The major ingredients of asphalt pavement are gravel and crushed stone, which are mixed with a black, liquid petroleum product as cement. The liquid constitutes 5 or 6 percent of the mix. The plant heats the ingredients to 300 degrees.
Danny Shaw, of Shaw Brothers Construction Co., said the finished product, known as “hot top” by contractors, is trucked hot to paving sites. The asphalt is 280 degrees when placed as a surface for a highway.
Asphalt plants can either be portable or permanent. Shaw said portable plants are available in 200, 300 or 400 tons-per-hour capacities.
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