A compass providing direction with mix design and quality control

By Bill Pine, P.E. and Jason Wielinski, P.E.

It takes the right tools and a thorough understanding of how to use those tools to get any job done right. Asphalt mix designs and quality control management tasks are no different. Having personnel equipped with experience and training makes the difference when it comes to time, quality and profitability in our industry.

Let’s ask: What tools are available to mix designers when they are faced with a design with new materials, an unfamiliar specification or within a new area with unfamiliar aggregate sources? Oftentimes, it is trial and error, word of mouth and a spreadsheet trying to get an aggregate blend to meet a specification band. And once a blend is developed, how does one predict field performance? Will it be prone to segregation? How sensitive will volumetric results be to production variability? These are all questions mix design practitioners face in their everyday responsibilities. One tool many in the industry use to help provide answers to these types of questions and problems is the Bailey Method.

Registration is now open for the World of Asphalt Show & Conference and the co-located AGG1 Academy & Expo, running March 25-27, 2024, at the Nashville Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

With more than 400 exhibitors and more than 200,000 square feet of exhibits, the 2024 show is expected to be among the biggest in its history. Attendees who register through December 15 can save 40 percent on admission by using code NEWS40.