Stansteel’s Hotmix Safe-T-Sampler™
BY AsphaltPro Staff
Getting consistent samples of hot mix asphalt (HMA) from the loadout area can be difficult if random ground personnel use shovels to gather imprecise bucket-fulls from the top of the mound in the back of a truck. Automating the process provides a safer environment for the worker and a more consistent sampling technique. The team at Stansteel, Louisville, Kentucky, has taken the automated sampling system to a new level with the introduction of its Hotmix Safe-T-Sampler™ Device in January of this year. Here’s how it works.
The operator stands on the anti-slip treadplate platform of the Safe-T-Sampler where he has a clear view of the sampling arm to the front of the structure and the receiving chute to the side of the structure.
When the haul truck driver has received a load of mix from the silo, he pulls the truck alongside the front of the platform. The haul truck driver doesn’t have to align the bed of the truck perfectly because the operator 7+ feet above can manipulate the mechanical sampling arm up to 180 degrees of center to collect the desired sample.
The operator uses multiple joystick controls to open-and-close the jaw of the sampling arm, and to lower the jaw into the middle of the material to collect a uniform sample of hot mix. He then uses the joystick controls to hydraulically lift the jaw containing the 20-pound sample of HMA, and to swing the arm into position above the sampling chute. He then uses the controls to open the jaw and release the sample through the sampling chute to a sample splitter below.
For more information, contact Chris Loher at (800) 826-0223 or cloher@stansteel.com.