A common situation - laying asphalt in the rain - causes a surge in negative emotions among our compatriots. Most of us believe that this is a violation of all the rules and regulations. Is it so?
Certain circumstances
So, is it possible to lay asphalt in the rain? SNiP, still Soviet, but operating, regulates the ambient temperature - not lower than + 15 ° . But technology does not stand still. Today there are innovative materials that allow you to perform work, even if the temperature is below freezing. True, not lower than -10 ° C.
What is the feature
Modern road surface is laid as follows:
- A place is prepared that is thoroughly cleared.
- Crushed stone is poured with a layer of at least 5 cm.
- A special emulsion is poured.
- A layer of bitumen is applied and dry crushed stone is placed on it.
- The created “pie” is carefully rolled by the roller.
In addition to garbage and the remnants of the old coating, the wet road is cleaned with brushes from moisture. After that, they are heated with infrared heaters. But they have poor performance. Therefore, on our roads very often you can find tractors with aircraft engines installed on them. Their flow of hot air makes the area suitable for laying the mixture.
Under these conditions, the most durable coverage of Russian roads today is obtained.
Modern requirements
Even with innovative materials, the question of “can I put asphalt in the rain” requires certain conditions to be met. Something like:
- The base should not be wet.
- If the precipitation is small, the mixture is cast and cold.
- The temperature of the air for using the hot mixture should not be lower than + 10 ° , for cold - not lower than -5 ° , for cast - not lower than -10 ° .
If the window is minus
In the cold season, the territory for laying asphalt is cleaned from melted snow and ice. Then it is processed with special reagents.
Any precipitation at this time of the year reduces the temperature of the paving mixture, therefore, it is not recommended to lay thick layers of asphalt at this time. Work must be carried out over the entire width of the roadway and at a time. In the event of torrential rains, laying asphalt is strictly prohibited. At low temperatures, is it possible to put asphalt in the rain? Can. But special technical shrinkages must be added to the mixture.
Hot and cold styling
The cold method is most often used for repair or restoration work. Its main advantage is year-round. That is, this is just the case when the question "can I put asphalt in the rain" is irrelevant. Moreover, the cold laying method is suitable even in winter.
Cold asphalt is of two types:
- Summer It is applied at a break of temperatures from +15 to + 30 ° C.
- Off season. It is suitable for work at a temperature from -5 to + 15 ° C.
None of them are suitable for the construction of a new roadbed. For this, only hot asphalt is used.
If conditions do not allow, they resort to innovative technology of cast asphalt.
Cast asphalt
It is a mixture of bitumen with gravel, sand and ground limestone. It is not necessary to roll such asphalt. Its consistency is such that it, without additional compaction, lies in a dense cast layer. One of its advantages is water resistance. This is just the case when asphalt can be laid in the rain or even at -10 ° C. The maximum thickness of the paved asphalt layer should not be more than 30 mm.
Life time
Norms and rules allow the destruction of 5% of the roadway after patching. The warranty period is set depending on the intensity of movement. For example, in the local area it is only two years old. If during this time defects or cracks are detected (road workers distinguish between these concepts), the contractor performs restoration work at his own expense. This can be, for example, potholes, subsidence of the canvas or drainage gratings, rutting, etc.
On highways, asphalt is replaced with large canvases. According to all the same standards, this work needs to be done in dry weather. To the question “is it possible to lay asphalt in the rain”, experts answer that no one forbids this, but if it is small. To do this, several conditions must be observed. One of the main ones - the mixture must have a high temperature (for evaporation of moisture). And for this, the plant for its manufacture must be nearby, and on-site work should be carried out quickly and efficiently.
Eventually
So is it possible to lay asphalt in the rain? Current norms and rules do not allow road workers to wait for comfortable weather either for patching, or for laying a new roadbed. This is directly stated by GOST “Roads and Streets”.
In general, the road repair action scheme in wet conditions is simple:
- The surface is prepared: pits and 3-4 cm around are carefully cleaned from moisture, dust and dirt.
- Then borders are marked. Straight lines are drawn along the canvas and across with the capture of a near-edge coating by 5 cm.
- If potholes are close to each other, they are united by one perimeter.
- On the outlined contour (necessarily rectangular or square) make vertical recesses to the depth of the pit, but not less than the thickness of the entire coating layer.
- Again, everything is cleaned of dust and pieces of asphalt.
- The walls of the pit are treated with liquefied bitumen or emulsion based on bitumen.
So it turns out that the question of whether it is possible to lay asphalt after rain, as in the rain, and on a wet surface, is resolved in modern realities. But work must be carried out promptly: quick unloading, distribution and immediate compaction with a roller. The only “but”: the top layer in wet conditions can not be laid.
The main reasons for impassability
In addition to improper operation, the following can be attributed to the main ones:
- Saving bitumen emulsion (it provides adhesion of the old coating, soil and gravel). Its lack or absence leads to a quick "driving" of the laid canvas, and as a result, cracks appear.
- Rainwater or melted snow gets into unbroken bald spots in asphalt.
- Insufficient crushed stone layer or replacing it with broken brick. "Easy" roads suggest a single layer of crushed stone of the middle fraction (20-40 mm). A general purpose canvas requires laying several layers of crushed stone. First, a large fraction (40-70 mm), then the middle layer and the upper layer is a small fraction (5-20 mm). Each is rolled by a skating rink.
- The height of each layer of asphalt “pie” is less than declared in the standards.
- Untimely completed work.
- Non-compliance with styling technology.
- Saving asphalt or inappropriate quality. Asphalt is made from oil. And not every grade is suitable for the production of asphalt. This is partly why the coating is fragile. Plus insufficient layer thickness. If a layer of 4-5 cm is sufficient for local areas, then there should be several such layers on highways. Moreover, different grit. First, coarse-grained asphalt concrete is laid, followed by fine-grained. For reliability, the third layer is also laid. Each is shed with bitumen.
But the most compelling reason is negligence. Many road service workers do not “bother” with the question “is it possible to put asphalt in puddles”. Just put it. And as a result, the water that has fallen under the coating freezes, widening the cracks. But is it always negligence? Maybe a cold calculation? After all, sagging and cracked asphalt must again be repaired.
Post scriptum
Since the beginning of 2011, new rules for repairing the roadbed began to operate in our country. The main change - restoration work is now carried out once every three years (previously once every seven years). Around the same time, began to lead the history of roads. The documents prescribe each repaired kilometer. And in the event of a marriage, the contractors who performed the work will repair the canvas at their own expense.