Days in spring and summer when the ambient or air temperature is 70 degrees are the best time to install asphalt paving in Austin. Two reasons drive the experts at Contractors Asphalt: the air temperature ensures the ground being paved is warm enough to prevent the medium from cracking and buckling. The second reason is that the temperature of the medium remains hot enough to pour without thickening up. Then it would crack and buckle.
Air Temperature
Of the two types of asphalt – summer and winter – summer asphalt is used from April to December. The medium is mixed at 300 degrees. If the medium cools at the site, then it has to be reheated, so it achieves the proper density with which to pave.
Another aspect of paving is that summer asphalt must be poured onto ground that is warm and dry. If it isn’t, then the medium will cool quickly. This results in improper density, which means the pavement will be rocky and rough. It will attract and absorb water, the end result of which is cracks and a shorter life expectancy.
It is possible to pave a driveway when the ambient or air temperature is 50 degrees, although the results won’t be optimal. The ground must be dry, though. Moisture causes the oils in the asphalt mixture to rise to the top. This means the curing period will be longer, and the quality of the medium will be questionable.
Asphalt Temperature
Heat maintenance during manufacturing asphalt is vital to the finished product. Raising the heat in the factory to maintain its temperature breaks down some of the binders in the mix. This means an inferior product with a shorter lifespan. The heat has to be just right in order to perform properly, what is known popularly as the “ Goldilocks zone.”
Heat loss in the truck from the factory to the site is another factor in asphalt paving. The product loses between five and twenty-five percent of its heat during transport, which results in a thicker mix. This impacts the performance of the medium.
Next comes the temperature of the medium as it leaves the laydown machine. The temperature must be just right. If the wind is blowing or the ambient temperature can’t accommodate the asphalt temperature, then the finished product won’t be right. Nor will the roller machines be able to compact the asphalt properly.
Conclusion
Spring and summer days on which the ambient or air temperature is 70 or higher is the ideal time for Austin driveways to be paved. The professionals at Contractors Asphalt will ensure the medium temperature is exactly right, thereby giving you a long-lasting, high-quality pavement.