To keep your asphalt driveway in the best shape, regular maintenance will help it last longer. Regularly inspecting your asphalt and addressing any cracks, divots, or rutting can help you extend the lifetime of your pavement, as well as increase the value of your property.
Let’s take a look at the most popular types of pavement cracking:
Block Cracking
Block cracking is when squares or circles of cracks begin to form in your asphalt pavement. If you’re experiencing this cracking, it may result from a past pavement installer using an old mix or a mixture that was too dry when the asphalt surface was laid. Luckily, block cracking does not go deep enough into the other layers of your driveway, so it is usually treatable with thin overlays or surface treatments.
Fatigue Cracking
If you notice numerous small cracks in a localized area, that is referred to as fatigue cracking. This type of cracking is often caused by a flaw in the design or installation of your asphalt. It could also be an indicator of poor drainage combined with temperature fluctuations.
To fix these cracks, it’s usually recommended to use full-depth patches to strengthen and restore the asphalt. This will also prevent it from future cracking.
Slippage Cracking
When too much sand was used in the asphalt mix, it typically results in forming slippage cracks. These cracks look as if the asphalt is slipping along the surface of the pavement. Once these cracks form, they allow moisture infiltration.
Depending on the severity of the crack, you’ll either need to add full or partial depth patches.
Reflection Cracking
Reflection cracking is a form of cracking that will occur if an asphalt pavement overlay has been laid over jointed rigid pavements or other severely cracked flexible pavements. They can appear straight, or they can form a grid across the top of the pavement.
Luckily, it’s usually an easy fix. In low severity cases, a crack seal is used to prevent moisture from entering the pavement through the cracks and further expanding it. In more serious cases, you can remove the cracked pavement and replace it with an overlay.
Avoiding Pavement Cracking
One of the best ways to reduce the likelihood of your pavement cracking is to work with a reliable installer. At Bush Hog Gone Wild, we offer professional driveway excavation and installation services. If you’re looking to have a new driveway installed, give us a call at (352) 206-3453.