The Superpave lab compactor, which squeezes loose hot mix in a 150 mm mold under 600 kPa of vertical pressure while the mold gyrates at a 1.16-degree angle, 30 gyrations per minute. That kneading action orients aggregate much as rollers and traffic do, better than an impact hammer. The machine records specimen height at every gyration, so the tech can track density from the first gyration to the design level.
Gyratory's down, so we're hauling loose mix over to the district lab until the tech gets a new height sensor in.
Also heard as
- SGC
- gyratory
- Superpave gyratory compactor
Related terms
Puck
Lab slang for a compacted cylindrical mix specimen, especially one made in the gyratory compactor.
Ndes
N design: the number of gyrations a mix specimen gets in the gyratory compactor, set by expected traffic.
Superpave
The performance-based system for grading binders and designing asphalt mixes around climate and traffic.
Air voids
The small pockets of air between binder-coated aggregate in compacted mix, given as a percent of total volume.