Friday, May 29, 2015

In the news: Asphalt Fibers Being Tested to Prevent Potholes in Pennsylvania


Please view the video on a recent news report from March 2015 on Forta-Fi®.  PennDOT has been testing Forta-Fi® asphalt fibers in Bucks County for prevention of potholes.

For more information, please visit: www.forta-fi.com


Friday, April 24, 2015

ADDING FORTA-FI® FIBERS AT THE PRODUCTION PLANT

It’s nothing new, asphalt producers are routinely being asked to incorporate newly developed mix additives and liquid modifications into their production methods. Warm mix foaming systems, waxes, crumb rubber, recycled shingles, RAP, fractionalized recycled material and synthetic fibers are used every day around the globe in an attempt to help maximize asphalt performance. FORTA Corporation has developed a variety of ways to introduce their high-tensile strength fiber, FORTA-FI®, into both drum and batch plants during the production process.

FORTA-FI® fiber can be packaged in easy-to-use one pound (1 lb.) plastic bags, and added directly ‘by-the-bag’ into a batch plant, pug mill or at the drum plant through the RAP collar. The dosage rate for the fiber is 1 pound per 1 ton of asphalt mix, (with no change to the job mix formula) which makes calculating the amount of FORTA-FI® being added simple and easy to track over the course of production.

Manually adding the fiber is a great way to fiber-reinforce smaller jobs like driveways, parking lots, traffic signal intersections and repair sections. Fiber may be dosed by-hand into batch plants using compressed air systems, such as the Big Shot® feeder. The Big Shot is easily installed, using 8-inch, schedule 40 PVC. This fiber transport system was designed with toughness in mind, using the most rugged and efficient materials. Most importantly the Big Shot was designed to improve safety while adding fibers into your Asphalt plant. This transport system uses air (requiring 95 psi and 25 cfm) to easily deliver your 1 lb. fibers into your RAP collar.

The “Little Shot” compressed air system may also be used to manually introduce loose fiber directly into the drum plant. The “Little Shot” uses air  (w/95 psi air pressure) to deliver fiber in 1 lb. increments into the RAP collar or external pug mill. Rigid PVC pipe or flexible tubing may be used to move the fiber vertically from the ground into the production plant.

Specially designed mobile automated systems produced by Hi-Tech Asphalt Solutions are used to inject fiber into drum plants for larger production runs. These computer controlled feeders use plant electric power and their own internal air system to effectively dose accurate amounts of fiber for larger tonnage FORTA-FI® projects. The operator controls the fiber introduction rate remotely so it feeds at the correct plant production speed, and these rates are recorded on an SD card to capture the data. In most cases, modifications to the asphalt plant are not required for the use of these heavy-duty feeding units, which can be set-up and moved around with ease at the production facility.

While no two asphalt plants are exactly the same, most producers can deliver fiber-reinforced asphalt to the job site with just a few tweaks to their operation. FORTA Corporation has been involved in hundreds of FORTA-FI® projects around the world, and we will work with asphalt mix designers, producers, and pavers to help them deliver a quality fiber-reinforced placement to their valued customers.
"Little Shot"
For more information, please visit: www.forta-fi.com

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Reconstructed Roadways: Synthetic Fiber Reinforced Asphalt




Three of Huntington Beach's collector streets were reconstructed in 2014 using FORTA-FI® fiber reinforced asphalt (FRAC). FRAC was used for the asphalt base course on each street, and fiber was also added to the 2" ARHM wearing course. The enhanced stiffness and fatigue life of FRAC allowed a 30% reduction in the asphalt base course thickness for an immediate cost savings.  FRAC improved resistance to cracking will ensure reduced maintenance of the wearing course over the life of the pavements.


Project Details:
Location: Huntinton Beach CA
Owner: City of Huntington Beach
Engineer: City of Huntington Beach
Contractor: RJ Noble Company
Tonnage: 10,080
Fiber: FORTA-FI® HMA



For more information, please visit: forta-fi.com

Monday, November 17, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving




In this time of gratitude, we give thanks to you...

We truly value and appreciate your business.  
We wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday, September 12, 2014

Jackson Hole Airport Asphalt Runway-Five Years Later With Forta-Fi®

Five Years Later

The Jackson Hole Airport is located at the base of the spectacular Teton Mountains, and is located entirely within Grand Teton National Park. FORTA-FI® was used in a 1 1/2" (38mm) porous friction course on the runway1/19 rehabilitation project. This airport had several unique attributes that demanded a reinforced asphalt mixture:

•35,000 flights annually with over 300,000 enplanements.
•6,450 feet (1,966m) runway elevation causes planes to land at higher speeds.
•6,300 feet (1,920m) runway length is relatively short for higher speeds and larger aircraft.
•Accommodates both smaller planes and larger planes such as 757's and A320's.
•600" (15.24 m) of snow annually.
•Snow plowing has caused previous pavement to ravel.
•Temperatures can swing from -40°F (-40°C) to 41°F (5°C) in the winter months, and annually from -40°F (-40°C) winter to 104 °F (40°C) summer.

UPDATE: This project was reviewed in June 2014 after five years in service. There were not any noticeable distresses on the runway including: raveling, cracking, rutting or potholes. There were 3 small areas about eight inches in diameter that were there from the beginning caused by planes turning the wheel very sharply in the first month after paving. These areas have a small degree of raveling. However, they have not worsened over the last 5 years.


For more information, please visit: www.forta-fi.com






Friday, August 8, 2014

Union Global Logistics Airpark

                 


The Union Global Logistics Airpark used a 1 3/4 inch surface course using FORTA-FI® HMA 3/4 inch fibers. FORTA-FI® was specified in this high volume, heavy traffic trucking hub. This Logistic Airpark is located at a new 1.8 million square foot Proctor and Gamble warehouse in Union, OH. The asphalt mixture is placed on the property at the Dayton International Airport for strength and durability in the roadways.

Project Details:
Location: Union, OH
Owner: City of Union, OH
Producer: Barrett Paving, Middletown, OH
Contractor: Barrett Materials, West Carrollton, OH
Tonage: 6,300
Fiber: FORTA-FI® HMA 3/4

For More Information, Please Visit: www.forta-fi.com