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September/October 2004 MARKETING materials
by Ruth W. Stidger, Editor-in-Chief |
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All-too-temporary large and small street repairs that pop out after a heavy rain can be a problem of the past. Using a simple two-step process which depends both on sand and rounded, dredged aggregates, Flexset and Flowmix can create a stable structure as well as filling the crack or pothole. In the first step, the polymer is mixed 20% to 80% with sand and poured into the crack or hole. As it quickly sets up, the structure — street or other surface — regains soundness and integrity. The second step uses the same mix combined with rounded aggregate. The round shape of the rock means the mix coats the aggregate evenly providing high-strength compression. Rounded aggregate also gives flexibility to the mix. This diffuses the load and the bottom of the repair doesn’t get stressed. The polymer acts as the diffusion media, providing a longer life to the repair. Applications Road cracks, alligatored areas, and potholes are the primary applications of the method, says developer Ransome Wyman. The combination of sand, rounded aggregates, and polymer can also be used to repair damaged parking lots, multi-housing unit concrete walkways and steps, and similar applications. Why two names for the product? Only the color is different, Wyman says. Users repairing asphalt may prefer Flomix’s dark color, while those working on concrete will probably use the light-colored Flexset Quick work Another reason the method works well is that little site preparation is needed. “Blow out the crack or damaged area to remove loose material, mix the polymer and sand and/or polymer, sand, and aggregates, pour, and smooth,” Wyman says. In a recent two-slab road repair in Kern County, California, a conventional two-day remove-and-replace repair was avoided. Instead, a one-hour, 10-minute repair job using the method allowed traffic back on the road an hour after the repair’s completion. In Bentonville, Arkansas, various damaged concrete areas near Wal-Mart Corporate headquarters were repaired with both colors of the mix, depending on the damage location.
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Reprinted from Aggregates Manager Magazine |
