Today, the transport network is one of the indicators of the level of economic development. High-quality road surface helps to increase cargo traffic and reduces transport costs, and in urban infrastructure increases the capacity of congested streets. For more than a hundred years, asph alt has been used as a pavement.
Asph alt composition
This material may be of natural or artificial origin. In the first case, asph alt is a mixture of mineral materials with bitumen, the content of which can be up to 75%. A material of artificial origin, also called asph alt concrete, is made from a mixture of sand, crushed stone, mineral or polymer additives, and bitumen. The content of the latter in it is usually 5-15%. At present, asph alt of natural origin is practically not used in the construction of road surfaces.
Why do you need to know how many cubes are in a ton of asph alt?
When constructing pavement, determine the amount of requiredmaterial based on the area to be asph alted and the thickness of the layer. But asph alt concrete plants release the mixture in units of mass - tons. To purchase the right amount, you need to determine how many cubes are in one ton of asph alt. Miscalculation can be costly. If there is not enough asph alt concrete, the material will have to be ordered additionally. And this is not only extra transportation costs, but also an unnecessary joint on the coating. With an excess of the ordered mixture, the excess material will remain unused.
In addition to the technical side of the question, how many cubic meters in a ton of asph alt, you need to know to make estimates for construction.
Classification of asph alt mixes
To answer the question "How many cubes are in a ton of asph alt?", you need to know the density of the asph alt mix. Depending on the filler and additives used, the density of asph alt can vary significantly. The classification of asph alt mixtures takes into account the size and content of the filler.
Depending on the size of the aggregate, asph alt concretes are divided into:
- Coarse-grained, with a grain size of up to 40 mm.
- Fine-grained, fraction up to 20 mm.
- Sandy, maximum size up to 10 mm.
According to the content of the filler, the types of the mixture are distinguished:
- A - from 50 to 60% (only crushed stone);
- B - from 40 to 50% (crushed stone or gravel);
- B - from 30 to 40% (crushed stone or gravel);
- G - sand from crushing screenings;
- D - natural sand.
Conversion of cubic meters to tons of asph alt
In addition to the main characteristics, the specific gravity of asph alt concrete is affected by the content and grade of bitumen, the composition of mineral or polymer additives, and the temperature of the mixture. It also takes into account the specifics of local materials used in asph alt plants in each region. Therefore, the most correct decision is to call the nearest asph alt concrete plant and ask "1 cube of asph alt - how many tons?".
Despite the variety of asph alt grades, VSN 14-95 "Instructions for the construction of road asph alt concrete pavements" gives the following density values.
Fine mix:
- type "A" - 2 385 kg/m3;
- type "B" - 2 370 kg/m3;
- type "B" - 2 343 kg/m.cub.
Taking into account these values, in order to calculate how many cubes are in a ton of asph alt, you need to divide one ton by the density of the mixture. For fine-grained mix type "A", there is 0.41 cubic meters of asph alt in one ton.
Using old asph alt
In addition to the construction of a new road surface, it is often necessary to dismantle the existing asph alt layer. Dismantling is carried out by special equipment by milling. This material can be used to fill the lower layers of pavement, used to prepare a new asph alt mix, or simply taken to a landfill for disposal. In any case, it is necessary to know the mass of asph alt removed. Unfortunately,it will not be possible to accurately determine how many cubes are in a ton of asph alt of the old pavement due to the heterogeneity of the surfaces and differences in the size of the milling drum. In averaged calculations, a conversion factor of 2.2 t/m3 is used.
