Whether on your driveway, parking lot, or road surface, your asphalt pavement endures a lot of use regularly. It has to withstand foot and vehicular traffic, which explains why it is common for asphalt pavement to show signs of wear and tear over time. You may notice dirt collection, tire marks, and oil spills on the pavement after some time which causes it to look dull and worn out.
Luckily, most asphalt pavement damages are easily avoidable through proper installation and preventative maintenance. Should your asphalt pavement show signs of wear and tear, you should call an experienced asphalt paving company to repair and seal coat it to avoid further damage.
Here are some damages you are likely to see over time.
Cracks
There are different forms of cracks on asphalt pavements. They include:
- Alligator cracks occur due to overloading and may result from a problem with the subbase or the pavement being too thin.
- Edge cracks occur near the outer edges of the pavement. Lack of support at the edge of the pavement or heavy vegetation causes such cracks.
- Slippage cracks occur because the asphalt mix was too weak or there was a poor binding of the pavement layers. These cracks look like stretch marks, so it’s easy to tell them apart from other types of damage.
- Block cracks occur in the shape of interconnected rectangular-like shapes. They happen when the asphalt binder contracts and expands due to temperature fluctuations, which means the asphalt mix was too dry during installation.
- Transverse cracks run perpendicular to the pavement’s middle line, indicating a problem with the underlying layer.
- Longitudinal cracks run parallel to the surface’s centerline and are caused by weak longitudinal joint construction.
Depressions
Depressions occur when some parts of the pavement have lower elevations than the rest and water stagnates, leading to more problems.
Potholes
Like on many other pavements, potholes form due to heavy wear and tear caused by traffic on the pavement and extreme weather conditions. In most cases, potholes form in the late winter or early spring because the water constantly goes through the freezing and melting cycle. If the water gets to the asphalt base, it worsens the damage on the pavement, but preventative maintenance can minimize this kind of damage.
Base failure
It occurs due to poor drainage, poor installation, lack of support, or too much weight on one area. The contractor must remove the whole surface layer and repair the subbase.
Stripping
When the bond between the asphalt and aggregates is weakened, the surface dislodges, causing stripping. Stripping can quickly lead to cracks.
Repair options
Crack filling and seal coating are adequate to repair asphalt pavements. Crack filling prevents water from penetrating the pavement, causing further damage.
Seal coating protects the pavement from water, traffic, fuel, oil, and weather damage. You should do it as preventative maintenance every three to five years, and it is a simple way to enhance the appearance of your old asphalt pavement. Seal coating accelerates the melting of snow and ice, reduces long-term repair costs, and prolongs the life of the pavement.