Asphalt paver (asphalt finisher)

01

Size paving width, thickness and output

ACE lists its LTP asphalt pavers from 1.8–2.8 m basic width to 4.2–12 m maximum paving width, maximum thickness of 200–400 mm, paving speeds such as 0–18 m/min, productivity of 220–1,000 t/h, hoppers of 10–15 t and 20% gradeability; larger models list surface smoothness of 0.8–1.2 mm per 3 m. It describes the front push rollers pushing the dump truck's rear wheels while the hopper receives mix, and a vibrating screed with a vibrator in front that pre-compacts the layer to width, thickness and camber. [2]

Editorial calculation: paving a 10.5 m wide, 100 mm thick layer with an assumed mix density of 2.35 t/m³ uses 10.5 × 0.1 × 2.35 ≈ 2.47 t per metre, so the LTP953's 900 t/h rating corresponds to about 365 m/h, or 6.1 m/min; match paving speed to the tonnage the plant and trucks will actually deliver. (Width, thickness and density are assumed.) [2]

Editorial note: ask the supplier for productivity at your width and thickness, not only the maximum, and for screed extension widths.

Give the supplier the paving widths and layer thicknesses, mixes (dense, open-graded, SMA), daily tonnage and plant output, truck types or material transfer device, grade and slope control requirements, joint matching needs, crawler or wheeled preference, transport limits, emission standard and the specification that applies.

02

Specify screed, grade and slope control, and feeding

Texas DOT's 2024 Item 320 (Equipment for Asphalt Concrete Pavement) requires a paver that produces a surface meeting longitudinal and transverse profile, typical section and placement requirements, does not support the weight of hauling equipment other than the connection, and is fed by loading equipment that does not transmit vibrations harmful to pavement quality. It must have an automatic dual longitudinal-grade control system and an automatic transverse-grade control system, a tractor unit with a hitch keeping truck wheels against the pusher rollers, and a heated compacting screed whose extensions give the same compaction and heating as the main unit. [1]

Grade references must be supported so deflection does not exceed 1/16 in. between supports, and longitudinal controls must work from a string line, ski, mobile reference or joint-matching shoe. Material transfer devices, where specified, must give continuous, uniform flow to the paver, and windrow pickup equipment must pick up substantially all mixture in the windrow. [1]

ACE lists leveling accuracy for its LTP pavers of ±0.02% on advanced models and screed heating as a listed feature. [2]

03

Compare what suppliers offer

Suppliers linked to this page list asphalt pavers; each card links to the page reviewed.

The suppliers reviewed list asphalt pavers with other road machinery; ask each for width range and extensions, thickness, productivity at your section, screed heating and vibration, grade and slope control system, hopper capacity, crawler or wheel drive and engine.

04

Compare screed type, width range and truck interface in the datasheet

Caterpillar's AP555F paver specification sheet (QEHQ1956, 2015) shows how the screed choice changes the machine's limits. The SE50 V screed is vibration only and the SE50 VT adds tamper bars; both have a standard paving range of 2.55–5.0 m, but maximum paving width is 6.5 m with the SE50 V and 7.5 m with the SE50 VT. Maximum paving speed is 64 m/min, falling to 25 m/min with the tamper-bar screed. Maximum paving depth is 305 mm, crown range is -4% to +10% in total (-2% to +5% per side), and extender slope range is -3% to +10% for the SE50 V against -3% to +2% for the SE50 VT. [3]

For the truck interface, the sheet lists truck entry height of 531 mm with a manual apron or 517 mm with a hydraulic apron, truck entry width of 3,194 mm, a hopper capacity of 6.7 m³ with tunnels, and a maximum throughput capacity of 1,168 t/h. Screed heating comes from a 70 kW integrated generator, with heating time given as little as 15 minutes, run at 1,300 rpm for standard width or 1,300 to 2,200 rpm with extensions. [3]

Editorial note: ask each supplier for the same rows for the exact screed offered, since width, slope range and paving speed change with screed type, and check the truck entry height and width against the dump trucks on your job.

05

Ask for the tamper and vibration ranges, and know what field trials measured

A Technical University of Darmstadt field study paved an AC 16 BN mix with an ABG P6820D paver fitted with a VB 78 screed with a single tamper, at a constant paving speed of 3.5 m/min, followed by a BOMAG BW 174 roller. In the first trial the tamper speed was varied in four stages from 0 to 1,500 rpm with the vibratory unit switched off; in the second the vibratory unit was varied in three stages from 0 to 3,000 rpm with the tamper held at 1,000 rpm. Those ranges covered the full tamper and vibratory-unit speed spectrum of the VB 78 screed. The paper cites the Vögele Paving Guide as recommending 600 to 1,000 rpm tamper speed and 1,800 to 2,100 rpm vibratory-unit speed for comparable AC 16 mixes. [4]

With the levelling system switched off, layer thickness rose linearly as tamper speed went from 0 to 1,000 rpm and then levelled off between 1,000 and 1,500 rpm. Raising tamper speed from 0 to 1,500 rpm increased the pre-compaction degree by about 1.5% for this mix, and the paper cites an earlier field trial in which raising tamper frequency from 360 to 1,440 rpm gave a 1.2% increase. Varying the vibratory unit showed no statistically significant effect on pre-compaction or surface roughness, and vertical void distribution in the pre-compacted areas exceeded 98% homogeneity. Where the levelling system malfunctioned in the reference field, the layer came out at 10.6 cm against an 8 cm target. The authors recommend minimising tamper-speed changes during paving, monitoring tamper wear and, for the mix and conditions studied, switching off the vibratory unit where the required pre-compaction and surface quality are still achieved. [4]

Editorial calculation: assuming one tamper stroke per shaft revolution, 1,000 rpm at 3.5 m/min gives about 1,000 ÷ 3.5 ≈ 286 strokes per metre of travel; at Caterpillar's tamper-bar maximum of 25 m/min it would be 40 strokes per metre, which shows why faster paving reduces tamping per metre. Ask each supplier for the tamper speed range, the stroke settings, the vibratory-unit speed range and whether the screed has a tamper, vibration or both, and confirm that the automatic grade control TxDOT requires is part of the offer. [4] [3] [1]

06

Trace the paver components

This is a functional reference built from the sources cited; it is not one maker's design.

07

Fill the specification fields with values for your job

An asphalt paver quotation needs values for your work. The table explains each field, gives published values where a reviewed source states them, and says what to obtain from the supplier.

08

Send the section, output and specification data together

Paste it into your enquiry below or into an email to a maker, then replace every bracket.

Section: [widths; thicknesses; mix types]
Output: [t/h; plant supply]
Feeding: [trucks; material transfer device]
Controls: [grade; slope; references]
Screed: [extensions; heating]
Machine: [crawler or wheel; engine]
Specification: [agency; smoothness]

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