SKAPS non-woven needle-punched geotextiles, GC130, and GC140 are utilized as paving fabrics to increase the flexibility of a particular roadway structure. Paving fabrics are bonded to the road surface and saturated with bitumen to effectively seal the existing pavement and waterproof the overlay. The primary function of asphalt overlay paving geotextiles is to act as a stress-relieving membrane between several layers of pavement. As the geotextile is bonded with saturated asphalt cement to existing asphalt, the fabric placement reduces reflective cracking and deterioration that could potentially lead to a roadway failure.
Pavement deterioration is caused by shear and tensile stresses induced by traffic loads, changes in pavement temperature, shrink/swell soils, existing cracks, and movements of the underlying pavement structure. Proven benefits of using SKAPS geotextile in concrete pavement overlays include:
- Waterproofing of the lower layers, thereby, maintaining higher material strengths
- Reducing reflective cracking in the overlay by acting as a stress-absorbing membrane interlayer
- Increase in structural stability by providing for more stable subgrade moisture contents
- Increase roadway lifespan and decrease maintenance intervals
- Reduction of material/demolition cost and decreasing the total amount of construction time