DIY asphalt repair. Asphalt: gost, repair, laying technology

If we talk about the first asphalt pavements, then they appeared another 600 years BC in ancient Babylon. Then, for a while, this trend was lost. However, in the nineteenth century in America and Europe, asphalt paving began to conquer the construction market again.

Note that there are two ways of producing asphalt - this is artificial manufacturing and natural manufacturing.

It is recommended to use natural asphalt for covering roads and expensive. What is natural asphalt? This type is made from heavy fractional parts of oil by evaporation of all the parts that organize the oil.

Artificial asphalt is a building material represented by sand and gravel. In addition, the composition of artificial asphalt includes bitumen (an oxidation product of oil derivatives) and mineral powder.

There are several types of artificial asphalt. The first type is asphalt from viscous bitumen - hot. The second type - from low-viscosity bitumen - is warm. The third type - already from liquid bitumen - is cold.

It should be noted: due to the fact that transportation involves a wide variety of conditions, vehicles for the transportation of asphalt can vary significantly. It can be road trains, airborne trains or dump trucks designed for heavy loads. If the materials are presented in a piece copy, then special onboard trains have been developed.

An interesting question is the thickness of the asphalt pavement. In general, the thickness of the coating is directly related to where, in which place the laying process takes place. Our roads rise about five hundred centimeters above the topography of the earth. Therefore, there are three types of asphalt pavement: sumps, ice, winter roads.

Do not forget about such an important factor as ecology and environmental pollution. Due to the fact that the load on the roads increases every year, the thickness of the coatings increases. As an example, if thirty years ago, the guest coating was nineteen centimeters thick, now the figure is twenty-five. And not the fact that this is the final value - there is a tendency to increase the transport load.

The quality of the asphalt coating is also influenced by the material. Competent technology for laying asphalt - these are appropriately well-chosen materials. For this, it is necessary to use special instruments and mechanisms: a compactor and paver. It is required to have various mixtures (they can be sandy, from fine grain and from large grain).

Repair work of the coating is the analysis of the upper layer of asphalt and processing it with an emulsion of bitumen.

Currently, the dismantling of asphalt pavement is much faster than twenty years ago, but more work requires more forces and mechanisms.

Asphalt mixture is called a building material, which is a compacted mixture of sand, gravel, bitumen and mineral powder. Distinguish between cold (compaction temperature not less than 10C), warm (working temperature 40-80C) and hot (not less than 120C) asphalt. Road asphalt concrete pavement It has been widely used in the construction of highways, the construction of parking lots, airfields, due to its advantages:

flat cloth with high mechanical strength,
road marking lasts a long time, the surface is easy to clean,
you can open the movement almost immediately after installation,
rough structure provides reliable grip.

Most popular asphalt concrete

Materials from the category of hot asphalt concrete are divided into rolled and cast (mixed in special installations). In addition, asphalt can be single-layer, two-layer, multi-layer or reinforced. Cast coating has frost resistance and increased strength, it can be used as cement concrete screed. Reinforced asphalt is often used as a coating in production halls, in parking areas and in warehouses.

Today, there is a huge amount of materials that perfectly perform the function of paving roads. If we talk about summer cottages or other private areas, then recently, paving and other types of tiles have been increasingly used. They differ not only in their attractive appearance, which can easily be reunited with the general style of the site, but also in sufficient strength and reliability. You can safely say that the tiles made by modern technology, may be in excellent condition for many years.

At the same time, we must not forget about the asphalt. Given road surface quite often used in the above territories. Of course, often such a coating is far from the highest quality and reliable, as, for example, a full-fledged automobile, but within the framework of a small private territory, the margin of safety and reliability should be enough.

Unlike the same paving slabs, which may crack, after which it is elementarily replaced by one or more units, asphalt pavement is a rather complicated material in terms of repair. It is necessary not only to know the specifics of the repair work, but also, if possible, involve specialists in the work. Practice shows that there are many problems associated with damage to the asphalt surface, and they should be addressed as soon as possible.

In this article we will try to consider all the most important issues related to the repair of asphalt pavement. We also analyze the numerous details on which the overall integrity of the asphalt and its condition depend.

