level.

Calculate how much crushed stone and asphalt will be required. For footpaths and occasional loads in the form of passenger car it is enough to lay a crushed stone base 10-15 cm with a fraction of 20-40 mm and a layer of sand. For a site for freight transport, it is better to plan a drainage layer with a fraction of 40-70 mm, a layer of crushed stone of 20-40 mm and a third layer of crushed stone with a fraction of 5-20 mm. During the laying of the base, compact each layer with a roller and water it with water for better adhesion of crushed stone. The skating rink must be walked at least five times.

Asphalt paving

The calculation of the quantity and cost of asphalt is based on the prepared area. It is enough to write and apply a simple formula: multiply the asphalt paving area by the asphalt layer (recommended 5 cm) and multiply by the cost plus shipping costs.

During the construction of the foundation for asphalt, a slope is set to the place where rainwater is collected. The standard slope is 5-10 mm per meter of surface. The slope is determined by the level.

For asphalting the local area and the entrance to the garage, order fine-grained asphalt or sandy. Laying must be carried out very quickly, so it is better to work with a team of several people. Unload in several places, scatter with shovels, level with mops and immediately tamp with a roller and rammer in hard-to-reach places. It is risky to assume that asphalt will cool slowly.

Treat shovels, rammers and a roller with diesel fuel so that asphalt does not stick to their surfaces. Watch the thickness of the asphalt layer, check the slope. Never stop the roller on a freshly laid bed. Move the roller first along the site, then across to align and smooth the transverse seams from the roller. Compact the places inaccessible to the roller with a rammer.

Asphalt is an integral element of modern cities, and indeed countryside. As a rule, well-laid asphalt lasts up to 10 years, subject to optimal mode operation.

Preliminary work

The first stage is the marking of the territory: experts determine where they will lay, where - put curbs, and where to collect and drain rainwater. Also they asphalt concrete pavement, the thickness of the crushed stone base. A thickness of 10-15 cm is sufficient in areas where pedestrians mainly move and cars rarely pass by. If a territory is being developed, a gas station, a section of the road, i.e. regular is expected, including the need for a crushed stone base of 25-35 cm and two or three layers of asphalt.

Crushed stone is selected with a suitable fraction. The fraction is the size of a single stone / grain, which is the maximum allowable in each specific case. If the desired thickness of the crushed stone base is 10-15 cm, then crushed stone of a fraction of 20-40 cm is used. If the base should be wider and more reliable, it is laid in two or three layers. When laying the bottom layer of the base, the crushed stone should have a fraction of 40-70 cm, this layer in a situation of lifting ground water responsible for water. The second layer provides uniform distribution loads on the base, crushed stone of 20-40 cm is taken for it. Crushed stone of a fraction of 5-20 cm is used for the third layer. Each layer is compacted with a roller in 5-6 passes. The slope on the territory (5-10 mm per 1 meter) is set in the direction where the installation of rainwater collection is planned.

Installation of curbs, rainwater drainage, installation of manholes, construction and repair of drainage and sewer wells carried out before asphalt laying.

Asphalting

It is recommended to lay asphalt in the absence of rain and at an air temperature of at least 10 ° C so that the mixture does not cool down. If, for some reason, laying is carried out in winter, an “iron” must first walk through the territory - a special machine that will dry and warm the base.

Dump trucks deliver the finished asphalt mix to the site. Asphalt pavers distribute it over the territory, and rollers, rammers and vibrating plates compact it.

Asphalt must be laid so that it is flush with the surrounding surface. Its thickness depends on the planned operating conditions. For example, on the adjoining territories of residential high-rise buildings, an asphalt layer of about 4-5 cm is appropriate. If intensive use of the territory, the movement of trucks, etc., is planned, asphalt should be laid in two layers - from coarse-grained and fine-grained asphalt concrete, each layer 4-5 see. To achieve the best coating strength, a third layer can be laid.

To ensure the adhesion of the lower layer of asphalt to the upper, old and new layer, binder- bitumen. It is poured over the laid asphalt layer before laying the new one.

The coating is leveled with special machines - road rollers and a vibrating plate. Rollers weighing 6-10 tons or more are used to compact the base and asphalt concrete pavement, which is designed for heavy loads. Rollers weighing 2-4 tons are used to compact asphalt, designed for moderate loads. Vibrating plates and vibrorammers are used in hard-to-reach places. To make the compaction better, the base is moistened with watering machines.

Mass construction of cottages, dachas is inextricably linked with the improvement of the territory. Of course, the primary task, upon completion of construction, is to ennoble the entrance and path to the house, since walking knee-deep in mud on a rainy day is far from an attractive prospect. At the same time, laying tiles is a rather expensive and time-consuming task, concrete is a relatively short-lived future, but laying asphalt, the price of which is much lower paving slabs- a rather attractive option, and the laying process is quite simple, so asphalting the territory on your own will not cause any special difficulties. The main thing is to choose the right type of asphalt and follow the technology of its laying.

