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"To make the self-healing bitumen, the researchers mixed in tiny porous plant spores soaked in recycled oils. When the road surface is compressed by passing tra
by UberFly 2y ago
"To make the self-healing bitumen, the researchers mixed in tiny porous plant spores soaked in recycled oils. When the road surface is compressed by passing traffic, it squeezes the spores, which release their oil into any nearby cracks. The oils soften the bitumen enough for it to flow and seal the cracks."
Are we really buying this?
- PeterStuer 2y agoIt's a lab experiment on a tiny crack. There is as far as the article goes zero real world data.
- bell-cot 2y ago> Are we really buying this? No. I'd figure that most HNer's know The Guardian has a strong "optimistic fluff" bias, and some of us feel like venting our spleens about potholes and poorly-maintained roads.
- DevelopingElk 2y agoMy understanding is that yes, in some circumstances this can help inhibit crack formation. The place where it won't has to do with settlement, where the soil beneath the rose sinks unevenly. This is a major initiator of pothole formation. Road construction is tightly cost constrained, so this will come down to exact price.