macadam (redirected from macadamizing)

macadam

Form of pavement invented by John McAdam. McAdam's road cross-section consisted of a compacted subgrade of crushed granite or greenstone designed to support the load, covered by a surface of light stone to absorb wear and tear and shed water to the drainage ditches. In modern macadam construction, crushed stone or gravel is placed on the compacted base course and bound together with asphalt cement or hot tar. A third layer to fill the spaces is then added and rolled. Cement-sand slurry is sometimes used as the binder.

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macadam

a road surface made of compressed layers of small broken stones, esp one that is bound together with tar or asphalt

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macadam [mə′kad·əm]

(civil engineering)

Uniformly graded stones consolidated by rolling to form a road surface; may be bound with water or cement, or coated with tar or bitumen.

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macadam, tarmac, tarmacadam

1. A paving for roads or other surfaces, formed by grading and compacting layers of crushed stone or gravel; then the top layer(s) are usually bound by asphaltic material, acting to stabilize the stone, provide a smoother surface, and seal against water penetration.

2. The crushed stone used in a macadamized surface.