Astec, Inc.

Pavement Technology, Inc.

Ai Enterprises, Inc.

R Ronald Collins

J Donald Brock

Herbert E Jakob

Michael Barrett

Gary Heeszel

David F Peaks

M Earl Edwards, Jr

Thomas Scott Cloninger

Michael E Barrett

An asphalt production plant includes an asphalt binder storage tank, a mixer for mixing asphalt binder and aggregate materials, an asphalt binder pumping system for conveying asphalt binder to the mixer and an asphalt binder metering system for controlling the rate of flow of asphalt binder to the mixer. The asphalt production plant also includes a cold feed proportioning system having a plurality of cold feed bins for holding aggregate materials, with each such bin having a discharge opening through which aggregate materials may be discharged, a cold feed conveyor system that extends from beneath the discharge openings for the plurality of bins for conveying aggregate materials to the mixer and an apparatus and system for adjusting the relative proportions of aggregate materials from each of the cold feed bins that are conveyed to the mixer. The asphalt production plant also includes an aggregate sample dryer for removing volatile components from a sample of aggregate materials and an aggregate sampler for obtaining a sample of aggregate material from the cold feed conveyor system and depositing such material in the aggregate sample dryer. A preferred embodiment of the production plant includes an asphalt binder calibration tank, an oven assembly for removing asphalt binder from a sample of asphalt, an asphalt sample collector, an asphalt sample conveyor assembly for conveying a sample of asphalt to the oven assembly and an aggregate gradation assembly for determining the gradation of a sample of aggregate.

Asphalt production plant

A system for controlling the operation of a first item of equipment for processing materials in connection with the production of a product which includes aggregate materials and a volatile component includes an oven, a gradation assembly having a plurality of screens, and a mechanism for transporting aggregate materials from the oven to the gradation assembly. The system also includes a mechanism for controlling the operation of an item of equipment if one or more of the ratios of the weight of the aggregate materials that are retained on any of the screens or that pass through all of the screens to the total weight of the aggregate materials fails to meet a predetermined standard. A preferred embodiment of the system also includes a mechanism for controlling the operation of a second item of equipment for combining asphalt cement and aggregate materials if the ratio of the weight of the asphalt cement in a sample of the product to the total weight of the sample fails to meet a predetermined standard.

Processing a product including aggregate materials and a volatile component

A sample collector for aggregate material is provided. The collector includes a support frame having a first end and a second end. A pair of guide plates are attached to the first end of the support frame. These guide plates are spaced apart so as to define a collection space therebetween. At least one of the guide plates is provided with a track that extends generally along the periphery of the collection space. A flexible closing plate is disposed between the guide plates and is adapted for sliding engagement with the track, so that the closing plate may be moved between an open position which exposes the collection space and a closed position which encloses the collection space. A mechanism is also provided for sliding the closing plate between the open position and the closed position.

Apparatus for use in sampling aggregate

Growing community of inventors

Mansfield, GA, United States of America

R Ronald Collins