Method of upgrading gravel and/or dirt roads and a composite road resulting therefrom
AssigneeKMC Enterprises, Inc.
InventorsBill Grubba, Todd Thomas, Dan Wegman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of paving a gravel and/or dirt roadway is provided. This method includes evaluating the roadway to determine if it is an appropriate candidate for emulsion stabilization, rotating a milling head down a roadway to break up gravel and dirt, injecting an asphalt emulsion into the broken up gravel and dirt, and mixing the emulsion with the gravel and dirt so as to form an emulsion stabilized layer. The emulsion stabilized layer is then spread and compacted to create a paved roadway. Following this, a wearing surface may be applied to the emulsion stabilized layer.
Claims25
A method of reconstructing a roadway comprising gravel, dirt, or a combination thereof using a milling head and an asphalt emulsion, said method comprising:
- evaluating said roadway to determine if said roadway is an appropriate candidate for emulsion stabilization, wherein said evaluating step includes measuring traffic levels, soil type, rock base strength and thickness of said roadway and determining the depth of base stabilization needed to support traffic;
- taking borings of said roadway;
- analyzing said borings
- determining if said gravel or dirt is compatible with said asphalt emulsion;
- determining the amount of said emulsion that is compatible with said roadway and retains desired strength;
- rotating said milling head along said roadway, wherein said milling head breaks up said gravel or dirt;
- injecting said asphalt emulsion into said broken up gravel or dirt;
- and
- mixing said emulsion with said gravel or dirt so as to form an emulsion stabilized mixture.
A method of reconstructing a roadway comprised of a base layer of gravel, dirt, or a combination thereof and further comprised of a subgrade layer of soil by using a milling head and an asphalt emulsion to base stabilize said roadway, said method comprising:
- (a) measuring traffic levels, soil type, rock base strength and thickness of said roadway;
- (b) visually analyzing said roadway to determine geometries, culverts, road history, and drainage during spring thaw;
- (c) taking borings of said roadway;
- (d) analyzing said borings;
- (e) determining if said base layer is compatible with said asphalt emulsion;
- (f) analyzing said subgrade layer of soil;
- (g) determining the depth of base stabilization needed to support traffic;
- (h) determining the plasticity index or sand equivalence of said gravel or dirt of said roadway;
- (i) determining the amount of said emulsion that is compatible with said roadway and retains desired strength;
- (j) determining an emulsion stabilized layer design;
- (k) making repairs and drainage corrections to said roadway as needed;
- (l) rotating said milling head along said roadway, where in said milling head breaks up gravel or dirt;
- (m) injecting said asphalt emulsion into said broken up gravel or dirt;
- (n) mixing said asphalt emulsion with said gravel or dirt so as to form an emulsion stabilized mixture;
- and
- (o) ensuring that at last 97% of said emulsion stabilized mixture is able to pass through a 1.75 inch sieve.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.