By Jodi Bianchi
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February 17, 2025
The condition of the pavements on your house has a major implication on the aesthetic appeal of your curb. Therefore, it is important for you get to familiarize yourself with all the plausible pavement damages you are likely to encounter. This article will help you to identify and differentiate the different types of pavement damages. Patch Failures Patches are used to fix cracks, potholes, and swellings on pavements. Patch failures occur because of poor installation practices during asphalt paving. Unfavorable weather conditions coupled up with the wear and tear of the pavement in general contribute to the failure of these patches. Utility cuts also contribute to the deterioration of these patches. Shoving This is a form of pavement damage that is characterized by ripple formation on your pavement. Shoving mostly affects your pavement on the segment that is horizontally stressed. Excessive use of asphalt during asphalt paving leads to shoving. It can also be caused by the excessive exposure of moisture in the subgrade of your pavement. Raveling This is the process whereby your pavement starts to separate from the surface forming a depression or from the edges downwards. The damage on your pavement gets worse over time as large portions of the pavement are detached because of the erosion. This negatively affects the appeal of your façade in general. Raveling mainly occurs because of late asphalt paving. Asphalt paving requires favorable climatic conditions such as the warmth from the sun that helps with densification and eradicates surface voids on your pavements. Weathering Moreover, weathering refers to the climatic conditions that your asphalt paving experiences on a daily basis. During asphalt paving, your pavement is new, deep and black. This is an indication that your pavement provides you with a lot of flexibility and resistance to the penetration of chemicals and moisture that make your pavement susceptible to wear and tear. Over time, your asphalt pavement becomes weak, starts to fade and disintegrates because of the unfavorable climatic conditions and the overexposure to chemicals and surface runoff water. This leads to the formation of cracks and potholes on your pavement surfaces. Depressions This is an occurrence whereby certain sections of your pavement are lower as compared to the rest of the other sections. Depressions are easy to locate especially when it rains because they harbor water. Depressions form when the layers settle at a lower level, it may also be attributed to poor asphalt paving installation practices. Rutting This is the indentation and depression along the wheel path of cars. Rutting occurs because of surface layers compression and the lateral movement of pavement layers or the subgrade under traffic. Use of insufficient and ineffective asphalt mixes during asphalt paving and moisture penetration leads to the rutting of your pavements. Potholes Potholes are small depressions that are bowl-shaped. They are a byproduct of cracks, swelling and rutting on your pavement. The cracks allow water and chemicals to sip into your asphalt pavements. The water in return constantly expands and contracts causing the cracks to enlarge ultimately turning into potholes. The cracks worsen and patches wear off as people and vehicles continue to pass over them. Asphalt paving is efficient in such circumstances as the potholes are patched or filled depending on the severity of the potholes. Asphalt paving is favorable for use regardless of the climatic conditions. Asphalt Pavement Swelling Asphalt paving swells because of the constant contracting and swelling of the soil underneath the surface that is paved. The soil underneath absorbs the run-off water on the pavement. The air on the asphalt surface becomes dry hence reducing water in the soil causing it to contract. Alternatively, when it rains the soil becomes moist causing it to expand. The swells on the pavement form when the climatic conditions cause the water to freeze within the soil forming frost. Therefore, the pavements end up shifting because of the expansion and contraction of the soil causing the pavement to crack. Corrugations The presence of lumps and bumps on your pavements indicates the presence of corrugations. Large amounts of asphalt in the mixture used in asphalt paving cause these defects on your pavements. The presence of water in the soil at the base worsens the condition further. It is also important to use the appropriate grade of asphalt during asphalt grading to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. With proper asphalt paving practices, you will be able to enhance the durability and longevity of your pavements. It is also important to ensure that you constantly inspect and maintain your pavements just to be on the safe side and for the early identification and correction of defects.
