The invention, patented by Saint Gobain Adfors, guarantees a longer duration of road repairs, preventing water infiltration.
Repairing a road hole does not just mean filling a void with inert materials. Water infiltration is often the cause. Yes, because rainwater infiltrates the cracks in the asphalt, or in the interstices between the gravel granules. When a vehicle passes through these damaged areas, it compresses the water-impregnated soil below, forcing it, being an incompressible liquid, to seek an escape route. And in doing so, the water generates the so-called hydraulic press effect, widening the hole more and more.
The solution, which eliminates the cause of this problem, namely water infiltration, comes from the United States, from Saint Gobain Adfors, which has patented American Road Patch. A waterproof sheet that adheres, as if it were an asphalt sheath, to the road surface, preventing the entry of water. What the workers have to do is thoroughly clean up the hole, removing any residue of old asphalt, fill the hole with new bituminous conglomerate taking care to fill all the gaps, and compact and level the mixture. After carefully cleaning the work area, you can proceed to fix the “patch”, cut out of the right shape, taking care that the margin is about ten centimeters beyond the edge of the hole, and that’s it.
The sealing sheath is composed of vegetable fibers, such as cotton, jute, bamboo, is reinforced with glass fibers and carbon can be used on cement and asphalt indifferently. The advantage? Obviously, a significant saving in maintenance work, given the longer duration of road repairs.