A new energy saving for the determination of mixing temperature in hot mix asphalts

The equi-viscous temperature range of asphalt has long been used in establishing the mixing temperature for mix designs and field production of hot mix asphalt (HMA). However, this method considers only binder viscosity to determine the mixing temperatures of the aggregate and asphalt. It is well known that depending on the gradation of aggregate and the type of plant and the mixing time. The appropriate mixing temperature for the proper coating may be lower than that of the viscosity based method. The excessive temperature causes the possible performance problems related to the hardening of the asphalt binder and increases the energy consumption, the gas emissions and fumes. In this study, a new method for the determination of asphalt-aggregate mixing temperature which considers the mixture properties was introduced to asphalt industry. The mixing temperatures of different nine mixtures were determined by both conventional and the proposed method. The effects of the nominal maximum aggregate size (NMAS), crushed coarse aggregate ratio (CCAR), the type of gradation, and the grade of binder on the mixing temperature were evaluated with an experimental study. Results show that decreasing NMAS, CCAR and increasing the grade of binder decreased the mixing temperature which is needed for proper coating. In addition, results showed that as going away from restricted zone of the Superpave gradation, the needed temperature to coat the aggregates decreased. The proposed method resulted in lower temperatures comparing to the conventional method on an average of 13 degrees C. This means a possible energy saving of 14.3 x 10(9) kcal or 1362000 kg of crude oil in a year in Turkey. As a result, the new method is recommended due to not only the saving in energy but also decreasing the gas emissions and fume, and possible performance benefits.