Friday, April 1, 2016

Understanding The Techniques And Procedures Involved In Pothole Repair

By Anna Anderson


Due to age, accumulation of water under the soil structure and too much traffic, pavements and roads as well become distressed to an extent of developing little craters. This could also be as a result of freezing and thawing which creates openings to allow for water to enter. If maintained is not carried out, then the cracks developed become potholes with some being very deep. Potholes develop in depth with time and can become large enough to cause damage to vehicles, with some causing serious road accidents. The process of restoration can be categorized into two major categories that are, temporary methods and semi permanent methods. This article describes some of the important methods that can be used in pothole repair.

Before we look at the methods, it is important to, first of all, know the different materials used to construct and repair roads. Asphalt is the main material used and consists of binder and aggregate. The mixture is categorized into two groups that are, cold mix and hot mix. The asphalt plants that produce the mixture usually work under given specification depending on the local area.

The first technique is known as throw and roll. This is a temporary method that is usually applied when the placement of materials becomes hard to control. This is for example during winter when there are unfavorable water and temperature conditions. When the pothole is dry, this technique brings about better and lasting results.

Edge and seal are another method which follows some of the procedures used in throw and roll. The difference, in this case, is that, once the mixture is placed in the hole, a truck passes over it to bring about compaction. The mixture is then let to dry for a certain period of time and then sand is used to cover the area until it is completely restored.

The other method is semi permanent and involves removal of water and all forms of debris from the hole. This is then followed by making cuts on all the sides in order to place the asphalt mixture which can be hot or cold. In this method, a vibratory roller is used to compact the mix material. This method is however labor and equipment intensive.

Spray injection is another repair procedure that requires the use of complex equipment. It involves removal of water and debris by blowing it off and then spraying the tack materials. The patched area is then covered with asphalt. Compaction is not necessary for this technique.

With many inventions and innovations taking place in the world, a better and permanent solution has been achieved in this field. This involves the use of infrared technology to fix potholes. With this method, an infrared beam is used to heat and soften the asphalt materials in the pavement and turn it into a hot mixture. The defective material is therefore recycled and more hot mixture is added and compacted.

Pavements and roads may disintegrate and loose their value with time if no immediate measures are taken to address the problem. Therefore, frequent monitoring should be applied so as to avoid more expensive repair.




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