Benefits of asphalt pavement

Despite the relative environmental friendliness of asphalt mixtures, the demand for this material is unlikely to come to naught, since the advantages of asphalt surpass most similar materials in many respects, including:

• Excellent waterproofing;
• Does not deform under sharp temperature fluctuations;
• High degree of wear resistance;
• moisture resistance;
• Resistance to oils, acids;
• Lack of labor-intensive care;
• Ease of repair of damaged areas;
• Duration of operation;
• Practicality;
• Acceptable cost.

Among the disadvantages of asphalt mixtures, an important role is played by bad smell, appearing in hot weather due to the release toxic substances hot coating, although in most cases this nuance is simply omitted.

However, the manifestation of all the advantages of asphalt pavement is possible only when you know exactly complete information about how to lay asphalt in the yard. Based on this, the initial task is to right choice type of asphalt regarding the conditions of its future operation.

Asphalt and its types

Asphalt is a combination of mineral materials with bitumen. Depending on the method of its production, asphalt is released:

• Natural origin. The formation of asphalt occurs under the influence of oxidation and hypergenesis of heavy oil fractions, or light components obtained from the residues of fractions in the process of evaporation, followed by mixing with sand, gravel, forming rather thick layers on the surface. This type asphalt is widely used in areas where oil comes to the surface.
• artificial origin. Asphalt obtained by mixing sand, crushed stone, as well as mineral powder with bitumen in the factory, is called asphalt concrete, through which the main asphalting of roads, sidewalks, etc. is carried out.

The main difference between natural asphalt and artificial asphalt concrete is due to high content in bitumen mixtures, reaching 60-75%, which provides the laid asphalt with increased strength. In artificial asphalt, the percentage of bitumen varies from 13-60%, which explains its division into several subspecies used for various works and areas of destination.

Varieties of artificial asphalt, their characteristics

Recently, the demand for asphalt products has increased markedly, so manufacturers are constantly striving to improve the technological composition of raw materials and the method of its manufacture, which leads to the emergence of new types of asphalt.

To date, the following types of asphalt are produced:

1. Hot - made from a composition that includes sand, mineral powder, liquid or viscous bitumen, as well as crushed stone or gravel. Under the influence of high temperatures, all components are thoroughly mixed, forming a homogeneous mass. At the same time, asphalt laying is carried out immediately, within 4-5 hours from the moment of production of a certain volume. If the mass temperature drops below 120 °C, the degree of adhesion will decrease, impairing the quality of the coating.

Advantages:

• High hardened coating strength;
• High degree of adhesion to the surface;
• Durability;
• Acceptable cost.

Flaws:

• To compact the coating, it is necessary to use rollers, vibrating plates;
• Efficiency of work in order to avoid cooling of the asphalt mass;
• It is possible to operate only after 5-6 hours;
• Ability to work in warm weather.

2. Cast, along with hot asphalt, has a similar composition, but is distinguished by a high content of bitumen and mineral fillers. Mastic asphalt concrete pavement differs from other types in its slight relief and small layer thickness, while performance characteristics several times higher than hot and cold asphalt.

Advantages:

• Excellent water resistance;
• No material corrosion;
• Resistance to various kinds of deformations;
• High degree of adhesion to the surface to be coated;
• Coating sealing is not required;
• Resistance to temperature fluctuations;
• All-season work;
• Small weight due to high density mixtures;
• Durability.

Flaws:

• Use of special equipment for delivery and installation ready mix;
• High price.

3. Colored - can refer to both hot asphalt and cold asphalt, produced by heating the components, followed by cooling and packaging for storage. Colored asphalt is obtained as a result of the use of colored crushed stone, as well as the introduction of colored dyes into the mixture.

Advantages:

• Excellent sound absorption;
• High adhesion with rubber;
• In the dark, the color track is visible much better than the gray one;
• Durability.

However, due to the high cost, colored asphalt is mainly used for applying a contrasting pattern to the road, for marking paths in parks and gardens.

4. Cold - is distinguished by the use of not viscous, but liquid bitumen, or bitumen emulsion in such a way that the constituent elements of the mixture are packed in a bitumen film. In the course of production, special additives are introduced into the mixture, which prevent bitumen from hardening during the storage of the finished mixture, as well as increasing the storage period.

• The polymerization process begins at the moment of compaction of the coating;
• On the laid asphalt, you can immediately move, drive;
• Coating resistance to expansion, shrinkage caused by weather conditions;
• Possibility of carrying out all-season work;
• The minimum content of harmful substances in the composition;
• Fast laying;
• Durability.

