Hit asphalt paving compaction targets in cold weather

Cold weather is here and your asphalt paving crews are finding themselves in chilly conditions. Here are a few tips to help make sure they reach the targeted densities when the cold comes or when you get back to work in spring.

1. Reduce the width of paving passes. For example, one paving crew originally planned to place a 12 m wide mat in two passes—at a width of 6 m each. The crew previously has handled that width, using its Cat AP1055D Asphalt Paver, without a problem. But on this particular day, falling temperatures would cool the mix too fast for the rollers to achieve the proper compaction over the larger surface area. Instead, the crew made three, more narrow passes, allowing the compaction train to easily keep pace.

2. Watch the breakdown rollers. Make sure the water in your rollers is flowing before ordering the mix. If the mix starts arriving, and the water is frozen, you’ll have trucks full of asphalt idle—and cooling quickly.

3. Keep the pneumatic rollers warm. Make sure the front and rear skirts on pneumatic rollers are tight, which helps them retain warm air. And keep those pneumatics working at almost any cost. Otherwise, the rubber tires will cool quickly and you’ll likely have problems with pickup.