Among all pavement materials (cobblestones, gravel, concrete, pavers, and asphalt), asphalt easily ranks in the top three most commonly used and preferred ones. This is not surprising given the different qualities of asphalt such as versatility, ease of installation, and low price point. Asphalt is commonly used to build roads, driveways, parking lots, and many other such structures.
However, just like any other pavement material, asphalt also suffers from damage caused by different factors like soil movement, normal wear and tear, heavy vehicle traffic, freeze-thaw conditions, and the like. Whatever the underlying cause of the damage may be, the bottom line is to quickly perform the necessary repairs to prevent further damage and to restore the asphalt pavement to its original state.
Here are five of the most common asphalt issues that require immediate repair:
Cracking
Cracking is among the most common asphalt problems and among the easiest to fix. When it comes to asphalt crack repair in Utah, there are companies that specialize in the matter; so, you should have no problem getting the right contractor for the job. Cracking is a broad term, though, as there are different types of asphalt cracking commonly seen in asphalt pavements. Among these are alligator, reflection, block, edge, transverse, longitudinal, and slippage cracking.
Distortions
Like cracking, asphalt distortions, come in different forms. They are usually caused by an unstable asphalt mix or weak sub-grade layer or base. The various types of asphalt distortions are shoving, rutting, upheaval, depression, and patch failure. These distortions can cause vehicular accidents, particularly for bicycles and motorcycles running at high speeds.
Disintegrations
Disintegrations occur when portions of asphalt pavements are broken into pieces due to old age or heavy vehicles that ply the paved asphalt surface. Potholes (bowl-shaped holes on asphalt pavements) and raveling (aggregate particles contained in the asphalt cement gradually wear away) are the usual types of asphalt disintegrations that you may see. Not only are they unsightly, but they are also potential causes of accidents especially on busy roads and in parking lots.
Skidding
Skidding hazards are other asphalt problems that need immediate repair to prevent further damage and potential accidents. Bleeding and polished aggregate are the two types of skidding hazards on asphalt surfaces. Bleeding occurs when the surface loses its skid-resistance due to several reasons such as excess asphalt and bond or tack coat. Polished aggregate, meanwhile, is usually caused by the gradual wearing out of the rough asphalt surface due to constant vehicle traffic. This can be dangerous to vehicles, especially when it rains, since there is hardly any traction for the wheels of vehicles to stay on course. This situation may cause a vehicle to aquaplane.
Surface treatment distresses
Streaking and loss of cover aggregate are the two kinds of surface treatment distresses that are found on asphalt surfaces. The loss of cover aggregate is typically caused by the use of dirty aggregates and premature vehicle traffic before the aggregate has fully bonded and seated. Streaking, on the other hand, is due to the uneven asphalt application before applying the aggregate chips.
Remember that all these issues require immediate repair work to prevent further damage and potentially catastrophic accidents. You should hire a trusted asphalt repair company with proven expertise in the business so you can expect professionally-handled repair works on your asphalt surfaces.
