Asphalt Paving Machine
Crew putting it down
spreading hot asphalt by hand behind a horse drawn roller sounds like hard work. Hard, slow work. there had to be a better way. Thank you, harry h. barber for developing the barber-greene asphalt paver.
New roadway in the 1950's
The machine that started it all
Imagine having to dump, spread, and smooth out hot asphalt on a road project all by hand. Then imagine having to roll it smooth, with a horse drawn roller contraption. A lot of effort, and not a lot of efficiency. The demand for cars, and roads to drive them on is increasing. A better way for road creation was developed by Harry Barber, who developed a paver that utilized a screw conveyor to move the pre-mixed asphalt into a screed, where it could be placed down flat. The machine was refined over the years. allowing for massive roadway construction and expansion in the United States.
Nice smooth pass
How Asphalt Pavers Work
Hopper - just as it sounds, the hopper is where the asphalt material initially enters the paver - it is the holding area, for distribution. The material is usually fed from a truck. It is the holding tank for the materail to be spread.
Conveyor - the conveyor moves the material from the front of the machine (hopper) to rear of the machine (screed). It ensures an uninterrupted flow of asphalt to be put down.
Screed - this is the float to flatten out the asphalt to dimension. The operator can manipulate the material for finish and compaction
Controls for Grade , Slope and Elevation during laydown - the operator can manipulate the elevation and slopes of the asphalt being put down, such as for drainage or to match an existing elevation.
Simple cut sheet of asphalt paver
Types of Pavers
Front End Paver - this machine is also referred to as a hopper paver. These machines have a large hopper at the very front of the machine that captures the material to be put down. The Front End paver is the most commonly found paving machine due to its versatility.
Hopper Paver, also called Front End Paver because of the entry point of the material
Slip Form Paver - This machine can also be referred to as as a continuous paver, as they are utilized for continuous paving applications, such as highways and air port runways. The material to be put down is shaped by the form at the back of the unit as it moves forward. The dimension tolerances are high, and the end product is very uniform. These are extremely efficient machines that put down massive quantities of road.
Slip form paver pouring thick slab
Pouring highway slab with a large slip form paver
Self Propelled Paver - This paver is also used on larger projects just as the slip form paver. They offer greater maneuverability than a slip form paver, and they do not require any assistance for moving materials and laying them down, as they are self powered. These machines have a conveyor system and screed, and are commonly used on highway, bridge and large paving jobs.
Self Propelled paver, hopper in front and screed with walk up deck in back
Track Hopper with screed in detail
Track Hopper
Wheeled Hopper
These machines all work in conjunction with dump trucks, sweepers, compactors and a host of other equipment, most of which you can find on this site.