Method of remixing hot mix asphalt material in an asphalt paver and a mat of asphalt material having uniform aggregate distribution made by the same

A method of re-mixing hot mix asphalt material in an asphalt paver as the asphalt paver moves along a path comprising the steps of:

• providing a hopper for receiving the hot mix asphalt material;
• loading the hot mix asphalt material into the hopper;
• providing a spreader arranged to spread the hot mix asphalt material generally transversely from a longitudinal axis of the hopper to form a mat;
• and
• providing a pair of oppositely pitched and counter- rotatable feed augers disposed within the hopper, each of the feed augers including a central shaft having helical flighting and a plurality of remixing blades disposed at intervals along the central shaft intermediately of the flighting, the remixing blades adapted to repeatedly displace at least a portion of the hot mix asphalt material in a generally transverse direction as the hot mix asphalt material is being conveyed toward the spreader thereby remixing the hot mix asphalt material in a remixing zone defined between the feed augers.

A method of forming a mat of hot mix asphalt material comprising the steps of:

• providing an asphalt paver having a hopper for receiving the hot mix asphalt material;
• loading the hopper with hot mix asphalt material;
• providing a pair of spaced apart axially rotatable helical feed augers in the hopper, the feed augers substantially spanning the hopper and being disposed generally parallel to a path of the asphalt paver, the feed augers arranged to convey the asphalt material from the hopper toward the spreader, the feed augers further defining a remixing zone therebetween wherein the asphalt material is desegregated laterally relative to the path as the asphalt material is conveyed by the augers, the feed augers each including at least one blade mounted to a central shaft, the blade arranged to urge at least a portion of the asphalt material into the remixing zone in response to rotation of the feed augers;
• rotating the feed augers to thereby remix the hot mix asphalt material into a homogenous mixture and further to thereby convey the hot mix asphalt material from the hopper to the spreader;
• and
• spreading the hot mix asphalt material using the spreader to form a mat.

An asphalt mat having substantially uniform aggregate distribution produced by the process of:

• providing an asphalt paver moveable along a path, the asphalt paver having a hopper for receiving a hot mix asphalt material and a spreader for spreading the hot mix asphalt material into a mat;
• loading the hopper with the hot mix asphalt material, the hot mix asphalt material exhibiting aggregate segregation;
• providing a pair of feed augers in the hopper, the feed augers substantially spanning the hopper and being disposed generally parallel to the path, the feed augers further including tapered helical flighting;
• rotating the feed augers to thereby remix the hot mix asphalt material and to further convey the hot mix asphalt material from the hopper toward the spreader;
• spreading the hot mix asphalt material using the spreader to form the mat.

An asphalt mat having substantially homogenous aggregate distribution produced by the process of:

• providing an asphalt paver moveable along a path, the asphalt paver having a hopper for receiving a hot mix asphalt material and a spreader for spreading the hot mix asphalt material into a mat;
• loading the hopper with the hot mix asphalt material, the hot mix asphalt material being non-homogeneous;
• providing a pair of feed augers in the hopper, each of the feed augers having helical flighting, the feed augers defining therebetween a remixing zone, the feed augers being disposed generally parallel to the path;
• rotating the feed augers to thereby remix the hot mix asphalt material in the remixing zone to form a substantially homogeneous mixture and to further convey the hot mix asphalt material from the hopper toward the spreader;
• spreading the hot mix asphalt material to form the mat.

An asphalt mat having substantially uniform aggregate distribution produced by the process of:

• providing an asphalt paver moveable along a path, the asphalt paver having a hopper for receiving a hot mix asphalt material and a spreader for spreading the hot mix asphalt material into a mat;
• loading the hopper with the hot mix asphalt material, the hot mix asphalt material having a non-uniform aggregate distribution;
• providing a remixing zone extending between the hopper and the spreader, the remixing zone defined at least in part by a pair of spaced apart axially rotatable feed augers having helical flighting, each of the feed augers including means for urging at least a portion of the asphalt material generally laterally relative to the path in response to rotation of the feed augers, the remixing zone being disposed generally parallel to the path;
• remixing the hot mix asphalt material in the remixing zone so that the hot mix asphalt material has a substantially uniform aggregate distribution;
• spreading the hot mix asphalt material to form the mat.