What Causes Potholes to Form in Pavement?

Holes are one of the biggest problems with pavement defects for commercial and industrial property owners. These potholes not only jeopardize the safety and productivity of the pavement but also reduce the overall aesthetics and property value.

To better understand how to protect your sidewalk from potholes, it's worth learning what causes them and what repair and prevention strategies work best. To know more about potholes repair, you can visit https://www.ezstreetasphalt.com.au/.

Read on to do just that!

Hibernation

It's no secret that the rate of hole formation tends to increase in winter. When the temperature is below zero and snow appears, more holes appear. This is due to the seasonal freeze-thaw cycle which causes the pavement to shrink and expand as conditions change. 

Where and why do they appear

The two most contributing factors to surface stains are low temperature and water. When these two factors are present, pavement defects are very likely. Asphalt and concrete surfaces are susceptible to this effect, including sidewalks, parking lots, roads, swimming pools, and more.

Prevention Method

The best prevention for concrete and asphalt pavements is an early repair of surface defects. This typically involves patching cracks, filling cracks, and filling holes with materials such as thermoplastic preforms, MMA cold-work plastic fillers, cold-worked materials, hot-worked materials, and more.

Another common prevention method is routine maintenance, which can include periodic surface restoration, coating, reinforcement, cleaning, and installation of an effective water drainage system.