3 ms·

I'm fairly sure than in the UK, Asphalt aggregates are made with a planned obsolescence in them. Of course, I only have my own personal experience and just a l

I'm fairly sure than in the UK, Asphalt aggregates are made with a planned obsolescence in them. Of course, I only have my own personal experience and just a little probing of someone who works in the industry who has evaded my questions about it... However, despite the large amount of traffic, I can't explain why new surfaces will disintegrate in about ~4 years. We're in 2017; some roads that have been made 50 years ago are still good to go, while others, new ones just fall apart as soon as there are a couple of days of frost. My take on this is that it's all made by the large contractors to get more or less unlimited work from the councils, as the roads needs to be repaired every few years... Am I being cynical? ;-)

ohcommonnow 10y ago
The quality of the mix has changed due to the inputs. No natural virgin asphalt is used now, less refined asphalt is used, more recycled asphalt is used. Recycled asphalt has been exposed to more UV and oxygen leading to altered chemical composition to various degrees. This isn't necessarily a bad thing however a changed variable you must consider. Also asphalt is inherently a malleable product that is only as stable as the base upon which it is laid. Few things get the base preparation of projects in years past.
jnty 10y ago
The volume and weight of traffic has changed too - with more and heavier cars, trucks and buses on more roads - and this will have affected some streets more than others. Quiet residential dead-end streets will barely change, while rat runs and secondary routes may be seeing significantly more traffic than they were ever designed for. Equally, main roads may have been massively overengineered at some point in the past and therefore able to cope with the increase. There's a lot more going on there than just the layer at the top.

3 ms·

I'm fairly sure than in the UK, Asphalt aggregates are made with a planned obsolescence in them. Of course, I only have my own personal experience and just a l

by buserror 10y ago

ohcommonnow 10y ago
The quality of the mix has changed due to the inputs. No natural virgin asphalt is used now, less refined asphalt is used, more recycled asphalt is used. Recycled asphalt has been exposed to more UV and oxygen leading to altered chemical composition to various degrees. This isn't necessarily a bad thing however a changed variable you must consider. Also asphalt is inherently a malleable product that is only as stable as the base upon which it is laid. Few things get the base preparation of projects in years past.
jnty 10y ago
The volume and weight of traffic has changed too - with more and heavier cars, trucks and buses on more roads - and this will have affected some streets more than others. Quiet residential dead-end streets will barely change, while rat runs and secondary routes may be seeing significantly more traffic than they were ever designed for. Equally, main roads may have been massively overengineered at some point in the past and therefore able to cope with the increase. There's a lot more going on there than just the layer at the top.