MIX IT UP
How to Fix Core Damage
BY JOHN BALL
T
aking core samples for quality control/quality assurance (QC/QA) is a destructive process, but there’s a right way to fix the pavement after coring. To give your new pavement its best chance at long life, repair the core damage with best practices. STEP 1. Dry the hole with a cloth. Taking the core sample requires the use of water, and that water will present adherence problems for tack and mix if you try to patch directly. Your first step is to dry the hole as best you can. STEP 2. Tack the base and sides of the hole with appropriate tack material. STEP 3. Bring hot-mix asphalt to the project in a cooler that can hold its temperature. Use a trowel or other hand-held tool to deliver mix directly to the hole without making a mess around the edges. You want to pile the mix about half an inch higher than the pavement surface to allow for compaction. STEP 4. Compact the material into the hole with a hand tamper. Core sampling is a necessary evil in the field and sealing up the pavement afterward is vital to the life of the pavement structure. Make sure your QC/QA team is performing their best practices.
John Ball is the proprietor of Top Quality Paving & Training, Manchester, New Hampshire. He provides personal, on-site paving consulting services around the United States and into Canada. For more information, contact him at (603) 493-1458 or tqpaving@yahoo.com. 10 | MARCH/APRIL 2022
