Dust is a major problem particularly at sites that see heavy traffic such as roads and airfields. It has a negative impact on the environment and human health. As one of the many airborne pollutants, it is responsible for serious illnesses of the respiratory tract in humans.
Not only this, it affects visibility and thus, compromises road safety. There is another fact that’s not very well-known. A vehicle that has to tear its way through clouds of dust every single day is bound to wear out faster than its counterparts that enjoy a clean and dust-free ride. This means increasing maintenance requirements and costs. Hence, it is necessary to use the right dust control solutions.
What is Dust Control Solutions For Road Construction?
WHAT IS DUST?
After having spoken so much about the negative impacts of dust, it is important to know what dust exactly is. To put it in simple terms, dust is airborne soil particles. Technically, they are soil particles with a size less than 0.074mm.
Every type of soil contains particles as fine as this. However, their mere presence is not the cause of dust formation. There are intrinsic factors as well as external forces responsible for the generation of dust and its severity.
The intrinsic factors include the overall gradation of the soil, its moisture content, the density and smoothness of the ground source and the presence of vegetation and organic matter.
Are environmental regulations, health and safety concerns or potential profit loss a concern right now?
External forces that might give rise to dust include the wind velocity, air humidity or other external forces such as the friction between the tires of the vehicle and the ground surface that cause the soil particles to loosen and become airborne. Additionally, if a road or track is left unsurfaced for long, repeated vehicular movement abrades the granular particles to form fine-grained particles.
USING DUST CONTROL SOLUTIONS
This is where dust control solutions come into the picture. Engineers taking up construction projects have started considering the use of dust palliatives to control the generation of dust both at traffic and non-traffic areas. Dust palliatives are substances added to the soil to prevent the soil from becoming airborne. As an alternative, pavement surfacing and prefabricated landing mats are used.
The use of a palliative depends on a number of factors:
- The Intensity Of Area Use – There are three main classes namely traffic, non-traffic areas and areas that see occasional traffic. These areas see no traffic, not even occasionally. The dust control solution applied to this should enhance its ability to withstand strong blasts of air. Occasional traffic areas are subject to light, unchannelized traffic occasionally while traffic areas see regular channelized traffic. This includes places such as roads and airfields.
- Topography – Topography involves describing the land based on its physical features. Land may be classified as hilly or flat based on the degree of the incline. The type of the palliative, solid or liquid, that can be used is determined by the topography of the land.
- Soil Type – It depends on the soil type as soils are classed as silt, clay, sand and gravel. In addition to soil type, it also depends on the soil surface.
- Climate – Finally, it depends on the climate.
GRT’s Dust Control Solutions
Global Road Technology is a leading supplier of cost-effective soil stabilization and dust control systems. Their dust control solutions arrest dust at the source and prevent it from becoming airborne. As such, they are designed to improve haul road effectiveness. GRT products including the GRT7000 bonding/capping agent and GRT8000 dust suppression dispense with the need for watering thereby creating for greener construction alternatives. They are tailor-made to various projects to ensure maximum product performance.
For more information on Global Road Technology or dust control solution please Contact Us.
MORE INDUSTRY ARTICLES
Nothing found.