Why is it necessary to add water to the road maintenance slurry seal?
The need to add water to the slurry seal has basically become common knowledge in road maintenance. But many people don’t understand why water is added to it.
Why is water added to the slurry seal? Water in the slurry seal layer is an important component of the slurry mixture, and its amount determines the consistency and compactness of the slurry mixture to a certain extent.
The water phase of the slurry mixture is composed of water in the mineral material, water in the emulsion, and water added during mixing. Any mixture can be composed of aggregates, emulsions and a limited amount of external water to form a stable slurry.
The moisture content in the mineral material will affect the formation of the slurry seal. Mineral materials with saturated water content will take longer to open to traffic. This is because the water content in the mineral material accounts for 3% to 5% of the mineral material mass. Excessive water content in the mineral material will affect the bulk density of the mineral material, and it is easy to cause bridging in the mineral hopper, affecting the transmission of the mineral material. Therefore, the output of mineral materials needs to be adjusted accordingly to the different moisture content of the mineral materials.
Water, which determines the consistency and compactness of the slurry mixture, is one of the indispensable raw materials in the slurry seal. In order to smoothly mix the slurry mixture, the proportion must be strictly followed when mixing.