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Crack Filling
Why do cracks form?
Cracks that are left unsealed in asphalt pavement allow water to penetrate the surface. This weakens the pavement structure and leads to failures in the pavement (cracks - potholes). Once this occurs only extensive and costly repairs can fix the problem.
Asphalt crack repair is the most cost effective way to stop this erosion of your asphalt investment before it’s too late. When properly applied, crack filling will greatly extend the life of your asphalt pavement and prevent untimely damage.
Why should you care about cracks?
If cracks form in the asphalt surface layer and are not treated, it will allow water to intrude to the sub-base, or compacted stone structure. This water softens the compaction of the stone, which compromises the weight that the stone can support. Vehicle weights and stresses on a soften sub-base cause cracking in the asphalt surface above. When freezing and thawing occurs of the water-saturated sub-base it causes the raising and lowering of the sub-base and also the asphalt surface that it supports.
What should you do about cracks?
Here at EMCO Services we use PennDOT approved hot rubber crack fill which is a rubberized tar product, similar to roofing tar, that has been formulated with a rubber product to provide flexibility. This type of product comes in a solid form and is melted by heat to about 375-400 degrees. It is then is applied by using a pour pot or a banding machine that contains the material in a 3” band over the crack. Some cracks are open all the way through the asphalt to the sub-base, which can be as much as 3-6 inches or deeper. The extreme depth of the crack can be too deep for the crack fill material to support itself. Here at EMCO we use sand to fill the crack to within ½” of the surface and fill the remainder with crack fill to match the surface layer.
