Skip to main content

Thermal Road Repairs heats up the pavement surfacing market

UK-based company Thermal Road Repairs says it has developed a paver-mounted system that enhances pavement surfacing. The unit eliminates joints in asphalt repair so extends the life of the pavement, resulting in significant cost savings and less disruption to the road network, according to Thermal Road,
November 28, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Thermal Road Repairs says it has developed a paver-mounted system

UK-based company 8543 Thermal Road Repairs says it has developed a paver-mounted system that enhances pavement surfacing.

The unit eliminates joints in asphalt repair so extends the life of the pavement, resulting in significant cost savings and less disruption to the road network, according to Thermal Road.

Asphalt lasts for around 20 years before effective deterioration but joints begin to fail after about seven years.

With TRR’s paver-mounted thermal technology, carriageways and other surfaces are seamless from the start of the asphalt laying process so require much less maintenance.

“Our paver-mounted heater allows our clients to replicate echelon paving,” said Aidan Conway, managing director at Thermal Road Repairs.

“They can pave seamlessly, using virgin material or by hot-matching new material with existing asphalt, without inhibiting output from the paving crew. There are other thermal asphalt repair systems in the market but with our technology, clients can operate far more efficiently and cost effectively and deliver a more resilient and superior surface finish, adding significantly to road lifespan.”

A heater, weighing 70kg and measuring 2000mm x 320mm, is mounted onto the side of the paver and controlled heat is pulsed into the joints. Material is heated in front of the screed and the treatment area is compacted across the joint.

“There are hundreds of miles of roads across the country where joints have failed, and continue to do so because the underlying joint is not completely eradicated.

This is a huge inconvenience to drivers and councils who are struggling to maintain good quality surfaces on their limited budgets. Enhanced with our thermal technology, pavers can now permanently eliminate joints so road surfaces can stay better for longer.” 

Pat McKay, plant general manager with 2340 Lagan Plant in the UK, was upbeat about the unit’s finishing work. “We installed the paver heaters on our Vogele machines for our [London] City Airport contract in July. The team are very happy with the kit and the performance of the heaters. This has improved the quality of the finish for our client”.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Developments in concrete pavers boosts quality
    July 13, 2012
    The latest technology continues to improve the quality of concrete paving while contractors are also benefiting from more adaptable equipment - Mike Woof reports For many concrete paving applications, versatility is required rather than a high production rate. Leading paver manufacturers such as GOMACO, Power Curbers, Terex and Wirtgen all offer high mobility machines that can be adjusted to cope with an array of tasks. For a contractor, the advantage of these smaller pavers is that they can be configured q
  • GSSI launches affordable RoadScan 30 GPR road inspection system
    May 11, 2015
    Geophysical Survey Systems (GSSI), a manufacturer of ground penetrating radar (GPR) equipment, has launched a more affordable version of its non-destructive system, called RoadScan 30. The system is designed for measuring pavement thickness, conducting base and sub-base evaluations and measuring available asphalt prior to milling operations. Hundreds of miles of pavement layer thickness data can be collected in a day. RoadScan 30 can collect data densities not obtainable using coring or other labour-i
  • Steel sealed on Stonecutters Bridge
    February 6, 2012
    The stone mastic asphalt surface being laid on the bridge deck. The Stonecutters Bridge in Hong Kong, the second longest spanning cable stayed bridge in the world, is a dual three-lane crossing of the Rambler Channel. It utilises 33,500tonnes of structural steel in the bridge deck; 32,000m3 of concrete in the towers and 65 steel deck units relying on 224 cables. Effectively protecting the megastructure's deck from the weather extremes (monsoon rains and extreme heat in the summer) and the high levels of tra
  • Pavement preservation techniques
    February 16, 2012
    In this second article of a three-part series on pavement preservation, Alan S. Kercher, of Kercher Engineering, discusses the different techniques that can be utilised as part of the preservation toolbox