Crack Filling & Joint Sealing

The first step in pavement preservation is to crack fill and joint seal.

Crack Filling

Prior to micro-surfacing, large cracks must be filled to keep moisture out and help retard the cracks from reflecting through to the surface. One method that has gained a lot of acceptance is a polypropoline, or polyester fiber suspended in an AC-10 asphalt and applied hot, through a wand. The crack needs to be cleaned with compressed air, then the crack fill material is applied into and over the crack.

Microsurfacing Contractors, LLC, is also an applicator of hot-pour elastomeric asphalt sealants. This includes the rout-and-seal methods with ASTM D1190 and ASTM D3405 sealants and also fiber-asphalt over-banding method. The goal is to place specialized materials into or above cracks to prevent the intrusion of water and extend the life of the pavement. 

Joint Sealing

Pavement seams or pavement joints present the greatest challenge in pavement preservation. They will always be the key points of failure in the road where moisture will get in and the pavement will expand to form cracks and potholes. Traditionally, the only way to solve that problem was to mill a two-foot wide pass and then pave it. But this essentially formed two more seams that needed to be maintained.

Micro-surfacing offers a better way by patching the seam with a two-foot wide micro-surfacing patch right over the joint. In advance of the micro-surfacing application, the joint or seam needs to be crack filled and any potholes are patched in with a high performance cold patch followed by a thin tac coat. This approach keeps the seams together and moisture out, preventing future problems down the road. It’s a low cost means of pavement preservation that can save thousands in the long run.