Asphalt Reinforcement
Controlling reflective cracking with Tensar
Reflective cracking in asphalt pavements generally occurs over the joints of underlying concrete slabs or cracks in cement bound base layers. It can also be caused by the expansion, contraction and bending from thermally induced movement of the substrate or by traffic induced shearing, and in widening schemes by differential settlement where the old and new slight meet.
How Tensar asphalt grids and composites can help
Tensar’s asphalt reinforcement grids interact with the bitumen bound layer to add tensile stiffness, limiting asphalt strains and reducing the development of cracking (when cracks do eventually develop they’re often much smaller too). Structural asphalt grids can also reduce surface rutting associated with low stiffness mixes, subject to slow heavy wheel loading at high temperatures. Asphalt composites are grids bonded to a textile fabric that absorbs bitumen from the bond coat and can act as a stress relief membrane (also known as a Stress Absorbing Membrane Interlayer or SAMI). The fabric can also act as a barrier to help prevent water getting into the pavement underlayers.
