Microsurfacing can be used for roads that are structurally sound but face the problem of functional distress such as poor ride quality or cracking.
Bituminous Concrete (BC) – After suitable cleaning and crack filling, even initial raveling can be controlled for years with a single coat of Type III Micro – just as we did on:
- Urban Roads – Anandnagar Bridge approach, Dahisar, Mumbai
- Highways NH-1 near Panipat – main carriageway
- Airport Runways & Taxiways – Indira Gandhi International Airport Delhi
Mastic – Mastic is highly crack prone, and also suffers joint distress. This can be suitably taken care of by Microsurfacing after using a special tack coat and crack / joint sealing. The distressed mastic at Lohia Path bridge, Lucknow is a case in point.
SDBC / OGPC / DBM / Chip Seal – Due to relatively higher porosity, life of these surfaces can be extended significantly by applying this impermeable layer. We have done rural roads, hilly roads, coloured cycle tracks, even directly on paved base course too.
Some important projects include Nainital, Mall Road, Uttarakhand, Coloured Micro on cycle tracks in Uttar Pradesh.
Highway rutted areas can be a pain to repair, here Micro can be instantly useful. Rut filling capability of microsurfacing slurry is also a highly effective and convenient solution to the problem of rutting. Just apply the polymerized mix into the rut, let it dry and then top it up with finishing layer of Type III.
Microsurfacing on Rigid Pavements
Rigid pavements come with their own set of maintenance and preservation issues. Cracking, raveling, spalling etc. lead to skidding, noise discomfort and sometimes total failure. Overhaul of such surface could lead to huge cost, long traffic diversions and public inconvenience issues. So it is imperative that we take care of our concrete surfaces with microsurfacing, just as the world does. This is recommended to preserve the base layer, extending the service life considerably. Just as we did on:
- Mumbai – Haji Ali – sealing cracks and building skid resistance
- Mumbai – Andheri East
- Axis college Kanpur – Internal campus roads- rejuvenating raveled surface and better aesthetics.
The German Autobahn also tackled the problem of concrete cancer and other riding quality deterioration issues by applying microsurfacing. This is a well-documented case study which was presented during the PAVEMENT PRESERVATION & RECYCLING SUMMIT PARIS 2015.
Thx!
I am Mtech student and doing project on microsurfacing. by reading your article on website, i had a curiosity about your projects. According to Indian Road Congress code(IRC 81), microsurfacing cannot be applied on rigid road or concrete road. It does give a good life span as well as deteriorate easily. Can you please elaborate how microsurfacing applied on rigid road and how much life span does microsurfacing is offering on rigid road.