Common Asphalt Paving Cracks| Asphalt Parking Lot Repair Services

Suppose your property needs a parking lot. Fortunately, an expert or friend has suggested asphalt paving because it's durable, safe, sustainable, and effective in noise reduction. And, to top it all, paving your parking lot with this material boosts property value. There's no denying that that sounds like a pretty sweet deal. However, before installing an asphalt parking lot, you should know it's susceptible to some defects, the most prevalent being cracking. This problem arises from water damage, excess exposure to harsh elements, and fatigue. Some of the cracking issues most property owners encounter when using asphalt parking lots are discussed below.

1.       Edge Cracking

Edge cracking manifests when crescent-shaped cracks form near your parking lot surface's edges. That often happens when the paving doesn't have adequate support at its edges. Weak or poorly drained shoulders may also lead to edge cracking. Therefore, if your asphalt parking lot is uneven and highly likely to undermine proper drainage, edge cracking will be a problem in the future. Asphalt pavements also crack at the edges when attacked by heavy vegetation and traffic. Although fixing the latter may be challenging, especially when running busy commercial parking spaces, you can simply remove vegetation close to your parking lot's paving to prevent edge cracking.  

2.       Fatigue Cracking

The number of people using your parking lot directly affects the paving. If your property is associated with high traffic loads, the paving's surface will be distressed and, over time, develop fatigue cracks. Simply put, fatigue cracks develop when your parking lot's traffic load leads to distress and surface deterioration or failure. Other factors, including the pavement's thickness, sub-grade bases, and overloading instances, also encourage fatigue cracking. You can easily spot this issue on asphalt paving because it leaves surfaces looking like alligator hide, with distinct, interconnected crack lines.

3.       Reflective Cracking

Typical asphalt pavements have slabs that enhance load distribution, frost resistance, and water drainage. These components also provide pavements with additional support and stability. Unfortunately, these slabs, which experts install beneath the asphalt concrete, move or shift for various reasons, including thermal and moisture content changes. When that happens, reflective cracks form. Besides, when the underlying layers in an asphalt parking lot's structure crack or break, the results eventually reflect on the surface. That is what experts call reflective cracking.

The Bottom Line

It's no lie that asphalt parking lot surfaces are likely to crack with constant use. However, that shouldn't prevent you from paving with this material. You can choose it and hire asphalt repair experts to fix cracks and any other damages inflicted on your asphalt surfaces whenever necessary. Such professionals help you save money by fixing cracks before they aggravate, making total pavement replacement necessary. They can also suggest maintenance strategies that improve your parking lot's visual appeal and longevity. 

For more information, contact a company that offers parking lot asphalt paving repair.