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5 Most Common Categories of Asphalt Damage

Asphalt is known for being one of the most versatile pavement materials. Most people choose asphalt for its durability, and you might also enjoy how smooth the material looks on large surfaces. While asphalt parking lots and other types of surfaces should last anywhere from 10 to 15 years, they do require some maintenance to reach their maximum life span. Watching out for these common types of asphalt damage helps you know when to arrange for repairs.

Cracking

Cracks can develop due to severe weather conditions, wear and tear from heavy traffic along with poor drainage. There are several different types of cracks that you might notice in the asphalt, and noting which kind you see can help asphalt companies determine the cause of the damage. For example, fatigue cracks involve lots of small ones that run together and create the appearance of an alligator’s skin. These tend to come from chronic excessive loads or poor drainage in a climate with frequent temperature changes. Meanwhile, linear cracks could be caused by general wear and tear.

Depressions

Kids may love how depressions in asphalt surfaces create the perfect puddles, but road maintenance crews know just how dangerous these can be for causing skids. If a depression is relatively shallow and small, then it might only need a surface patch repair. However, some of these can get pretty large, which means you might need to replace the paved area.

Potholes

Coming across a big one of these on a road can lead to popped tires and car accidents. Potholes are ultimately the end result of allowing alligator cracks to go without repairs. Over time, water gets into the cracks and starts to erode the asphalt. Eventually, the cracks begin to intersect and cause chunks to come out of the surface until there is a serious hole.

Rutting

Heavy traffic on asphalt drives can cause indentations to form where the vehicle tires constantly roll across the surface. Since rutting is caused by the surface layers getting compressed by the weight of the vehicles, it tends to be worse when there is already a flaw in the pavement, such as it being too thin or made from a weak asphalt mix. Failing to properly compact the material during the installation process is another reason why rutting might develop, which is why it is important to fully vet asphalt companies before you arrange for their services.

Raveling

Asphalt raveling is caused by the general deterioration of the surface. With raveling, the pieces of the material begin to dislodge, and you might see loose gravel coming up on the surface. On roads and parking lots, the surface can get quite rough, and the loose materials can increase the risk of skids. The good news is that raveling tends to affect just the top surface layer in the early stages, and you might only need to plan for an overlay to fix the problem. Keep in mind that having a loose top layer exposes the underlayers to more potential for damage, so you’ll want to correct the issue as soon as possible.

When caught early, many types of asphalt damage can be repaired before it requires a complete replacement of the surface materials. Whether you have an asphalt driveway, road or trail you’re in charge of maintaining, make routine checks for damage a normal part of your routine. Staying on top of the quality of the surface helps to keep people safe and preserve the appearance of your property.

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Do’s and Don’ts to Ensure the Longevity of Your Asphalt Pavement

There’s nothing like a fresh coat of asphalt pavent to make your property or business look inviting and taken care of. You want to keep that look for as long as possible, and that means taking proper care of the material immediately after the asphalt contractors have left. The following is a look at the do’s and don’t’s of maintaining your asphalt to maintain its fresh appearance until it’s time for maintenance or replacement many years from now.

The Do’s of Maintaining Your Asphalt

Asphalt has a lifespan of about 18 years before it needs a total replacement. The clock starts running the moment the asphalt work is completed, but it can take up to a year for asphalt to cure. It’s vital to protect your asphalt after the work has been completed, but you can start using it gently once the initial curing period has been completed.

In order to give your asphalt pavent a good start, be sure to do the following:

  • Block access to cars for the first 24 hours
  • Clean up debris to prevent it from damaging the surface

After the asphalt sets, you can drive and park cars on the driveway or parking spots. Careful use of the paved surface for the next 12 months is recommended, and it’s easy to engage in by making sure cars don’t sit in one place for more than a day or two. As time goes by, you’ll want to take steps to protect your asphalt. They include:

  • Keep it clean with regular washing and sweeping of debris
  • Patch cracks as soon as they appear
  • Seal the driveway on a regular interval, usually every three to five years
  • Make sure water is draining off the driveway and not pooling
  • Remove weeds from the edge of the driveway

The Don’ts’ of Maintaining Your Asphalt

Asphalt is tough, but it’s also malleable and compresses under pressure. It can also get damaged by oil leaks from a vehicle that sits in one place for too long. You definitely want to avoid parking your car in the same spot in the days immediately after the asphalt was laid, but you also shouldn’t park in the same place every time you come home. The same goes for keeping heavy objects on the asphalt for long periods of time, as you’ll wind up with divots forming in the asphalt that aren’t easy to repair.

Other don’t’s include:

Don’t let a car drip oil onto the asphalt

Vehicles are known to leak oil which isn’t always a serious problem in and of itself. It is a serious problem for asphalt as it can cause cracks to form.

