Stark Asphalt | Education

On the surface all asphalt looks the same...

However, it is not. Each situation requires a careful analysis to arrive at the proper type and thickness meeting the specific demands for an asphalt area.

Incorporated in the Stark Mix Calculator is all of the appropriate technical data required in projecting normal usage and wear and tear on an asphalt surface. It will automatically calculate the appropriate type and thickness of asphalt commonly required in any paving projects in the Milwaukee Metro area.

It is easy, all you do is go to the "Vehicle Description" column and fill in under "Number of Vehicles" with the actual number of vehicles crossing the paved surface. NOTE: If a vehicle only comes in once per week, go to column "Vehicles per" and change the preset per day to per week.

Vehicle Description	# of Vehicles	Vehicles per...
Automobile (cars)
2-Axle Single Unit Truck (delivery vehicles - i.e. UPS, Fed-Ex, etc.)
School Bus
3-Axle Garbage disposal vehicle
5-Axle Semi-Trailer combination truck (Typical tractor/trailer)
Mass Transit Busses
6-Axle Semi-Trailer combination truck (double trailer)


Suggested Mixture Type (Asphalt Type)

Soil Classification (CBR)	Suggested Aggregate Base	Suggested Hot mix Thickness
Poor (3 to 5)
Moderate (6 to 9)
Good (10+)

All calculations are based on the following industry standards and specifications: All vehicle types are classified for normal traffic based on ESAL (Equivalent Single Axle Load). All our calculations are based on a traffic design defined as the daily number of equavalent 18,000-pound single asle loads (Design Daily ESAL's) the pavement is expected to carry. Life Cycle of a surface is defined as the total useable life of the pavement and is anticipated as 20 years. Growth rate is the anticipated increase in traffic volume per year and this growth is calculated based on a 5% growth in traffic over 20 years.

Click here for soil grade classification descriptions.