What is Crushed Stone?
Stone is one of the fundamental construction materials in use. Crushed stone is man-made rocks of various sizes for use in various construction projects, such as road base. In fact, crushed stone is a way to recycle and re-use bricks and concrete block waste. It is used in drainage systems, foundations, concrete, roads and more.
How is Crushed Stone Made?
Originally, a rock crusher at a site with plenty of rocks, such as a quarry, would take larger stones and rocks, break them into smaller stones and rocks all the way into stone dust. The resulting stones would be organised into the different sizes and type for picking up with trucks for delivery to the construction site. After WWII, in the 1940s through the 1950s, when the invention of the rock crusher machine came about, crushed stone became a staple in the construction industry.
The environmental and geological concerns over the long-term effects of the quarries’ process of crushing stone eventually led to construction companies using recycled products to replace crushed stone in certain applications. For example, when a road is being resurfaced or replaced, many companies will now crush and grind the existing road product waste as they replace it. Essentially crushed stone, this new material is then used as the base for the new road.
Different Types of Crushed Stone
There are four main types of crushed stone.
1. “Crushed Stone”
This term in general refers to stone which is a mixture of man-made crushed stone and dust. It is best suited for projects when heavy compaction is needed, i.e., road base, concrete and paving projects, foundations of buildings, and driveways. Sizes of this material can vary and are referred to in rough terms by the average diameter of the stones. 1.5″ stone means that the average diameter of this type of stone is 1.5″, and so on.
2. Clean Stone
Cleaned stone means that the stones have been screened. It means that most of the stone dust is removed, but not all. Minor compaction will occur such as on the top layer of a driveway, but is not harmful.
3. Washed Clean Stone
This is the result of washing the stone material until there is no dust at all. Uses of this type of stone include the construction of drainage systems, ready mix concrete, or decorative purposes.
4. Stone Dust
This dust is created when the stone is crushed. Fine grains, like sand, is great for packing or tamping stone, but is problematic for any applications where water drains. It will erode with water, so its usage must take this into consideration.
Call Meza Trucking at (209) 329-1412 for your crushed stone requirements and delivery.