The Asphalt Institute’s MS-22, "Construction of Quality Asphalt Pavements" (3rd Edition), serves as the industry-standard guide for producing and placing hot-mix asphalt, covering phases from production to compaction. It provides comprehensive best practices for inspectors and personnel to ensure long-lasting pavements, emphasizing surface preparation, compaction, and modern technologies like intelligent compaction. The manual is available for purchase at the Asphalt Institute Bookstore . MS-22 Construction of Quality Asphalt Pavements
: Highlights compaction as the final, most critical step for service life. It provides best practices for testing density and making it a key part of the project's "pay factor". Quality Assurance (QA)
Do not simply hand the PDF to a new hire. Assign chapters sequentially. For example:
With increasing use of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) and Recycled Asphalt Shingles (RAS), MS-22 provides updated guidance on handling stiffer binder blends, adjusting plant production temperatures, and ensuring workability.
According to MS-22, a high-quality pavement is not achieved by paving alone. It requires a holistic approach across five critical phases:
: Techniques for overlapping and pinching joints to ensure they don't become weak points for water infiltration.
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