Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/712836
EquipmentWorld.com | August 2016 53 comes to problem asphalt mixes. "The easiest way to screw up perfect mix is by get- ting sloppy in how the trucks are loaded from the mix silos," he says. "Some mixes, due to the amount of AC and/or the gradation of the aggregate, are prone to segregation." Renegar explains this segregation, in which the large aggregate in a mix goes one way, and the fi ner aggregate goes another, results in nonhomogeneous mix. "On the road there will be localized spots where the gradation of the mix is such that it cannot withstand the traffi c loads or weather condi- tions," he says. "These places will become potholes." Smart contractors, Renegar em- phasizes, will focus on truck load- ing to avoid this. "I have seen truck scales with a large 'ruler' mounted alongside the truck scale so that truck drivers could be trained exactly where to stop the truck," he says. It's a far better option than waiting to be caught putting down bad mix, he adds. The most successful plant producers are akin to top- performing sports teams, Renegar says, in that they are successfully year-in and year-out by focusing on the fun- damentals. He says one way to do this is having person- nel who have bought into the process of making asphalt. "These contractors have employees who take a lot of pride in what they do, in part because they feel that they are part of an organization that will take care of them if they do their job well." he says. Renegar recently visited what he describes as a "very successful" company in California, spending several hours talking with the employee responsible for mainte- nance of several large plants. "He went on and on about how great his company was and how lucky he was to be able to work there because they let him basically try anything he wanted with respect to improving the plant operation," Renegar says. The employee was appreciative that he had the freedom to make improvements, and spent much of his energy making the company more profi table. So how does that affect mix quality? When all aspects of the plant are operating properly, the plant can make a high quality product and do so consistently, Renegar says. If the operator is constantly trying to overcome plant defi - ciencies, the mix properties can be inconsistent. "If the mix is inconsistent coming from the plant, the perfor- mance on the road can also be compromised," he says. North Carolina DOT The most successful plant producers are akin to top-performing sports teams. " " – Greg Renegar A temporary asphalt plant used by Granite Construction for a highway project in North Carolina.