A high percentage of air voids in hot-mix asphalt projects ultimately contributes to flaws in roadways. The ability to consistently keep air voids to a minimum is where Thompson, Ga.-based C&H Paving excels. C&H Paving attributes much of its successful void rates to the performance of its pneumatic-tire roller and the machine's ability to alter its operating weight through a combination of ballasts to meet the requirements for each individual job. "If you're paving an airport runway, you want to be as heavy as you can be," said Benji Cranford, owner, C&H Paving. "You fill [the pneumatic-tire roller] full of water and, with the plate, it's about 52,000 lb. If you knock the water out of it, then you're down to 40,000. If you're on a city street and you don't need that much weight, you can take the water out and the plate off of it and now you're down below 30,000 lb. It just helps because, before you might have two different rollers. You'd have a smaller rubber-tire roller and a bigger one. Now you don't have to have that, you just have one to do it all."
展开▼
