High-quality pavement should last for years, but yours has started to fail again. Thankfully, the best experts for paving in Springfield, Lincoln, and Jacksonville, Illinois can help out in this situation. When you fully understand all of these problems and the ways that we can help at Illinois Paving , you can better handle the demands of your driveway or parking lot. Just as importantly, you can take steps to ensure that you don’t ignore other problems that may quickly develop on your pavement without warning.
Structural Failure
When it comes to paving , there are many different reasons that it could fail. One of the most common of these is structural failure. This problem occurs when the surface is weak, the base or sub-grade has issues, or these areas get damaged enough to lead to severe structural problems. There are two different main types of cracks that may occur due to this problem – longitudinal and alligator cracking.
Longitudinal cracks appear along weak areas, particularly seams, of paved strips or blocks. Often, they spread rapidly and through the whole slab in a way that can be very destructive. Typically, they stay longitudinal but can also spread out along latitudinal levels, as well. Once they start moving far enough away from their source, they may become a problem known as alligator cracking.
Alligator cracks have the appearance of gator skin and are quite scaly and hard to manage. They are among the most destructive types of cracks because they will spread through the whole surface of a slab and require very serious treatment options. Patches may be good enough for some small alligator cracks but can also be very hard to manage if these patches fail. Usually, it would help if you replaced the slab where it is cracked to avoid more damage.
Temperature Issues and Heat Changes
Temperature is a very problematic issue for many types of pavement because it has a bad tendency to affect the structure and the overall feel. This paving issue is easier to handle if you add a sealcoat to the surface because it helps to protect against many types of damage. However, a sealcoat cannot prevent all types of temperature-related damage and must be properly kept in shape to avoid further issues. Failure to follow this type of repair methodology can result in an unpredictable level of damage spreading very quickly.
For example, block cracking typically occurs if the temperature of asphalt changes temperature too much and shrinks. When this happens, the pavement will break apart in blocks and can be quite severely damaged. Sometimes, this problem occurs if the aggregate was not mixed properly or if the asphalt dried out too much during the application process and ends up shrinking. This shrinkage is something that you cannot tolerate on your pavement.
The main issue here is that there isn’t much that you can do to avoid these problems besides keeping your pavement at a reasonable temperature. Adding sealcoats and other types of sealants does help to keep the surface at a better level. However, you also need to make sure that you continually check the pavement to ensure that the temperature doesn’t get even lower and cause more problems. Critically, you need to make sure that you maintain your driveway as much as possible.
Excessive-Load Cracks
Pavement is designed to withstand a reasonably robust array of weigh and should last most homeowners or business managers for decades. However, like any material, pavement is not invincible. There is a good chance that it will eventually fail because people put too much weight on its surface that causes cracks and other problems. The types of cracks all vary depending on the severity of the load.
Therefore, it is essential to pay attention to just how much weight can go on a surface without suffering from damage. Usually, your paving expert can tell you what to expect with this factor and will work t ensure that you don’t make any mistakes adding too much weight to the surface and causing damage. Sometimes, this problem is due to placing too much weight in one area for too long.
For example, multiple cars parked in one small area can cause a strain on pavement that may cause it to fail quite quickly. In some cases, this wear and tear damage can soon become a real issue because of much it may affect the potential for cracks in your driveway. As a result, you should make sure to move vehicles and other bulky items around on your driveway and avoid placing too many of them in one spot at one time. Doing so ensures that fewer damage problems are likely to occur.
Oil or Gas-Related Concerns
Lastly, it isn’t uncommon for many driveways or parking lots to have a large concentration of gas or oil stains spread across their surface. This problem develops because so many cars are likely to park on them over the years. And even a very small or slow leak can quickly cause a spread of stains across the pavement and require professionals to manage properly. Just why is this step so important?
First of all, gas and oil can degrade the surface of an area’s paving due to its intense chemical nature. Their corrosive structure will destroy the surface of the pavement and spread downward to cause even more damage. Unfortunately, all of this damage can lead to other issues, such as further cracks throughout the sidewalk, that need to be fully repaired to ensure that pavement is strong enough to last for years.
So any homeowner or business manager needs to pay attention to these oil and gas spots and to clean them up as soon as possible. Many materials will naturally break apart these stains and make it easier to clean up properly. These cleaners must be carefully applied and removed to avoid further contamination or breakdown on the surface of your driveway. So contact a professional to learn more.
Help is Available for You
As you can see, pavement can fail for a large number of reasons, some of which are harder to fix than others. So if you need the best paving Springfield, Lincoln, and Jacksonville, Illinois has to offer, don’t hesitate to contact a pro who you can trust. Thankfully, we at Illinois Paving have years of experience working with individuals like you and will do what it takes to ensure that you get the best experience possible. When you work with us, you know that you won’t have to worry about your pavement going wrong.