Repeat business means you’ve pleased the customer and can build the bottom line year after year. One way to get that business is through best practices and a top quality asphalt pavement. Let’s look specifically at the quality control/quality assurance (QC/QA) aspect of paving—getting perfect density every time.
Not every roller on your job will have intelligent compaction (IC) onboard. You may need to count your passes and employ a density gauge to monitor and assess your on-site compaction as you go. The goal is to increase mat density while compacting out air voids to the optimum level for the specific mix design.
Here’s how TransTech Systems’s John Lamond spelled it out for you:
- Pick a location and measure the density with the non-nuclear density gauge.
- Start the rolling pattern over that location on the mat.
- Roll with one or two passes and take another reading with the device.
- Continue with another two or three passes and take another reading; note the increase in density.
- Continue the rolling and testing process until the density readings do not increase.
- If you see a slight decrease, you’re in danger of over compacting the mix. This is called the break point and is the maximum density you will achieve on this mix with this compaction equipment.
There are more tips and information on correlating your gauge to specific mix designs in Lamond’s article “Stand Out with QC/QA” in the August 2024 issue. You can read more to get some guidance for standing out from your competition.