Asphalt cement, the North American plant and lab name for paving binder: AC content means binder percent, and the binder tank is the AC tank. Viscosity-graded binders carry it in their names, such as AC-10 and AC-20, rated by absolute viscosity at 60 C, with AC-20 at about 2,000 poises. On drawings and in pavement design, AC can also mean asphalt concrete, the finished mix layer, so context decides which one is meant.
Burn came back at 5.2 percent AC, JMF says 5.4, tell the plant to bump the oil a tenth or two.
Also heard as
- asphalt cement
- asphalt concrete
Related terms
Asphalt binder
The black, sticky petroleum cement that glues the aggregate together in an asphalt mix.
Oil
Crew and plant slang for liquid asphalt binder, as in oil content or a load that looks short on oil.
Penetration grade
A binder rating based on how far a weighted needle sinks into the asphalt at 25 C.
HMA
Hot mix asphalt: aggregate and binder mixed hot at a plant, hauled hot and compacted before it cools.