Filling in the Blanks
When it comes to road repairs, particularly on arterial routes, efficiency is everything. Apart from the risk of damage caused to road-users by poorly maintained paving, there’s usually a high cost in shutting down roads for repairs and a very small window when the road can be worked on.
Usually problems arise at seams in the road, such as manhole covers or expansion joints, where two materials meet and react differently under heavy loads. This last ‘couple of percent’ of the total job often costs the developers days if not weeks, and can be the first elements to fail in the future.
With years of experience in providing solutions for road repairs, mastic asphalt maestro’s IKO have developed a product which is sure to make even the most dour engineer or works manager break into a smile.
PermaTrack is a specially developed hi-polymer mastic asphalt filler, which sets hard in an hour, and can withstand heavy traffic in two. It’s ideal for filling cracks in the paving, finishing around manholes or access points, and even as infill on level crossings or tram lines (to cover the unsightly and unsafe metal fasteners, leaving only the top of the rail exposed).
PermaTrack is BBA Certified. It’s usually mixed with 40-45% added grit and supplied “hot-charged” or prepared on site. No matter the size or shape of the space you’re aiming to fill, PermaTrack can be built up layer by layer, until the desired height is reached. It can be shaped by hand, hardens in approximately 20 minutes, and requires no compacting (unlike conventional asphalt products). It offers not only a fast and efficient solution for attractive and effective finishing on new paving developments, it’s also an incredibly flexible maintenance tool. It’s quick and easy to apply, requiring very little preparation, and can withstand heavy loads for decades.
PermaTrack has been used on UK motorways since 2001, and shows no signs of deterioration. Take a look at this very informative video demonstrating a manhole repair using PermaTrack.
IKO PermaTrack Features:
· 100% compacted – requires no additional compacting
· Installed without rollers
· Flexible enough to absorb dynamic loading in all ambient temperatures
· Tough enough to bridge sub-faults
· Will not crush under imposed dynamic loadings
· Impervious to water
· Laid at any thickness from 40mm
Here’s a look at a typical Manhole replacement:
1. A faulty manhole cover on a UK motorway shows how the substrate has broken down.
2. The manhole is removed, and the substrate carefully cleaned away.
3. Even the fine dust is removed, to help the new material bond effectively to the old.
4. PermaTrack is layered into the hole to build a base for the manhole, allowing 20 minutes for each layer to set. Note, no compacting is required between layers.
5. The manhole is reinstated, and PermaTrack built up in layers.
6. The final coat is put on and leveled with the roadway and the manhole cover.
7. Grit is applied (and rolled in) to the top surface to provide the requisite grip for traffic.
8. This image is of a manhole repaired in 2001 – some 15 years ago – showing no sign of fatigue.
PermaTrack is available in NZ through Neuchatel NZ Limited. For the last 100+ years Neuchatel has been protecting tens of thousands of surfaces from deterioration caused by heavy machinery and the elements. In this time they've refined their products and services to be more durable, environmentally friendly and affordable - especially for large-scale projects. For more information about PermaTrack, or any of our other innovateive products, please contact [email protected]