How is HMA made?
HMA pavement refers to any paved road surfaced with asphalt. The asphalt binder is heated, combined and mixed with the aggregate at a HMA facility. HMA is loaded into trucks for transport to the paving site. The trucks dump the HMA into hoppers located at the front of paving machines. The asphalt is placed, then compacted using a heavy roller which is driven over the asphalt. Because the temperature of the HMA drops rapidly after spreading and because compaction of the HMA to achieve a specified density must take place at temperatures above 175 degrees Fahrenheit, compaction usually takes place within a matter of minutes after the paver spreads the HMA. Traffic is generally permitted on the pavement immediately following compaction.
