5 Causes of Asphalt Damage: Identifying and Preventing Issues
A typical asphalt pavement might last 12-15 years without maintenance. As soon as asphalt is laid down, it's exposed to conditions that immediately begin to degrade the pavement. Understanding the causes of asphalt damage and identifying when it's taking place will help you prioritize what asphalt repair and maintenance tasks need to be done immediately to help prevent further damage. 1. UV Rays Asphalt is made up of rock, sand, and aggregates. They're held together by a binder (asphalt cement) that acts as a glue. When UV rays break down the binder, there's nothing holding the rock, sand, and aggregates together, and raveling occurs on your pavement's surface. When you start to see a lot of loose gravel, you know that the asphalt cement is…