Special care is essential to successfully working with a lightweight fly-away-prone product like aramid.
When disbursing ACE Fibers into asphalt, exacting preparation, dosing and oversight work in harmony to ensure ease of use and an effective and long-lasting final product.
The three major components to our process are preparation, dosing, and a Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QAQC) program. Here’s a deeper look at these important components.
Vigilant Preparation
Consistency and heightened quality control come to the forefront when blending aramid for delivery. We bind the aramid with wax, which tames its fly-away tendencies when being added to the asphalt mix. Because its flash point is far less than the mix temperatures, the wax totally dissipates once it has flashed.
Our process ensures a minimum accuracy of 2.1 ounces of pure aramid per Ton Equivalents (TE) as the aramid is bound by the wax. Less diligent quality control of the aramid-to-wax ratio could result in an end product with less aramid than required.
Precise Dosing
Surface Tech employs a wholesale new approach to how ACE is physically introduced into both warm and hot mix asphalts. While traditional systems include hand dosing and use of machine-fed equipment, we found them to be flawed and doses-per-ton inconsistent and unverifiable.
“We needed a new approach. Through extensive research and development, we have achieved a means to properly execute for a consistent and verifiable dosing record. We’ve engineered our new patented machines to handle the weight and dosing issue as well as the delicate nature of our product,” said Steve Santa Cruz, Surface Tech president.
Each machine features a control panel that reports by-the-minute delivery, weight and tonnage ratios. Our hand dosing system provides a simplified version of the machine technology.
Rigorous QAQC Program
The comprehensive Surface Tech QAQC program ensures peace of mind for any producer concerned with mix responsibility, plant cleanliness and safety. Our north American engineering associate performs on-site mixing with certified techs, job stewardship, daily reports and, ultimately, a stamped certification of the properly dosed mix.
Through our attention to detail in preparation, dosing and QAQC, Surface Tech has taken ACE Fiber, along with our other products, from an intriguing lab-tested interest to an essential, innovative and easy-to-use mix additive that provides meaningful benefits.
