The caulking process can effectively prevent water damage to the pavement and improve the service life of the pavement. When carrying out the joint filling process, it is necessary to follow certain steps to ensure the quality and safety of construction.
First of all, closed traffic is the first step in the caulking process. Before construction, construction signs need to be set up on the highway to remind passing vehicles to avoid and ensure construction safety. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that the area closed to traffic is spacious enough for construction crews to operate.
Next is the step of slotting and seam cleaning. Use special slotting equipment to dig out a notch with a width to depth ratio of 1:1 or 1:2 along the crack, and then use a shovel, iron hook, hair dryer and other tools to clean the seam. The purpose of this step is to ensure that the debris and moisture in the crack are removed for subsequent joint filling.
In the material heating process, the sealant needs to be heated to a suitable temperature in a seam filling machine or hot melt kettle (according to the instructions). During the heating process, constant stirring is required to ensure that the sealant is heated evenly. The purpose of this step is to make the sealant flowable and easy to fill the cracks.
Caulking can be taken: manual caulking and mechanical caulking. When manually filling the seams, it is necessary to use a flat-mouthed iron spoon to pour the boiled sealant into the boots, and evenly fill and seal from one end of the seam to the other end. Mechanical caulking, on the other hand, uses a dedicated caulking machine to fill and seal from one end to the other.
After the crack is filled, it is necessary to wait for the material to solidify sufficiently before opening it to traffic. Generally, this time is about 20 minutes.
In short, the grout process is a very important part of highway maintenance, which can effectively prevent the expansion of pavement cracks, prevent water damage, and improve the service life of pavement. When carrying out the joint filling process, it is necessary to follow certain steps to ensure the quality and safety of construction.