Bergkamp Inc. / Slurry Seal & Micro Surfacing Pavers / Pothole Patchers / Cape Seal / Chip Seal

Pavement Maintenance Solutions
Pavement preventive maintenance has become increasingly more popular among city, state and federal governments in the fight against damaged roads. It has been proven that performing preventive maintenance minimizes life-cycle costs by slowing down deterioration and road failure, and pushes the costly need to repave roads back until later in the road’s life.

Slurry seal & micro surfacing and pothole patching are two of the most common forms of preventive maintenance:

Slurry Seal & Micro Surfacing

Slurry Photo

Slurry seal and micro surfacing are excellent solutions for roads that are in the early stage of deterioration. The mixture of aggregate, asphalt emulsion, water and additives are applied in a smooth layer over existing pavement. By doing this early in the pavement’s life-cycle, you can cost-effectively extend the life of the road up to seven years or more.

Slurry seal and micro surfacing provide many benefits: sealing the existing pavement from further water intrusion; restoring surface friction; requiring no adjustment of the curb line or manholes due to the thin lift height; and a desirable black appearance to the public.

The main difference between slurry seal and micro surfacing is that slurry seal uses a standard asphalt emulsion which requires evaporation to occur and sets in several hours. Micro surfacing uses a polymer-modified asphalt emulsion that produces a chemical reaction to force the moisture out and can set in less than an hour allowing traffic to return quickly. Slurry seal is typically used on residential streets and parking lots, while micro surfacing is applicable for all roads, including interstate highways.

Slurry seal and micro surfacing can be used as a stand-alone process or combined with other preventive maintenance methods. For example, cape seal is a combination of chip seal and slurry seal or micro surfacing.

Cape seal works extremely well for residential and collector streets that don’t have significant structural issues. By applying slurry seal or micro surfacing on top of chip seal, you get the durability and strength of the chip seal with a slurry seal or micro surfacing finish. It reduces loose aggregate, adds durability and provides a safe skid resistance surface – providing a finish that is similar to an asphalt overlay, but at a lower cost.

Bergkamp is an industry leader with machines that are well known for quality and performance. Please check out our full line of slurry seal and micro surfacing equipment.

For more information on slurry seal and micro surfacing, visit the International Slurry Surfacing Association’s (ISSA) Web site: www.slurry.org.

Pothole Patching

FP5

Every improperly maintained road will at sometime develop potholes which are hazardous to drivers and can damage vehicles.

One of the most common ways potholes form begins when precipitation seeps into the pavement. That collected moisture then freezes and expands during cold weather, breaking the asphalt loose so traffic can damage it very quickly – thus creating the pothole.

Roads are our main form of transportation and it’s important to keep potholes to a minimum. Bergkamp offers an all-in-one pothole patcher. There are also a few other common methods used today – here is how they compare:

Four Main Pothole Repair Methods

All-in-one patcher	Square off the pothole, remove debris and apply tack coat with equipment placed at the rear of the machine. Then place the material in the hole and compact it with a roller or plate compactor.

	This method removes all of the distressed asphalt, leaving only sound material. By placing the patching material against straight, square edges, it will not push out. This method is endorsed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers^®, and can provide a patch with a long life-expectancy and professional appearance.

Throw & roll	Shovel the hot or cold asphalt mix into the pothole and then compact it by rolling over it with a truck tire.

	This is one of the most common methods because of its low upfront costs, but often costs more in the long run because of its short life span. It can be less environmentally friendly.

Infrared	An infrared light box is placed over the pothole and used to soften the asphalt. Additional asphalt mix is then applied and it adheres to the old asphalt.

	Depending on the size of the infrared box, the repaired area may be much larger than the actual pothole – increasing overall material costs. This is also one of the least proven methods for pothole repair.

Spray injection	Spray injection requires experienced operators and sophisticated equipment. It uses air to remove old debris and then sprays material into the pothole to fill it.

	This method may last a few years, but involves costly equipment which has high maintenance costs. The quality of the patching mix is determined by the operator rather than a controlled hot mix plant. This method does not offer the advantages of removing all the distressed material, and cannot be used in colder temperatures due to the risk of the emulsion freezing.

Bergkamp’s all-in-one pothole patcher can help you produce long-lasting and professional looking patches.