In concert with the overall goal of operation synchronization, mix placement and compaction are the two most important elements in HMA pavement construction. Mix placement involves any equipment or procedures used to place the delivered HMA on the desired surface at the desired thickness. Mix placement can involve complicated asphalt paver operations or simple manual shoveling. This section provides a basic description of HMA placement operations. The (TRB, 2001) and the Asphalt Institute's

HMA Construction Manual

(2001) contain detailed information on asphalt paver components.