What are the main causes of raveling?
Asphalt raveling is one of the most common types of damage to your pavement. It happens when, over time, loose gravel dislodges from the asphalt and wears away. Asphalt raveling is very commonly seen in high-traffic regions like freeways, artery roads, and popular parking lots. While raveling may be inevitable over decades of asphalt wear-and-tear, some things can cause raveling prematurely.
If your asphalt pavement is showing signs of raveling without excessive time or traffic, there are a few common reasons. Today, we’re here to share the main causes of asphalt raveling, how to prevent them, and how to repair raveling once it starts.
What are the Main Causes of Asphalt Raveling
Asphalt raveling occurs more often (and much sooner after pouring) if something goes wrong with the asphalt installation. Three of the four most common causes of raveling relate to a poor bind between the asphalt binder and the aggregate, for one reason or another.
Dust Coating
Your asphalt aggregate needs to bind tightly on every side of each small stone with the asphalt binder in order to seal the pavement properly. If your aggregate is covered in fine dust, however, the binder may bind with the dust instead of the small stones, leaving these stones loose and the aggregate unsecured. Over not-very-much time, you may start to see raveling as those once-dusty stones break away from the dust-bound binder.
Washing your aggregate or air-blasting your aggregate before mixing can be essential to preventing poor binding and raveling caused by a dust coating.
Aggregate Segregation
Aggregate segregation means that the large and small elements of your asphalt mix are not properly distributed. Asphalt needs both distinct pebbles and more fine particles, which allow the binder and aggregate layers to bind firmly into a solid mass. Without the fine particles, the stones are too loose and will begin to break away as raveling over time.
Inadequate Compaction
Compaction is also absolutely necessary to help the binder and stones press close together and cure that way. Inadequate compaction can mean loose asphalt. Loose asphalt, when wet, is still squishy, but loose asphalt, after it has dried, will quickly ravel because the particles do not hold onto each other.
Traffic Dislodging
Of course, even a perfectly poured and cured asphalt pavement can show signs of raveling over time. Raveling occurs where traffic is the highest as the rolling pressure of thousands of cars presses and then lifts against the surface millions of times. Without underlying moisture to cause other kinds of cracks, raveling is the most straightforward sign of daily wear-and-tear on your pavement.
Severity of Raveling
How bad is the raveling on your asphalt pavement? It depends on how serious the symptoms you’re seeing may be. Let’s look at low, medium, and high severity raveling.
Low Severity Raveling
Low-severity raveling looks a little rough. The pavement may be ragged to the touch and appear slightly aged, but pebbles are not yet visible.
Medium Severity Raveling
The fairly raveled pavement looks rough and sometimes pitted, where some larger pieces of aggregate are already missing. Raveled areas may be lower or rougher than nearby areas, and you may see sand or gravel near the spot.
High Severity Raveling
Severe raveling can start to resemble valleys or potholes as the pavement sections wear away to form a pit or pits. Fine aggregate is gone from the surface, and pitting may be half the size of the largest aggregate in depth. Nearby gutters may have an excess of sand and gravel.
Asphalt Overlay Benefits & Requirements
Scheduling an asphalt overlay is the natural solution to raveling pavement. An overlay can be done quickly and cleanly during clear weather and comes with other benefits to your property.
- Fresh new asphalt surface
- No more crunchy pavement or gravel-filled gutters
- Lower cost than resurfacing or asphalt replacement
- Lasts as long as the pavement
Professional Asphalt Overlay & Repair Services in Phoenix
If your asphalt pavement is showing signs of raveling, Schedule your pavement repairs sooner rather than later. Raveling only worsens over time, but a quick asphalt overlay is the best way to reseal your pavement without pulling it up and starting over. Whether your raveling can be solved with a simple overlay or you need more serious asphalt repairs, One Stop Asphalt can take care of all your Phoenix asphalt pavement repair and installation needs.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation on your asphalt raveling to get started.
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