Asphalt Gets Big Chill With Dry Ice

Asphalt paving work looks rough-and-ready, but it's actually a ballet. The hot mix at the plant has to be just the right temperature leaving the plant to arrive at the job site in good condition for spreading. The paving machine needs a continuous supply of asphalt from the trucks hauling it to the job site. The rollers must compact the asphalt well, to get long-lasting pavement.

Highway agencies establish contract requirements about the acceptable compaction and final density of the asphalt paving. Compliance is tested by cutting cores from the new paving for examination in a lab. The coring requirements are very particular, to prevent damage to the core sample. To cut an undamaged core for testing, the asphalt must cool down. This time delay can be costly to the contractor if inadequate compaction is discovered much later in the lab.

To speed the cooling and thus core the paving sooner, contractors use dry ice. The dry ice is not placed right on the newly-rolled asphalt, because the thermal shock from the extreme cold would put micro-fractures in the sample core. Usually wet ice, left in the plastic bag to keep the asphalt surface dry, is placed between the dry ice and the pavement area to be cored. Often, a mobile testing lab is positioned at the job site to speed up field evaluations.

Continental Carbonic Products has dry ice problem-solvers for many industrial processes. We welcome your inquiry. Be sure to follow dry ice safety precautions. For the Continental Carbonic Products location near you, please use our convenient dry ice locator.

Call Continental Carbonic toll-free at 800-DRY-ICE2. Visit our News Archive to find out about more ways to use dry ice. Use your ZIP code to find your closest Continental Carbonic location.