Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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METHOD FOR REPAIRING HOLES IN PAVEMENT
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the process of
repairing holes in pavement, such as potholes in roads,
streets and the like.
2. Background Art
Potholes commonly develop in pavement and are a
constant source of inconvenience and danger. They are also
notoriously difficult to repair, especially in colder
climates. Repeated cycles of freezing and thawing can
render pothole repairs ineffectual if water infiltrates into
the repaired pavement and expands when temperatures drop
below freezing. Consequently, it is desirable to limit the
amount of water that can infiltrate into repaired pavement.
Furthermore, vehicular traffic tends to wear out
repaired potholes. It is thus desirable to protect a
repaired pothole from the friction caused by tires.
Prior-art methods and processes have been
developed to help repair potholes by protecting the repaired
pavement from water infiltration. Such methods and
processes include a step of placing or applying a
waterproofing layer over the repaired pothole.
For example, U.S. Patent No. 5,183,353, issued on
February 2, 1993 to Buckelew, describes a method of
repairing holes in pavement wherein a sheet of material is
laid down over a coating of tar applied over the top of the
paving repair material. This is not practical in colder
climates because the coating of tar requires that machinery
providing hot tar be available at the pothole location.
U.S. Patent No. 5,630,677, issued to Barroso on May 20,
1997, describes a method for repairing cracked pavement that
has the same disadvantage.
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U.S. Patent No. 5,660,498, issued on August 26,
1997 to Freeman, also describes a method of repairing
roadways wherein an asphaltic upper top mat covers the
filler material, extends over the damaged region and adheres
to the roadway surface. The adherence of such a top mat is
less than ideal, especially in colder climates.
U.S. Patent No. 5,749,674, issued to Wilson, Sr.,
on May 12, 1998, describes another method of repairing
pavement wherein a layer of polymer-fortified portland
l0 cement is applied during the filling to the hole and allowed
to cure for a sufficient period of time before applying a
waterproof sealer layer over the entire repaired area. This
is also a method that is ill adapted to the rigors of a cold
climate, since it requires the machinery and time necessary
to use a cement to repair the hole.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a
simple and efficient method of repairing potholes that is
generally waterproof and that does not require excessive
manpower or complex machinery.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
It is therefore an aim of the present invention to
provide a novel method for repairing holes in pavement.
It is a further aim of the present invention to
provide a method for repairing holes in pavement that
addresses issues pertaining to prior art.
Therefore, in accordance with the present
invention, there is provided a method for repairing a hole
in pavement, comprising the steps of: filling the hole with
a filling material; exposing a material of the pavement
about the periphery of the hole; placing at least one
waterproofing cover sheet over the hole, such that the hole
and a portion of a surrounding area of the hole are covered;
and heating the waterproofing cover sheet so as to make the
waterproofing cover sheet adhere to the pavement; whereby
the waterproofing cover sheet generally prevents water from
infiltrating into the repaired pavement.
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Further in accordance with the present invention,
there is provided a method for making a waterproofing cover
sheet to be used to repair holes in pavement, comprising the
steps of: i) heating the waterproof material to
liquefaction; ii) pouring the waterproof material onto the
low-heat-resistant sheet material; and iii) cooling the
waterproof material.
Therefore, in accordance with the present
invention, there is provided a method for repairing a hole
in pavement, comprising the steps of filling the hole with a
filling material; exposing a material of the pavement about
the periphery of the hole; placing at least one
waterproofing cover sheet over the hole, such that the hole
and a portion of a surrounding area of the hole are covered;
and heating the waterproofing cover sheet so as to make the
waterproofing cover sheet adhere to the pavement; whereby
the waterproofing cover sheet generally prevents water from
infiltrating into the repaired pavement.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
Having thus generally . described the nature of the
invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying
drawings, showing by way of illustration a preferred
embodiment thereof and in which:
Fig. 1 is a cross-section view of a hole in
pavement repaired in accordance with a preferred embodiment
of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the hole in pavement
of Fig. l; and
Fig. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method for
repairing a hole in pavement in accordance with another
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings and, more
particularly, to Fig. 1, a hole in pavement repaired in
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accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention is generally shown at 10. Pavement is shown at 12
and a ground sublayer at 14. A hole 16 has been filled with
filler material 18 and covered using a waterproofing cover
sheet 20 and a layer of loose material 22.
