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OKLAHOMA CITY, January 2008 ? Terex Roadbuilding has successfully evaluated a new Terex® warm mix asphalt system, installed on an existing counterflow drum mix plant. The recent test results show that with a Tennessee Type E mix, the new system enabled the producer to lower mix temperatures by 50 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, while producing a mix that is very workable. “We are very encouraged by the results of our field evaluations,” comments David Emerson, director of product management. “Our new system will give many producers an option for running both hot and warm mix asphalt in the same drum without the need for additives.”
The system was installed on a 1990s-vintage Cedarapids (now Terex) continuous counterflow drum mix plant. This new Terex® innovation for warm mix asphalt is based on its patented, field-proven foamed asphalt technology, originally pioneered in 1998 for the company’s reclaimer/ stabilizers and cold planers. The system combines heated liquid AC with a percentage of water, which causes the AC to expand once it’s injected inside the drum, evenly coating the aggregate. During field evaluation, mixing temperatures were lowered to between 245 to 280 degrees F, whereas common mixing temperatures for this same Type E design is 335 degrees in its hot mix form.
Mix was then trucked to the paving site and laid at ambient temperatures as low as 37 degrees F. The rollers compacted the mix at temperatures ranging from 180 to 245 degrees F. Crews reported that even at these lower temperatures, the mix was very workable for the rollers and by hand. Lab tests of the warm mix asphalt showed compaction densities, air voids and other lab tested criteria closely matched results found in the same mix design produced using traditional hot mix techniques, while rutting performance tests revealed the warm mix asphalt performed better.
Successful implementation of the new Terex® warm mix asphalt system holds several promises for producers, among which are the potential to extend the paving season, reduce fuel consumption and lower plant emissions. An additional benefit for producers, the system can be purchased on new drum mix plants as well as retrofitted to existing plants in the field.
The field retrofit package will come complete with a separate PLC control that works in conjunction with the plant’s existing controls to ensure proper water metering. For new plant purchases, system operation will be incorporated into the Terex® Impulse controls package. The new Terex® warm mix asphalt system will allow producers to easily switch between hot and warm mix designs.
Terex Corporation is a diversified global manufacturer with 2006 revenue of approximately $7.6 billion. Terex operates in five business segments: Terex Aerial Work Platforms, Terex Construction, Terex Cranes, Terex Materials Processing & Mining, and Terex Roadbuilding, Utility Products and Other. Terex manufactures a broad range of equipment for use in various industries, including the construction, infrastructure, quarrying, surface mining, shipping, transportation, refining, and utility industries. Terex offers a complete line of financial products and services to assist in the acquisition of Terex equipment through Terex Financial Services.
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