The heated plate and frame towed behind the paver on long side arms, which floats on the mix and sets mat thickness, slope and texture. It finds its own height as the forces from forward speed, the head of mix in front of it and its angle of attack come into balance, which is why paving speed and feed must stay steady. Tamper bars or vibrators in the screed give the mat roughly 75 to 85 percent of maximum density before the rollers arrive.
Screed's cold, it's tearing the mat, give the heaters another fifteen minutes before we pull off.
Turn a thickness crank a little and wait: the screed needs about five tow-arm lengths of travel to finish reacting to any change.
Also heard as
- floating screed
Related terms
Paver
The self-propelled machine that receives hot mix, spreads it to width and lays it as a smooth, partly compacted mat.
Tow point
The point on the paver frame where the screed's side arm pivots, raised or lowered to control mat thickness.
Head of material
The amount of mix carried in front of the screed by the augers, which must stay level and constant.
Screwman
Crew slang for the screed operator, who sets mat thickness, slope and width at the back of the paver.