OVERVIEW:
The HDE JMH can also be used for longitudinal joint repair to ensure a better watertight joint and prevent accelerated deterioration. It is particularly cost effective when the joint has widened to such an extent, that joint filler will not stay, or when the cracks have spread to the adjacent joint. By re-heating the asphalt, it can be reworked, asphalt can then be added to fill in any voids in the pavement. This process creates a lasting seamless repair
A comparable project in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, involved heating 2200 feet (700 meters) of unacceptable joint paved the previous fall. Salt and sand had penetrated the joint and the authority required complete removal of the joint 4” (100mm) on either side of the joint or the contract alternative to the repair which was grinding and removal of the entire lane. Removal of the joint was easily done after heating; new asphalt was then placed and compacted. The authority required an extension of the warranty on the joint for one year, and prior to expiry requested further repair on just 20 ft (6 meters). At that point it was difficult to identify where the joint was.
A 2005 joint repair of 1000 feet of raveled joint at The White House on Pennsylvania Avenue confirmed that joints can be reheated efficiently and structurally repaired with no physical damage to the properties of the asphalt. The unique synthetic asphalt with a clear resin and two-coloured aggregate exhibited properties like polymer modified asphalt, with a lower softening point. Making a good longitudinal joint without echelon paving proved challenging to the contractor.
Two 500-foot joints were not acceptable. Joints were repaired by the contractor using the HDE JMH 800T to reheat the joint and an HDE mini recycler was used to reheat material required to fill the gap in the joint. The work was done to the satisfaction of the Federal Highways and after three years the repairs remain in good condition. In 2008 HDE was invited back to repair additional areas that had failed due to cracking of the joint.
While the idea of a hot joint is not new, echelon paving is recognized as the best way to achieve a good longitudinal joint. However, at HDE we believe that joint heating is the next best thing, providing it can be done efficiently, without overheating the asphalt. Our clients have been successfully using our joint heaters in Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia , Newfoundland, Tennessee, Mississippi, Delaware, Michigan and Washington DC (The White House) on actual projects.
Since the initial concept of repairing the joint in place HDE has worked with many contractors through north America to develop the process.
In 2016 our contracting company Infrared Pavement Repair, successfully completed 24 km of center line joint repair using the HDE Joint Repair Train The Hot-In-Place Recycling unit is designed and manufactured by Heat Design Equipment Inc. It is a continuous motion train of infrared heaters that softens a 24-inch wide section of longitudinal joint. Following the heaters is a material processing unit which contains a milling drum and asphalt recycler. A rejuvenation system and a paver to repave the recycled material. The Joint Repair Train has proved to be a successful and cost-effective method in various projects including Hwy. 401 in Ontario and I-40 in Tennessee. With the newest developments in the process and technology, the Joint Train is well on its way to becoming the standard in joint rehabilitation.
