Friday, December 13, 2013

Restore The Quality Of Driveways With Use Of Asphalt Patching Technique


by Cornelia White


The durability of asphalt will depend on how well it is maintained when laid down. Asphaltic material requires continuous preventive maintenance to protect and keep it in good condition. Although it can survive for long, on the other hand, if proper care is not taken, it can easily lead to premature failure. With help of asphalt patching contractors, you can repair sections of your roads or driveways that are damaged especially those with localized crack damages.

Asphaltic pavements suffer progressive deterioration as they age, and this is caused by the changes in the molecular structure of the material. Through the oxidation process, the materials change from its beautiful black appearance. It fades away thus attaining a grayish color. The quality of blacktop also diminishes and unraveling begins.

The patch method is best used in localized repairs. If you have a few areas that need to be restored, then the method may be appropriate. With time, asphaltic blacktop suffers from the effects of sunlight, water, and substances like salt and gasoline products. Ultraviolet rays lead to hardening and unraveling of blacktop material. As the rays heat the surface directly, they accelerate the oxidizing process leading to unbinding of asphaltic material.

If the damages have affected the sub base layer, patches can help restore them. In this repair process, the ground is properly excavated and all the loose materials are removed. The patches are applied through hot or cold patching process but the process needs to be done by a specialist to avert the applied material from wearing out within a short time.

Inside the sub grade layer, that water causes other problems. The aggregate material becomes lose, and it cannot support the heavy weight that passes over the blacktop. Since the strength of blacktop is as good as the quality of the sub base, if the subgrade is damaged, then your blacktop surface also suffers. Potholes occur when the subgrade area is affected by water.

When the surface is acted upon by moving vehicles weight, it can collapse easily leading to sections of areas which need properly repair. The patch technique is used in areas which have receive extensive damage such a potholes, sink holes, alligatored cracks, and other large damages particularly those which are localized or affect a small area.

Repairing the potholes and gator cracks helps restore the beauty of pavements by giving them an improved look and black jet color. If you plan to patch your asphalt pavement, you need to contact a specialist whether it is a cold or hot patching. If the process is not done correctly, the applied material will wear out fast and expose the driveways or parking lots to more damages.

In times of cold weather, the water that has settled inside the cracks freezes and expands. When it expands, it enlarges the cracks and as it melts, it leaves the space empty. The asphalt patching technique helps repair cracks, which have affected the sub base material. It allows the sub base to be compacted to attain a firm structure.




About the Author:





You are receiving this because you signed up for it on 2013-09-29 from IP


To fine-tune your selection of which articles to receive, just login here
using your username:


To unsubscribe please use the following link:

Unsubscribe



0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to RSS Feed Follow Business Letter Format on Twitter!