From the Quarry to the Road

 This machine, a hydraulic rotary drill, bores holes down into the rock where
explosive charges are then placed.
 The charges detonate in rapid succession to blow the rock outward and into
large piles to be collected by loaders.
 The “shot rock” is then collected by loaders and placed into trucks to be taken to
the primary crusher.
 These off- road dump trucks carry approximately 51 tons of rock (over 100,000
lbs.) per load to their destination.
 The rock is then dumped into the primary “jaw crusher” where it is sized down
into manageable chunks.
 The same collection process may take place in underground mines. The rock is
blasted and loaded out.
 Once the rock has been cleared, a specialized machine scrapes loose rock from
the walls to make the area safe.
 After leaving the primary crusher underground, the rock travels out, usually by
conveyor, to the surface.
 The crushed rock is then deposited into a surge pile to await further processing
and refinement.
 From the surge pile, the aggregates pass over a scalping screen to separate
larger rock that needs to be re-crushed.
 The finer stone then pass over finishing screens to separate them into various
piles based on size.
 The stockpiles supply the different bins that the asphalt plant uses to create the
desired asphalt mix.
 A radial conveyor stacks the aggregate in smaller mounds to prevent segregation
of the pebbles in the pile.
 Quality control is a very important aspect of the production process. Sample piles
are created from the stockpile.
 Quality control technicians take samples directly from the piles to be taken to the
lab for sorting and testing.
 A sorter will separate the aggregate into testing samples that will be used to
monitor quality parameters.
 Samples are dried and tests are performed to determine various parameters such
as specific gravity and gradation.

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 An aggregate course is laid in the road bed as the base layer. Asphalt will be
paved directly on this year.
 Back at the asphalt plant, different sizes of aggregate are loaded into separate
“cold feed” bins.
 Computer controlled chutes release the right amount of each rock size onto a
conveyer that feeds the drum mixer.
 Liquid asphalt is delivered to terminals by, rail or truck and stored in tanks until
delivery to the plant.
 The hotmix asphalt is stored in heated silos and then released into dump trucks
for transport on the job site.
 The current KY weight limit for construction vehicles: 80,000 lbs. for state roads
and 68,000 lbs. for interstates.
 The asphalt is delivered to the job site to be laid down on the road bed (or milled
pavement) using a paving machine.
 Rollers then compact the asphalt mat and the surface is ready to hold traffic in
just minutes.
 There are many unique applications for asphalt such as speedways and outdoor
tennis or basketball courts.

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