• Manual tamping of the coating is required, or with the use of a roller;
• High cost compared to hot types of asphalt.

5. Asphalt crumb is a recyclable material obtained as a result of:

• Milling of the obsolete top layer of asphalt. The cost, along with the quality of the crumb obtained in this way, directly depends on the composition of the processed asphalt mixture and the speed of the cutter. The highest quality is considered to be warm asphalt crumb, consisting of a fine fraction. However, you can purchase material only in the warm season, when repairs are carried out.

• Crushing pieces that have broken off from the asphalt pavement. Crushing of chips entering the production is carried out in a crusher, as a result of which the asphalt crumb is immediately sorted by the size of the fraction. During processing, the bitumen remains in a frozen state, as a result of which the coating with such chips will have a somewhat loose structure. In addition, asphalt chips can come with adhering pieces of concrete, soil, deteriorating the quality of the processed material.

Thus, the quality and cost of crushed asphalt after milling exceeds those of the material obtained by crushing.

In general, paving asphalt with aggregate is simple, resulting in the following advantages:

• Does not wash out with water;
• Under the action of the sun, the bitumen liquefies, contributing to the sintering of the composition;
• Provides good drainage performance;
• Low cost.

Flaws:

• To give the coating strength, it is necessary to use a rolling device;
• fragility.

Despite the variety of asphalt mixtures, the same type can have a different purpose, depending on the size of its constituent fractions:

• Coarse-grained asphalt is characterized by the presence of large and small fractions in the composition of crushed stone and is intended for laying as the bottom layer of the coating;

• Fine-grained - based on crushed stone, mainly fine fractions for laying the top layer of the coating, when using a multi-layer coating intended for the roadway;

• Sandy asphalt, which is based on sand, with the addition of a small amount of fine crushed stone, bitumen and mineral powder. Ideal for arranging paths, paths, park areas.

Thus, when choosing one or another type to lay asphalt in the country, in the yard or near the garage, it is necessary to pay attention not only financial side question, but also the composition, as well as the method of producing the mixture.

Asphalt paving technology

After choosing the type of asphalt, answering the question of how to lay the asphalt with your own hands is already quite simple, since it remains to prepare the base and directly lay the mixture.

ground preparation

Before laying asphalt, the following work must be done:

1. Mark the future path or territory, taking into account the location of underground utilities, the distance for installing curbs, as well as the presence of trees with a developed root system, which can subsequently damage the coating;
2. Remove a layer of soil to a depth of 20-30 cm, making a slope for water runoff from the coating by 6-7 mm every meter;
3. Install a curb stone along the edges of the trench;
4. At the bottom of the trench, pour rubble or gravel with a layer of 10 cm and tamp;
5. On top of the rubble, with a layer of 5 cm, pour sand and also carefully tamp, after moistening with water.

If the territory will be used for the arrival of vehicles, then the layer of crushed stone and sand must be increased by another 10 cm.

asphalt mix paving

Direct laying of asphalt is carried out as follows:

1. Distribute the mixture brought along the entire perimeter of the territory intended for asphalting, using a shovel and a tool specially designed for leveling in the form of a mop;
2. Compact the leveled layer with a roller, vibrating plate, or manual tamper. At the same time, so that the asphalt does not stick to the rink, it must be moistened with water;
3. Rolling of the asphalt layer occurs from the bottom up, and then perpendicularly to remove the formed seams.

If the path is asphalted, then a sufficient coating layer is 4-5 cm, and if vehicles enter the territory, then 8-10 cm.

Thus, the question of how to lay asphalt correctly can be answered as follows: choose the type of asphalt, follow the base preparation technology and lay the asphalt pavement. It should also be noted that a slight deviation from some points of the technology can lead to the loss of asphalt properties and a shorter service life.

In order to save money, today they often resort to the restoration of asphalt that has already been in use. Let's take a closer look at how to use old asphalt and what it takes.

The secondary use of asphalt is possible only after regeneration, which is carried out at the plant. But this process is simple and quite allows you to do all the work yourself.

Having carefully tamped the soil in the place of future asphalt laying, we equip a pillow of sand and gravel, water it and re-compact the layer. This completes the preparation of the base - now you need to acquire the source material that remains with you after the dismantling of the old coating, or simply buy old asphalt. You will also need a few kilograms of bitumen (preferably No. 3, but No. 4 is also possible) and physical strength.

In order to melt the old asphalt, we load it into a metal container along with the purchased bitumen and heat it up. To do this, simply place the container over the fire. We constantly stir the composition until it melts to a homogeneous mass, after which we add a little more crushed stone and sand so that the mixture has a crumbly consistency. The recycled asphalt can then be laid on top of the previously formed base. To avoid sticking of the composition to the surface of the stacker, it is possible to treat the sealing surface of the device with old oil mining.

