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

  • Testing recycled cold mix asphalt
    March 15, 2012
    Cold mix road repair material containing 100% recycled asphalt has been laid on rural routes in northWales, UK, by the contractor Hogan Construction.Work was carried out to demonstrate that structural integrity can be restored to a failing carriageway without making use of primary aggregates or hot bitumen.
  • Bitumen provides more durable road surface
    February 7, 2012
    When the main commuter route into Cardiff, the Welsh capital, began to suffer from acute deformation, the Vale of Glamorgan Council required a durable and faster alternative to hot rolled asphalt to ensure minimum disruption for local road users.
  • Colas develops novel chip seal solutions
    August 23, 2013
    Colas has been working on new chip seal solutions for high traffic roads using bitumen emulsions. Technical director Christine Deneuvillers presented the company’s new range of Colas High Traffic chip seals to the 2013 FEHRL Infrastructure Research Meeting (FIRM13) in Brussels in June this year. Although chip seal is used on main roads in France, its most common application is on rural roads, said Deneuvillers. But today’s financial restraints mean that techniques such as chipseal, which can help exten
  • Continuous paving for smoother roads
    May 9, 2017
    UK contractor Aggregate Industries is now able to deliver smoother road surfaces thanks to the latest addition to its machine fleet. The firm is a pioneer for the use of material transfer vehicles (MTV) that allow for uninterrupted, non-contacting flow of materials into a paver. As a result, the firm says it is able to help deliver road projects more efficiently and economically. The company has acquired the latest Vögele MT 3000-2i Offset Powerfeeder. Equipped with a pivoting conveyor this machine allows t