Asphalt seal coating treatment is basically a preventive maintenance procedure that is applied to asphalt pavement with the main purpose of protecting, treating and delaying costly corrective measures. Various methods are being utilized to enrich tear down properties and improve traction between pavements and tires. Asphalt seal coating treatments are limited to treating pavement surfaces and does not include correcting problems beneath the pavements which can include base failures.
Asphalt cement is typically used for road constructions. To serve its purpose, fluid must effectively coat the aggregate and be applied evenly throughout the pavement. By heating and dissolving in a petroleum solvent, it allows the asphalt to become a liquid which can then be applied to the road surface. There are various types of pavement treatments, some of which will be detailed below.
Asphalt cutbacks: These are asphalt cements which are made into fluids along with the additives of petroleum solvent, kerosene, or heavy oil. Once the liquid has been applied to the surface, the solvent evaporates, leaving the asphalt cement on the roadways. The cutbacks can be applied at cooler temperatures than asphalt, and they penetrate the asphalt protecting the inner layers. In general, cutbacks are more expensive than emulsions and caution must be strictly observed since asphalt cutbacks are potential fire hazards.
Asphalt emulsions, which are surface-active agents that suspend the asphalt particles in water. These types of emulsions are like soap in the sense that the asphalt particles and water form a united mixture. Once they are applied to the road surface, the water evaporates leaving the agents behind. Although asphalt emulsions are environmentally safe, water emulsions may separate under boiling or freezing temperatures. Thus, they are not compatible with paving grade asphalt cement.