That, in fact, is all you need to know about how to use old asphalt at home.

Recycling of asphalt at the plant, as mentioned above, is carried out by the regeneration method. In this case, while mixing the molten composition of the old asphalt, new mineral fillers and plasticizers are sometimes added to it, in addition to standard bitumen.

Recycling of asphalt to improve the efficiency of recovery plants, it is better to do it after grinding. Also, this method significantly increases the degree of accuracy of the batch recipe. But, in this case, it is necessary to additionally deal with the sticking of asphalt material on the working elements of crushers. The solution to this problem was thermal crushing in steam plants. In such aggregates during crushing, the material is heated up to 80°C. But it's abroad, and on domestic production for the regeneration of old asphalt, in standard version, use conventional installations for mixing such compositions. Also applies additional equipment installations with equipment for preservation, transportation and dosage of asphalt concrete mix.

Many owners of suburban real estate admit the idea of ​​making asphalt with their own hands. However, in order to obtain reliable pavement it is very important to take into account the operational characteristics of the site, as well as comply with all requirements technological process to get a quality canvas.

What is asphalt

Asphalt, or more precisely asphalt concrete, is a multi-component material that includes the following ingredients:

• Sand. It is necessary as a binder, and in some cases (when adding cement) it is able to increase the mechanical strength of the roadway.
• Rubble. It is a reinforcing component and does not allow ready-made layers to crack under the influence of significant loads.
• bituminous resin. Acts as a paste for bonding all components, and also provides additional waterproofing of the web.

Sometimes, polymeric additives are introduced into asphalt concrete, which can provide its high performance, but due to the high cost, they are used extremely rarely.

Preparatory part

In order for do-it-yourself asphalt to fully fulfill its functions, it is very important to follow the manufacturing technology of the material and adhere to the laying recommendations. The first step in this direction, of course, is preparation.

So what we need is to prepare everything necessary components(sand, crushed stone, bituminous resin); to provide the possibility of "cooking" the composition: a large metal container and a heat source will be required (usually a fire is used). And also stock up on a large amount of water as a means of protection (to limit combustion).

Now about everything in order.

The first thing to take care of is to make a container for mixing the components, because you agree to use a traditional concrete mixer for asphalt production - an unjustified luxury.

As a container, it is quite justified to use a metal barrel (150 - 200 liters), to the bottom of which it is necessary to weld an L-shaped handle and make it possible to rotate the device around its own axis. By the way, you can read about how to make a concrete mixer yourself.

In parallel with this, building bitumen should be melted in a separate container (usually a large bucket is used). Fulfilling this work you need to be very meticulous and take into account the possibility of ignition of the resin (sand and water should be nearby if extinguishing is necessary).

The next step is mixing bitumen with sand and gravel, for which the heated resin is simply poured into a barrel with bulk substances and thoroughly mixed (by turning). However, when performing this part of the work, it is necessary to take into account the fact that the barrel and the components in it must be well heated. Indeed, otherwise the material will quickly cool down, and it will not be possible to perform its high-quality mixing.

A good indicator of the readiness of the solution is water. After all, if you pour it into a barrel with bitumen, sand and gravel hot water, and then warming up the whole substance, you can achieve good performance. Well, the complete evaporation of the liquid from the barrel will indicate the readiness of the asphalt.

Material laying process

Of course, pouring self-made asphalt concrete on an unprepared base is not justified. In view of this, before laying the material, it is desirable to clean the place of work from debris, dust, or even blow it with air.

After that, the heated asphalt is poured onto the required area and it is compacted using a manual roller or rammer. It should be noted that in order to minimize the adhesion of the material to the tool, it is desirable to moisten the latter with water.

After hardening, the asphalt is ready for use.

Features of laying cold asphalt

Recently, more and more often, owners of suburban real estate are using for arranging adjoining territories cold asphalt. This product is sold in a ready-to-use form and is a mixture of flowing bitumen, polymer fillers and modifiers (provide the hardening process). Moreover, it is precisely such a product that can be easily laid at low temperatures, which cannot be done with traditional material. Whereas the performance characteristics and price parameters of this material are much higher than those of conventional asphalt.

The method of laying cold asphalt is practically no different from the above described option and boils down to the fact that the finished material is poured out in the required place and rammed with the help of rammers or car wheels.

New asphalt from old

Recently, more and more often, after the repair of the road surface, the old (cut off) asphalt concrete is left by specialized services. It turns out that it can also be used to make a high-quality road surface. And all that is needed for this is to break the pieces of old asphalt into small fractions and lay in the required place with a layer of about 10 cm. In the final, the stony base should be rolled with a road roller. It should be noted that these works should be carried out in warm weather in order for the resin in the cut asphalt to melt a little and fill all the voids.