The present method of repairing the hole 16 is
generally illustrated at 30 in Fig. 3 and comprises a step
of filling the hole 16 with a filler material 18. The
filler material 18 is typically in a form of a solid
l0 material of relatively high density so as to be capable of
withstanding pressures (such as that caused by a vehicle).
For instance, a suitable filler material 18 is a paving
material such as cold or hot asphalt. It is understood that
any other suitable paving material known in the art could
also be used. It is contemplated to compact the filler
material 18 (e.g., cold asphalt) so as to ensure that the
hole 16 is properly filled, for instance, preventing the
presence of voids in the filler material 18, or between the
filler material 18 and the surface of the hole 16.
Once the hole 16 is filled with the filler
material 18, one or more of the waterproofing cover sheet 20
is placed over the filling material 18 and a surrounding
area 24 of the hole 16. Multiple waterproofing cover sheets
20 may be required for complete coverage depending on the
size of the sheet and the area of the pavement to be
repaired.
It is contemplated to clean the surrounding area
24 and heat the surrounding area 24 prior to covering the
filler material 18 and surrounding area 24 in order to
improve the adherence of the waterproofing cover sheet. One
step that is considered is to expose the material of the
pavement 12 (e. g., bitumen/asphalt). One suitable action
taken to expose the bitumen/asphalt is to scrape/rake the
pavement 12 about the periphery of the hole 16, while
heating the periphery of the hole 16. A simple hand torch
can be used to locally heat the periphery of the hole 16 at
the area being scraped/raked. A typical spading fork, rake,
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or like tool having sharp or pointy tool ends is used to
perform the scraping/raking. This allows to remove
additional dust or loose material that accumulates on the
bitumen/asphalt, or in cracks/voids in the bitumen/asphalt,
to expose the bitumen/asphalt for interaction with the
material of the cover sheet 20.
The waterproofing cover sheets) 20 is
subsequently heated so as to adhere to the filler material
18 and the surrounding area 24. The heating of the cover
sheet 20 can be performed using various methods. For
example, the hand torch may be used to heat the
waterproofing cover sheet 20, thus necessitating very little
manpower to complete the step. When heated at a high
temperature, the waterproofing cover sheet 20 can liquefy
(e. g., reach a boiling point of the material of the cover
sheet 20) and increase its adherence to the pavement 12.
The material of the cover sheet 20, in its liquefied state,
can penetrate the interstices of the filler material 18 and
surrounding area 24, thereby increasing protection from
water infiltration. As mentioned previously, the material
of the pavement 12 (e. g., bitumen/asphalt) is exposed about
the periphery of the hole 16, whereby the cover sheet 20 of
bituminous material will fuse with the exposed
bitumen/asphalt of the pavement 12. This results in an
enhanced bond between the pavement 12 and the cover sheet
20. Moreover, the filling material 18 is concealed within
the hole 16, and protected from the contact of vehicles or
the like by the cover sheets) 20.
It is contemplated to provide the waterproofing
cover sheet 20 in two layers. A first layer consists of a
low-heat-resistant material supporting a cover material,
such as parchment paper. A second layer consists of a
generally waterproof material such as bituminous material, a
polymer, or a mixture of both. It is understood that other
waterproof materials can also be used. The layer of heat-
resistant material can be removed prior to the step of
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heating the waterproofing cover sheet, or it can be
incinerated during the heating step.
The waterproofing cover sheets are preferably
prefabricated by pouring liquefied waterproof material onto
the low-heat-resistant material and letting it cool. As
described above, it is understood that the waterproofing
material could consists of a bituminous material, a polymer,
or a mixture of both. The cooling step can be performed by
either by letting the waterproofing cover sheets 20 sit at
ambient temperature or by accelerating the process using
some type of refrigeration.
Once the waterproofing cover sheet 20 has been
heated to adhere to the repaired hole and surrounding
pavement, it is considered to spread loose material, such as
dust, gravel, sand or the like over the waterproofing cover
sheet in order to reduce its tackiness. Much of this loose
material sticks to the heated waterproofing cover sheet,
thereby protecting the waterproofing cover sheet from
passing traffic or passersby. Advantageously, the presence
of loose material 22 rapidly renders the repaired hole into
condition for sustaining the wear caused by vehicles, by
reducing the tacky surface of the cover sheets 20. In an
effort to reduce costs and simplify the procedure, loose
material already found on the surrounding pavement 12 is
preferably used to cover the waterproofing cover sheet 20
thus removing the necessity of transporting additional
materials to complete the pothole repair process.