Features of asphalt pavement

To begin with, it is worthwhile to understand that asphalt, which is used as a coating on highways, and primarily on large express roads, is incredibly high quality. We are talking about coatings that are based on proven technologies. In general, the coating layer may be more than 1 meter.
It is worth saying that in the world there are various technologies for laying asphalt. Some of them have long been used in developed countries. Such coatings are not only of high quality, but there is a huge margin of safety. In some cases, such asphalt pavements can last for decades without the slightest repair.
In the CIS countries, the technology of laying asphalt is substantially violated, and these are gross errors that involve annual repairs, or the laying of new asphalt every few years. This is unacceptable, but the situation is really too deplorable.
As for the laying of asphalt pavement in summer cottages, or simply in private areas, the simplest coating option will go here. The thing is that asphalt will not perceive special loads, since we have an appropriate situation. Thus, the cost of laying asphalt near a private house is relatively small.

If we talk about problems that often arise on the basis of asphalt, then there can be a lot of them. Often they appear due to the general thinness of the coating, as well as due to the condition of the soil, the situation associated with precipitation. The main point of the issue is that it is almost impossible to avoid damage to the asphalt. Most owners simply take the asphalt with its problem areas, since they do not really matter. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that if you do not stop the problem from the very beginning, you will not be able to get rid of it later. First of all, we are talking about cracks that occur on asphalt, and over time they become more and more deep. Next, we will consider the most common cracks, which create problems on asphalt.

Asphalt crack

As we have said, cracks are the most serious problem associated with asphalt paving. It is interesting that there are many types of cracks, and there are still many reasons for their occurrence.

Longitudinal cracks. They appear on sites quite often, since their occurrence is associated with the so-called seasonal changes in climate. Today we have dry weather, and tomorrow humidity reaches record levels. This situation has a strong influence on such coatings, especially if the thickness of the asphalt is small. In addition, there may be air voids in the asphalt, which are often the main cause of small cracks. The good news is that these cracks do not particularly affect the operation of the coating, so only the external component of the asphalt comes to the fore. Obviously, over time, the situation may worsen significantly in all directions. Therefore, it always makes sense to protect yourself from such adverse conditions.
Cracks "crocodiles." Over time, the asphalt coating itself begins to lose its basic properties. Cracks called "crocodiles" are often called fatigue. Asphalt is simply oxidized and can no longer be called a reliable coating. Often in this case, small cracks also form over the entire coating area. It is also impossible to exclude breaks in the connectivity of the layers, due to which you can encounter extremely serious consequences.

There are many other situations in which asphalt loses its most important properties. The situation is arranged in such a way that in private areas, where very few people walk on asphalt, and also hardly move vehicles, the surface itself loses important characteristics for a certain time. Accordingly, the problems may lie not in the broken technology of laying asphalt, namely with time. However, getting rid of cracks or other imperfections in asphalt is still possible.

Highlights of Asphalt Repair

To begin with, we must admit that ordinary people, unlike specialists who conduct asphalt paving, lack even the slightest experience working with this resource. Thus, the owners of private territories when they find problems with asphalt immediately turn to various literature or directly to specialists.

First of all, experts recommend taking a look at the specifics of asphalt patching technology. As you know, this solution is the most appropriate, especially if most of the surface area is intact, and we also have a small depression, which appeared as a result of an increase in the crack.

First of all, you should decide on the very framework that needs repair. It is best to capture a larger area so that after a short period of time there are no problems with repeated repairs. It is advisable to arm yourself with a small or other device for marking, and outline the area in need of repair.
Now it is advisable to completely lose the affected area of \u200b\u200basphalt. Of course, for this you need to use special equipment, especially if the coating thickness is large enough. You can make a choice in favor of a jackhammer, however, it is necessary to remove excess asphalt thinly so as not to repair the whole site. In addition, everything possible should be done so that new cracks do not form, because old asphalt extremely easy to damage.
After rough handling associated with the removal of asphalt, the surface should be cleaned so that it does not have even the smallest particles of old asphalt.
Now comes the most crucial moment, which consists in filling the created hole. Experts recommend using asphalt mix, which consists of sand, gravel, mineral powders and refractory bitumen. It is worth saying that the proportions and other issues related to the laying of the resulting material should be discussed directly with specialists. The question is quite specific, since everything can depend on the existing situation, including the size of the pit, as well as the characteristics of the surrounding asphalt.
An important point associated with this method of repairing the pits is the overall quality of the repaired coating. The essence of the issue is that without a good compaction and leveling of the mixture, the repaired surface will be no less a serious problem than the above cracks and other defects of asphalt. Sealing is a particularly important issue, since voids inside the mixture have a very negative effect on the surface, especially if certain loads act on it.

