How Dust Becomes A Contractor's Best Friend: Three New Ways To Look At Dust And Dirt

Many people suffer allergies as a result of dust and dirt. To drive down a dusty road with their car windows down is an invitation to misery for their upper respiratory systems. If you do not have a pleasant relationship with dust and dirt, here are three new ways of looking at dirt and dust in a more positive light.

Dust Compaction for Overpass Construction

In order to build up mounds of dirt that support highway overpasses, construction crews have to add more and more dirt to a pile and use wheels and tractor belts to compact the dirt. Sometimes a pavement roller will perform the task of compacting the dirt as well. In squishing the mud and soil as firmly together as possible, almost all the air in between larger chunks of dirt is squeezed out, creating a a very solid mound of dirt upon which more dirt can be dumped and compacted. Ultra fine dirt particles, often referred to as "dust," fills in any remaining spaces on these really large and shaped mounds of dirt.

Ice Road Building

Another positive way of looking at dust and dirt is by examining how ice roads are built. If you have seen the shows Extreme Trucking or Ice Road Truckers, you can definitely formulate a new appreciation for the building of ice roads. Without the compaction of dirt and dust on massive sheets of ice, trucks and truckers would not be able to drive over the ice safely to their destinations in Alaska, Canada, and/or Northern Washington State. The compacted roads of dirt provide firm ground for the wheels of the trucks, while dust provides a little extra traction on a surface upon which one should not (usually) drive.

Coarse-Grit Dust for Water Drilling

Some aquifers, or underground water sources, are buried underneath hard rock. Water drilling companies use massive drills to get to these water sources, and coarse-grit dust helps the drill by providing the drill with a rougher grinding surface. In this way, dust works in its third and positive means to accomplish something very useful--it helps get fresh water. If and when any of the dust used to drill down through the rock ends up in the water source, it will sink to the bottom of the aquifer just like any other type of sediment.

The Next Time Dust and Dirt Make You Sneeze

If you happen to work in some sort of geotechnical capacity, you will probably find more positive uses for dirt and dust. As you gain more knowledge and appreciation for fine particles of dirt, you can feel a little less resentful towards dust. Now the next time that dirt or dust cause you to sneeze, you can smile knowing that there are some very positive uses for these common allergens. 

To learn more, contact a company like D W Jensen Drilling Ltd.

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