How/when to use excavation/profiling machines to remove damaged asphalt.

Removing a damaged asphalt driveway is a tedious job. The size of the damage determines the type of machine to use. Machines like excavators and profiling machines remove large portions. Faults like small potholes and cracks need jackhammers and circular saws. Removing damaged asphalt is not a stand-alone activity, repairs come with it. Due to the technical need for removing damaged asphalt, it is best to hire professionals. J Barker’s Asphaltingoffers a range of services from fresh construction to removals and repairs.

Using an excavator to remove damaged asphalt

The first step before removing damaged asphalt is to plan. If your driveway or car park has embedded service cables, contact the authorities. An excavator is a big machine, operators need to apply caution when in residential areas. When removing asphalt, the excavator removes parts furthest from buildings first. Parts closer to the buildings are removed with smaller machines to preserve the structure. 

The excavator has a large metal bucket controlled by a hydraulic system. The operator controls the bucket from the cabin, he uses the bucket teeth to break the surface. Then scoops the excavated material to a heap or a waiting truck. When done with the removal, disposing of the asphalt is important. An asphalt recycling centre will be better. Asphalt is recyclable, hence trips to the recycling centre helps preserve our environment.

Using a profiling machine to remove damaged asphalt

The process of using profiling machines to remove damaged asphalt is pavement milling. As opposed to an excavating machine, it creates an even surface after removal. A profiling machine uses advanced technology to remove layers of damaged asphalt. The process consumes less time and accuracy. 

Both excavating equipment and a profiling machine can remove damaged asphalt surface. However, during new construction, an excavating machine is more efficient. A profiling machine removes the damaged asphalt in layers; hence, recycling is achievable. But the excavating equipment removes both the layer and the sub-base. 

When working with roads with lane markings, curves and kerbs, a profiling machine does the work better. The machine marks the part of pavement for removal, the drums roll over it with crushing the surface. Next, the crushed asphalt is removed with conveyor belts to a waiting truck for disposal. 

Choosing a profiling machine or excavating machine

A profiling machine is more efficient than an excavating machine. But choosing which one to use depends on some constraints. 

- Traffic volume – whether it is a driveway, car park, or municipal road, you need to consider the volume of traffic. For asphalt paving with little traffic, and you can afford to close the road for a while, an excavator is fine. For areas of high vehicular movement, traffic can resume almost immediately.

- Time – the time is also of the essence; a profiling machine delivers a faster job than an excavating machine. 

- Location - in areas like small car parks with no adjoining buildings, an excavator might be suitable. While for pavements with kerbs, culverts, speed humps, road meridian, a profiling machine will be a better option. 

If you have further questions or need a quote, our team of experts is always a click away. Kindly contact us, and let’s do some great work together.

Patching & maintenance of carparks using Asphalt

The regular maintenance of asphalt car parks is as important as a solid construction. At some point, we discover that our asphalt car parks are getting bad. We begin to notice cracks on the surfaces, after some time the cracks become potholes. The appearance of cracks on car parks is somewhat natural, but we can reduce the frequency. 

The term 'maintenance' describes all the activities done to prevent the quick deterioration of the asphalt car park. Some of the common problems of asphalt car parks include cracks, potholes, structural failures, and ponding. Potholes happen to be the most common fault associated with asphalt car parks. A pothole does not happen overnight; it starts with a crack then becomes a pothole. The most effective way to fix potholes on your asphalt car park is patching. 

Patching is the removal of loose portions of asphalt pavements and replacing them with new material. When potholes appear on asphalt car parks, patching is an effective way to curb the deterioration from spreading. The size and depth of cracks and potholes will determine the patching method to use. For car parks with small holes, cold mix patching is an effective technique. The cold mix patch is a temporary fix for your asphalt car park. You apply the liquid asphalt and roll over it with a heavy truck like a bulldozer. If the holes are more prominent, hot mix asphalt is the best material for patching. The hot asphalt mix is preferable for patching. However, when it not available, the cold mix will do the job temporarily.

Cracks, potholes, and other faults are results of activities happening under the surface of the car park paving. These activities are not visible to the human eyes and can take as much as six months before the effects are seen. When patching, proper compaction of the asphalt material is very crucial; it prevents water from entering the pavement. Sometimes, the cause of the crack could be poor compaction during construction. 

Although the hot mix asphalt is sufficient, for larger car parks, there is a more effective way of patching. The spray-injection patching technique assures the best patching for your asphalt car park. The principle behind this technique is pressure. Spray-injection patching trucks come with an attached tank containing an emulsion tack coat. It also includes a bin and a pressurized blower. The blower passes compressed air to the cracked part to remove loose asphalt material. The emulsion tack coat is then applied before the aggregate mixed with hot emulsion. Due to the pressure and heat applied during this patching process, there is proper compaction. 

Our maintenance experts at J Barker’s Asphalting are ever willing to attend to any question you have. We focus on our customers' safety; hence, we maintain the highest standard of craft. Our choice of materials aligns with global best practices. Our experts will guide you on the best maintenance routine for your car park.

What to know about Asphalting Driveways in Sydney

Your driveway is an essential part of your property and you should give it the best finish you can. Asphalt and concrete are the two common paving materials used in Sydney. Before you decide which material to use on your driveway, do proper research or you can contact us. In this post, I will discuss what you need to know about asphalting your driveways in Sydney. 

 You may be tempted to ask, why should I use asphalt to pave my driveway instead of concrete? There are a couple of things to consider; cost, aesthetics, durability and maintenance. Asides the factors listed, asphalt driveways are common in Sydney than concrete because of resilience. The material used in asphalt driveways allows for expansion and contraction in extreme weather conditions. However, concrete has a limit, it cracks when the temperature drops below certain degrees especially during winter. 

COST OF ASPHALT

The use of asphalt to pave driveways is always a cheaper option to concrete as a square foot costs 40-60% lower. Not only is the initial cost of asphalting a driveway cheaper, but the running cost is also cheaper. The running cost is the money spent on your asphalt driveway surface over its life cycle. Carrying out routine maintenance checks on your driveway prevents further damage. 

AESTHETICS FOR DRIVEWAY FINISH

First impressions they say last longer. The satisfaction and beauty of asphalt driveways are stunning. Also, the shining and smooth surface of an asphalt driveway is tempting to drivers. The asphalt driveway seats on a foundation of granite and crushed stone chippings. Sometimes, the foundation can have more than one layer bounded using coal tar. In our 30 years of J BARKER ASPHALTING, we have had to repair faulty asphalt driveways. These driveways looked beautiful but had weak foundations. Thus, the driveway failed after a short period.

DURABILITY OF ASPHALT MATERIAL

The character of asphalt paving on driveways to exist for an extended period without damage gives it an edge over any other paving option. Asphalt paving to driveways can last for 20-30 years with routine maintenance. That seems a pretty good deal for the money, right? The beauty of your asphalt driveway can remain for as long as you maintain the driveway. Frequent maintenance activities will include daily sweeping. Also, washing the driveway as the need arises to keep the surface shining. Due to constant movement of vehicles and friction, the coating for your asphalt driveway will need seal coating.

The seal coating is dependent on the volume of traffic on your driveway. Should there be a fault on the driveway and there is a crack, the crack needs repair as soon as possible. Crack repair is a technical maintenance activity like industrial washing and seal coating. It is quite cheaper to use a professional asphalting company for your maintenance. It reduces the stress and guarantees value for money. 

 We offer a wide range of construction and maintenance services, and we would be glad if you visit our site today.