Solutions to Repair Potholes
Potholes are a common cause of tyre and wheel damage to a vehicle when driving on the roads. Thousands of calls are made to NRMA in New South Wales each year regarding tyre damage cause by the (Taylor, 2021). Despite the various attempts to repair and fill in the holes on the roads, they repeatedly appear and manifest on roads everywhere.
Potholes begin as minuscule cracks on road surfaces that are hard to observe with the naked eye. Over time, with heavy traffic and erosions caused by weather, the surface with the cracks will gradually wear and form these holes. As cracking naturally occurs due to shrinking and tensile forces, it is difficult to stop the cracks from forming. However, implementing an effective solution to repair potholes can help mitigate their impact and prolong the lifespan of road surfaces.
One current method to combat the formation of pot holes is through the development of self-healing road materials. Asphalt roads have natural healing properties through the bitumen layer at the surface. However, the high viscosity of bitumen at natural temperatures causes the repair process to take multiple weeks – not fast enough to prevent the formation of potholes when compared to the rate at the which the road is damaged by ongoing traffic and weather conditions. Engineers are currently exploring solutions to repair potholes methods where capsules of oil are installed into the road, and when cracks start to form, the capsules will break and release the oil onto the asphalt (Ketchell, 2018). With the help of the oil, the asphalt will soften and stick back together at a faster rate, significantly delaying the formation of them.
Another method that engineers are using to prevent the formation of potholes is the use of a heating system when laying new asphalt. When laid during cold weather, the low temperature causes the bonding process of asphalt to be weakened, causing faster deterioration than normal. Machines are being developed where they are able to preheat the road to a suitable temperature before laying new asphalt, allowing the materials to bond properly. This method works both for laying new roads as well as repairing existing roads.
As new technology develops, there will likely be a way in the near future to detect and repair the currently “undetectable” cracks through machinery. Until then, we have to rely on methods to delay the process at which these cracks form into potholes with the best solution repair potholes.
References:
Taylor, A 2021, ‘Potholes you could lose a dog down’: The worst roads in Sydney revealed, Sydney Morning Herald, accessed 24th November 2021, <https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/potholes-you-could-lose-a-dog-down-the-worst-roads-in-sydney-revealed-20210415-p57jjt.html>.
Ketchell, M 2018, Potholes: how engineers are working to fill in the gaps, The Conversation, accessed 24th November 2021, <https://theconversation.com/potholes-how-engineers-are-working-to-fill-in-the-gaps-102055>.
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