Asphalt Infrared Repair

As you know, technology does not stand still, so every year there are many interesting solutions that can be used in one or another field.

If we talk directly about the technology associated with the repair of asphalt through infrared study, we can note the highest efficiency of such a solution.

The bottom line is the installation, which heats up roadbed from the inside. In this case, the upper layers of asphalt are not exposed to any influences. After such heating, it is necessary to use the improvised tools to loosen the coating. Further, the coverage is simply updated with the composition that we talked about in the last paragraph. The positive side of this solution is the fact that the peeled recess on the asphalt is an ideal surface for further work.

Another advantage of using this solution is the fact that no milling machines and other devices necessary to obtain a high-quality result are required at all.

Experts note that the main advantage of using infrared equipment in the repair of coating areas is the absence of seams, which are usually created in other conditions. Accordingly, these same seams create many problems on surfaces that are regularly used.

Of course, getting such equipment for repairs will not be easy, especially considering the fact that its cost is actually high. Therefore, most owners of private territories have to use proven technologies that may have some drawbacks, but they still have some reliability.

The use of infrared technology for repairing asphalt is especially often used in the repair of large highways, as such repair measures do not imply large-scale work with subsequent blocking of traffic. Everything happens extremely civilized.

Repair activities at the house plot

In order to fully imagine the situation associated with the repair of asphalt in a private area, specific examples should be analyzed. Surely the thing is that the repair highways and asphalt pavement on a summer cottage - these are different things, ranging from technology to final events.

Experts emphasize that for most owners it is important that the asphalt is in an acceptable condition, and for the rest there is a desire only to save maximum money, so there is no need to talk about some advanced technologies.

Again, returning to the repair of the asphalt pavement, it is worth saying that the surface should not be completely changed, even if the damage to the asphalt is large enough. In any case, it is advisable to repair certain areas, especially when it comes to cracks.
If we have one or several small cracks, which certainly cannot be called full-fledged pits, it is enough to use bitumen to fill the recesses with it. Bitumen is a kind of sealant that will not let water pass into the crack, since it is it that creates the most problems for this kind of damage. To verify this, you can conduct a small experiment in the center of which there will be a small crack and moisture, which will slowly increase the extent of damage.

To repair cracks through the use of bitumen, you must pay attention to the following steps:

At the very beginning, you need to clean the area of \u200b\u200bdebris and dust, so any extra components that will be involved in the process of sealing cracks will create a lot of problems.
With the help of a special device, the so-called crack blowing can be performed. Of course, this is not a prerequisite, but the final result will be better. Together with the blowing, a certain drying of the recess occurs, which again improves the situation related to the quality of the repair. Obviously, not everyone has access to such equipment, so you may have to abandon this idea.
Now you need to warm up the cracks. To do this, it is best to use a thermal spear. The heating process occurs until the bitumen begins to succumb to melting. Care should be taken to this step, since overheating can damage neighboring sections of the coating.
The last stage is quite simple - bitumen is poured into the recess.

The option of using bitumen-rubber tape is very popular. It is often used to seal joints in the repair of roads, and within the framework of a private territory this is an excellent solution.

First of all, as in the case of the previous process, the recess is cleaned.
To get the most high-quality and reliable layer of bitumen, you first need to spread the bitumen primer with a break. It is important to wait a while, so that the surface is well dried.
Now it's time to use the above tape: it needs to be cut into certain parts to completely cover the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe crack. Surely the most difficult moment in terms of implementation is to use a hand roller for reliable bonding bitumen material. If this device is not, then you have to rent it from a store or some company. Some craftsmen manage to use a press unit instead of a hand roller.

In the end, I would like to note that the most important thing in the repair is not to delay, since the condition of any problem areas only worsens over time.