How Does the Heat in Austin Affect Asphalt Parking Lots?

Oxygen and oxidation as a process are behind rust, corrosion, metal displacement and other damaging chemical reactions. While asphalt doesn’t rust, it is still impacted by oxidation. There are strong chemical bonds which make up asphalt and give it strength. Over time, the oxygen in the atmosphere naturally inserts itself into these bonds, breaking them up. When this process happens in metal, it forms rust, and the process itself is sped up by water. In asphalt, it’s sunlight that speeds up the process. The heat from the sun causes the oils in asphalt to combine, become heavier, sink, and leave the surface more vulnerable to oxygen.

Raveling is a more serious stage of asphalt damage. Although it can occur after installation if the heat prevents the asphalt from properly compacting—which can happen in Austin, it is more likely that raveling will happen later on. In raveling, the top of the pavement is damaged, and the damage moves progressively downward, turning the asphalt back into loose debris, full of potholes and cracks. Asphalt that is experienced raveling becomes very unstable. Asphalt raveling is caused by long-term traffic and exposure to high outdoor temperatures, both of which can break down the particles in the asphalt binder and cause it to crumble. Tracked vehicles and studded tires can both accelerate this damage. So can snow plows, but you don’t see those very often in Austin. Sometimes dust coatings can accelerate the raveling process. The asphalt binder does its job on the dust, binding with it, instead of properly binding the other asphalt ingredients together. A poor-quality binder may also break down like this without a dust layer.