Don’t seal coat for at least three years

The oil in the asphalt takes time to dry out and eventually needs refreshing in the form of a seal coat. This is a normal process that should be allowed to play out over time before having asphalt contractorsapply a new coat. The new seal coat should interact with the old coat as little as possible in order to provide the best protection.

Don’t let snow and ice build up on the surface

Asphalt is porous in nature and is easily damaged by frost-freeze cycles. Allowing ice and snow to build up increases the risk of damage to the asphalt from the top down to the bottom layer.

Proper maintenance of your asphalt helps it function for longer, prevents divots from forming, and requires fewer repairs over its lifespan. Use these do’s and don’t’s as part of regular property maintenance for a safe and attractive surface for people and cars to use.

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Does Asphalt Affect the Colorado Environment?

Asphalt has been used for centuries as a paving material. It is durable and weather-resistant. Asphalt in Colorado is used to create a variety of surfaces. But what are the environmental effects of using asphalt? Does it affect air quality? Water resources? How does the use of asphalt in Colorado impact city living? This blog post will take a closer look at asphalt and its effect on the Colorado environment.

The Asphalt Creation Process

Asphalt consists of two main ingredients: rock and bitumen. Rock is the foundation of asphalt pavement. It makes up 85-95% of asphalt pavement by weight and provides structural support for the pavement. The asphalt creation process begins with mining or quarrying rock. The rock is then transported to an asphalt plant, where it is crushed and

mixed with bitumen. Bitumen is a black or dark brown viscous material that binds the asphalt pavement together. It is made up of asphalt cement, a by-product of crude oil refining, and aggregate, a mixture of sand, gravel, and crushed stone.

The asphalt pavement is then placed on a road surface and compacted.

Is Asphalt Reusable?

Asphalt is a sustainable material that can be reused and recycled. It is the most recycled material in the United States. Asphalt companies in Colorado are committed to recycling asphalt pavement (RAP) and milling, which reduces waste and conserves resources.

When asphalt is removed from a road surface, it is crushed into smaller pieces and used as a base for new asphalt pavements. This process is called milling. Milling asphalt can be used to create various surfaces, such as:

  • A temporary road surface while permanent repairs are being made
  • A stable foundation for asphalt paving
  • A drainage ditch lining
  • A material to fill potholes

Asphalt companies in Colorado are also committed to using recycled asphalt shingles (RAS) in asphalt pavements. RAS is a sustainable material that can be used as an additive to hot mix asphalt (HMA). Adding RAS to HMA increases the pavement’s resistance to cracking and rutting and extends the pavement’s life. Asphalt companies in Colorado use RAS in the asphalt pavement to create a more sustainable product.

Asphalt’s Effect On Air, Water, And City Living

Air

While asphalt pavement is not a significant source of air pollution, asphalt production and asphalt paving can release emissions into the air. These emissions include: 

  1. Carbon monoxide
  2. Nitrogen oxides
  3. Particulate matter
  4. Volatile organic compounds

Water

Asphalt production and asphalt paving can also affect water resources. The asphalt creation process uses a significant amount of water, and asphalt pavement itself can contaminate stormwater runoff if not maintained correctly.

City Living

Asphalt pavement can also impact city living as it is a significant source of noise pollution in cities. In addition, asphalt pavement can be a trip hazard, especially for pedestrians and cyclists.

In conclusion, asphalt pavement can impact the environment, but any asphalt company in Colorado is going to be part of the effort toward working to reduce the environmental impact of their products. They are exploring new methods of production that use recycled materials and are developing ways to reuse and recycle asphalt products. These efforts will help reduce waste produced by asphalt companies and contribute to a cleaner environment.

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How Does Asphalt Recycling Work?

While you might recycle aluminum cans or plastic bottles at home, many construction companies rely on asphalt paving companies for recycled asphalt. The main material in asphalt, bitumen, tops the global list of most frequently recycled items.

The petroleum product asphalt provides structural strength, can withstand low and high temperatures, plus it can bind together with other materials. Constantly required in the construction of buildings, roads, sidewalks, pools, patios, and much more, this prized substance can also harm the environment to produce. In the US alone, in 2019, manufacturers produced more than 420 million tons of asphalt.

Asphalt paving companies don’t have to use new asphalt though. They can turn to asphalt recycling to reclaim already used asphalt. This reduces its environmental impact. Once recycled, it becomes shingles, waterproofing, or paving products.

Let’s explore how manufacturers mill asphalt, then recycle it, and how it gets used in its most common form – paving.

Asphalt Milling

Asphalt begins the manufacturing process as crude oil. First heated to distill it, the manufacturer then transfers the oil to an extraction container where it removes volatile components called fractions. The heavy deposit leftover – topped crude becomes asphalt after three more steps.

