Hot Mix Asphalt-HMA (also referred to as asphalt concrete, hot mix, blacktop) is composed of aggregates bound together into a mass by asphalt cement. The aggregates total ninety-three to ninety-seven percent by weight of the total mixture and are mixed with three to seven percent asphalt cement. HMA is produced in a central mixing plant where aggregates are heated to a temperature of approximately 300 degrees Fahrenheit and mixed with asphalt cement so that all particles are completely coated. The hot mix material is hauled in trucks to a paving site, dumped into a mechanical paver or spreader, placed in a smooth layer and compacted by rollers. Asphalt pavements are constructed of one or more courses of HMA placed directly on properly prepared subbase or existing pavement surfaces. HMA pavements have no equal for economy and utility. They are durable and easily constructed with minimal disruption to users. There are millions of miles of highways and roadways all over the world manufactured with HMA. It is the preferred road building material especially in those geographic regions where climatic changes are extreme. HMA is flexible which allows the pavement to weather severe freeze/thaw cycles without breaking. Graymont has seven asphalt plants in Northeastern New York, providing upstate New York with quality paving materials. Graymont produces both the standard Department of Transportation (DOT) mixes for driveways, parking areas and town roadways and also the new superpave mixes for DOT projects. See also Market Applications>Asphalt
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