Explainer: A Simplified Guide To Asphalt Plants

Also called a hot mix plant or asphalt mixing plant, this is a machine which is used in the preparation of asphalt concrete that may be frequently used for paving roads, parking lots, highways, airport expressways along with other surfaces that typically see a lot of heavy traffic.

How exactly does an asphalt plant work?

Though you can find different kinds of asphalt plants, these appliances have the following basic components: coal feeder, coal burner, filler supply system, cold aggregate supply system, vibrating system, weighing and mixing system, dust collector, hot aggregate elevation system, bitumen supply system, and also for some kinds of plants(planta de asfalto que es), a drum dryer. All the components mentioned previously usually plays a particular role in the production of asphalt concrete for paving.

Depending on the work on hand, the type and coarseness of asphalt concrete which needs to be produced can vary.

Basically, a hot mix plant usually heats a mixture of aggregates, sand as well as a filler such as sand dust before a binder such as bitumen is included in the mixture so that asphalt concrete might be formed.

Do you know the various kinds of asphalt mixing plants you can find?

Asphalt plants could be broadly classified into three main categories as shown below…

1.Classification depending on production capacity

This classification typically takes under consideration the hourly production capacity of your plant. You can find three types of plants under this classification namely:

-Mini asphalt plants

-Medium asphalt plants

-Large asphalt plants

Mini asphalt plants usually have the best production capacity while large plants have the largest hourly production capacity.

2.Classification based upon mobility

This classification usually takes into mind whether or not the plant may be moved freely across the construction area. Under this class, you will find three types of plants namely:

-Mobile plants

-Semi stationary plants

-Stationary plants

Mobile plants might be moved freely across different construction sites while semi-stationary plants are often typically placed on several trailers before later being assembled whenever they arrive at the construction site. A stationary plant(planta asfalto discontinua) alternatively only operates coming from a fixed site.

3.Classification depending on mixing method

There are 2 main types of asphalt plants under this classification namely:

-Batch mix plants

-Drum mix plants

Batch mix plants usually mix small accurate batches of asphalt up until the total tons required for a construction project has become achieved. Drum mix plants however usually prepare the entire tons necessary for a construction project by way of a continuous process prior to the mixture is eventually sent to the construction site.

Asphalt plants can even be categorized depending on the environmental protection features incorporated within the plant design like noise mufflers and enhanced carbon filters. Additionally, these plants may also be categorized according to their resource recycling capability. For instance, there are actually plants that will recycle old asphalt and in the process prevent further environmental degradation. In addition there are some other kinds of plants that will re-make use of the gases from your asphalt mix manufacturing process hence reducing the rate of carbon emissions for the atmosphere.