Procedures for Crack Sealing
A crucial component of the pavement maintenance scheme is the crack ceiling. Water can seep through pavement fractures, causing more cracks, potholes, and ultimately major pavement failures that may require future, needless, and expensive repairs.
To stop moisture and non-compressible materials from penetrating the pavement, crack sealing is the process of applying an adhesive sealer into surface cracks. It is an affordable pavement preservation treatment that can add three to five years to the pavement’s life and slow down its degeneration. When a de-tacking chemical is used, a crack-sealed road can be opened to traffic nearly instantly.
Thus, when should crack sealing be done?
Before a pavement becomes too distressed, crack sealing can be applied to cracks wider than ⅛ of an inch, such as edge, block, longitudinal, reflecting, thermal, or transverse cracks.
“How to Crack Seal Right, Step by Step,” one of the most well-known cracks is alligator cracking, which may not be a candidate for crack sealing because the alligator cracks indicate failures requiring repair beyond crack sealing. Additionally, crack sealing is not advised for potholes or cracks larger than ½ inch.
If crack sealing is necessary for the pavement, it should be done in the spring or fall when the cracks are not fully closed (as they are in the summer) or entirely open (as they are in the winter). Lower temperatures during the sealing process cause less adhesion. If crack sealing is necessary when the pavement temperature is below forty degrees, a hot air lance could be needed to reheat the pavement. Other preservation techniques, such as chip seals, HMA overlays, slurry seals, or micro seals, can be used in conjunction with crack sealing.
Get the Surface Ready
The secret to a successful sealant adhesion is surface preparation. Crack routing may be necessary for some jobs but not for others. Whether or not cracks should be routed before they are sealed depends on several elements. A defined reservoir with the right amount of sealant is created by routing. Routing can enhance the service life of a sealant and increase the likelihood of perfect adhesion.
Canadian asphalt encourages routing more when a crack moves because more material in that crack means it can accommodate more movement.” To allow adequate material to enter extremely tight fissures, routing is also essential.
Prep Material Sealants should be chosen according to the following factors: pavement condition, climate, pavement movement, required service life, and sealant properties. “As you choose sealant, make sure it complies with approved specifications and that the sealant lot number is available.
Atmospheric pressure will also affect your sealant selection. For instance, cooler climates call for more flexible sealants than hotter ones. However, using a softer sealant in a hotter climate could result in tracking.
Best Practices for Applying Crack Seals
There are several configurations for placing crack seals, such as flush fill, reservoir, and combination. Using the appropriate wand tip for the job and filling the crack from the bottom up will provide a complete seal, regardless of the technique employed.
The material is inserted into and over the crack with a sealing disc using an overbend. After that, it is either left unshaped (capped) or formed with a squeegee to form a band that is between two and four inches broad and no thinner than ⅛ of an inch. Additionally, using a squeegee to force the sealant into the crack can aid in adherence.
In addition to filling the fracture, the overlay also covers and waterproofs the area around the crack, making it perfect for cracks with significant edge deterioration.
The most important matter in this practice is:
Don’t use too much sealer or leave puddles and drips behind when working on the project. To prevent spills and overapplication, use a drip stopper on the tip. If there are surplus sealant puddles, they can be removed without damaging the treatment by heating a flat blade and cutting the excess.
It is crucial to delay opening the recently cracked surface to traffic. However, several factors, including the sealant, the climate, and the amount of traffic on the road, affect how long a cure takes. Traffic can almost instantly resume on the pavement if a thin layer of fine sand or a liquid de-tacking solution is added to the surface.
