Not all asphalt is the same. One of these hot mix asphalt types might serve your paving needs better than another.

Hot mix asphalt is the tried and true pavement of many roads, parking lots, and driveways. If you are looking toinstall or maintain one of these, there is a chance you will want your installation crew to use hot mix asphalt. Not all HMAs are the same, though, as you can see through the three main types of hot mix asphalt.

What Is Hot Mix Asphalt?

Hot mix asphalt is the traditional form of asphalt cement in which aggregates and a binder are combined. The aggregates are stones, gravel, and sand. The binder is a petroleum-based product called bitumen. It is the sticky black substance that hardens into what we now perceive as the blacktop. Mixing in the crushed stones and other particles, you have a strong pavement.

Of course, thechemistry and creation of hot mix asphalt is a lot more than that. Overall, however, hot mix asphalt is installed by heating the bitumen to a specific temperature range beforehand so that they binder and aggregate bond.

Types of Hot Mix Asphalt

As the customer, it can help to understand the basic types of hot mix asphalt to know what you are getting for your project.

Dense-Graded Mix

Dense-graded mix is the most common type of hot mix asphalt. It involves a diverse array of aggregates to get the most durability out of the surface. Within this category, you can find dense/dense-graded, dense/coarse-graded, and dense-fine-graded mixes. This type of hot mix asphalt is most popular for highways, local roads, and other high-traffic areas.

Open-Graded Mix

Open-graded mix is also known as a gap-graded asphalt mix. This type uses mainly coarser aggregates and bitumen to create an airy pavement. The purpose of creating this permeability is for drainage. Porous asphalt construction uses open-graded asphalt mix to allow rainwater and other runoff to drain through the pavement directly into a drainage bed below.

Stone Matrix Asphalt

Stone matrix asphalt is a particularly coarse asphalt pavement, having a high content of coarse aggregates. It is a gap-graded pavement designed to withstand rutting, and is used primarily on roadways with heavy traffic.

This categorization is just one way to think about asphalt pavement.Read here to learn more.

Receive Asphalt Paving Services with Tri-State Paving

Call Tri-State Paving. We’re a seasoned asphalt pavement company based in Maryland and have the experience and knowledge to help you with asphalt, concrete, and hardscaping projects.

We refuse to sell hot air to our customers and that’s why we have been around for over 4 decades. We listen, inform, educate then decide what is best for our customers project and budget. If any problems arise during construction we keep our customers updated and respond to make the imperfect perfect.

Our area numbers are:

West Chester: 610.563.9456

Oxford: 610.932.3566

Delaware: 302.757.4100

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