Apr 08, 2024
To Prevent Dips and Bumps in the Mat, Match the Rolling Train to the Paver’s Speed
BY AsphaltPro Staff
While it makes sense to the seasoned professional on your paving crew, the new team members might not understand why it’s important to set the paver’s speed “slower” on today’s project than yesterday’s. If you paved at 32 feet per minute (fpm) last week, why can’t you stay at that pace this week?
You may need to explain the basics of time and temperature affecting the density you can achieve with the breakdown and intermediate rollers. If you have a mix that needs a little more TLC and a few more passes with the rollers, you don’t want the paver getting too far ahead of the operation.
You also don’t want to adjust the paving speed two hours into the project and affect what you’re demanding from the plant and haul truck drivers. It’s a balancing act out there in the field and the balance ultimately plays into those final density numbers. The final density numbers dictate your pay.
If you can match the rolling train’s perfect speed to the paver’s perfect speed to the haul truck delivery time, you’ve got yourself a lottery-winning type of day. But it’s that type of day you strive for. It’s that type of day you train your new and veteran operators to achieve. Maybe that means today you pave at 22 fpm and keep a density gauge close at hand. Either way, getting the timing right is a tip to share with the new guys on the crew.
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