The manufacturer uses a volatile substance to cut back the asphalt. This creates a malleable substance.

Next, the oil goes through an emulsifying process that makes the substance easier to combine aggregate. In this step, the manufacturer grinds the asphalt into tiny globules measuring less than five microns, then mixes it with water. By adding an emulsifying agent like clay, oil, silicate, or soap, the manufacturer reduces the potential for the asphalt and water to separate.

In the final step of making commercial asphalt, the manufacturer pulverizes it to powdered form and sieves it to create granules of a uniform size.

Asphalt Recycling

Asphalt recycling offers a cost-efficient and green method of obtaining this widely used construction material. Recycled asphalt provides no less a product than new asphalt. It provides the same durability and versatility.

Recycled asphalt goes through a milling process in which the manufacturer removes the top layer from the surface on which it got used. This might mean removing the top of a parking lot or driveway or shingling from a rooftop.

Transported to an asphalt plant, the reclaimed product goes through sizing and screening, just as it did when originally made. Unlike its original processing cycle though, when recycled the manufacturer can use either a hot or a cold process to start.

Once it has repeated the original milling process, an asphalt paving company can again use it for a new project. Asphalt offers an ideal construction material since it can undergo multiple recycling cycles without harming its durability or quality.

Asphalt Paving

In some cases, recycled asphalt provides advantages that virgin asphalt cannot. It can contain mineral fillers that increase its strength. It costs less and demands less labor. With respect to its appearance and performance, it offers increased permeability and varying shades of gray. Virgin asphalt comes in black only.

Try Recycled Asphalt

The demand for asphalt continues to grow – about three percent each year. Turn to the $7.1 billion asphalt recovery market for your construction needs. It offers a real money saver for asphalt paving companies.

By admin Asphalt Driveway • • • 0 Comments

Keeping Up With Curb Appeal: The Top 5 Driveway Maintenance Tips You Need to Know

Whether you have bricks, pavers, concrete or an asphalt driveway, keeping it in good shape is the biggest factor in how long the surface will effectively serve you. Upkeep is also essential to ensuring that they maintain their appearance and add value to the home. Check out these top tips for maintaining the most common driveway materials.

1. Stay Diligent with Seal Coating

Driveway maintenance will be eased with routing seal coating of the installation’s surface. This is a good move for most kinds of solid-surface driveways, and is a must-do for concrete and asphalt materials that can stain and deteriorate with excessive sun and moisture exposure.

However, an asphalt driveway will need around 90 days to cure before being sealed. Most surfaces will need to be resealed about every two years to extend their lifespan and keep them looking attractive. This task is often best left to professionals, as it takes special tools and can be time-consuming for the typical homeowner.

2. Clean Up Stains Quickly

Routine seal coating can help prevent stains from oil, gas and other fluids that can penetrate bricks, pavers, concrete and asphalt driveways. Yet, it’s best to immediately clean up any such spills to keep stains at bay, which is likely to detract from the beauty of the home. Consider regular pressure washing to retain an ultra-clean look throughout the year.

3. Don’t Let Plants Take Over Driveway Surfaces

While green foliage is desirable in landscaping, plants and weeds can be a true menace to driveways. They can penetrate through to the surface by way of small cracks, which can actually widen them over time. Experts recommend filling in any cracks quickly and aggressively.

To prevent grass from taking over the edges of driveways, invest in some type of trim, edging or river rocks to place along the sides. In addition to keeping grass where it belongs, this addition can become a key visual element of your hardscaping design.

4. Perform a Driveway Inspection After Winter or Heavy Freezes

Should you reside in an area that sees freezing temperatures or seasonal snowfalls, the driveway will experience freeze-thaw cycles. Unfortunately, this can be a primary cause of driveway damage and is a particular issue with an asphalt driveway that can easily shift.

Be sure to do a visual inspection after deep freezes or heavy snow to check for cracks, potholes, or any signs of crumbling materials. Be prepared to take care of any necessary repairs right away. Ignoring deterioration will only allow the problem to worsen and spread to other areas of the driveway.

5. Invest in a Driveway Professional

While it’s possible to do a good portion of driveway maintenance and basic repairs as DIY projects, bigger jobs might be best left to professionals. In cases of tough stains or large installations, an experienced technician can make magic happen with greater ease and in less time. Having a local contractor in place ensures fast repairs and regularly scheduled seal coating and cleaning.

Don’t Underestimate the Talents of a Pro

As you can see, the driveway is a large part of a home’s exterior features, and will be seen by neighbors and passersby on a regular basis. Don’t be the neighbor who neglects their driveway and drives down the overall curb appeal on your street. Invest in driveway maintenance!