What is Pothole???

• A pothole is a type of failure in an asphalt pavement caused by the presence of water in the underlying soil structure and the presence of traffic passing over the affected area.
• This failure is seen as irregularities or voids in the roads.

Causes of potholes

• Insufficient pavement thickness to support traffic in freeze or thaw conditions without localized failures.
• Insufficient water drainage.
• Failures at utility trenches and castings (manholes and drained casings).
• Miscellaneous pavement defects and cracks left unmaintained and unsealed so as to admit moisture and compromise the structural integrity of the pavement.

How potholes formed??

• Water seeps in through cracks in the road surface. Collecting underneath and softening the road base.
• When the water freezes it expands and forces up the road surface.
• Sun dries up the water creating a hole under the road surface.
• Weight of traffic collapses the road surface into the hole.
• A pothole forms where the road collapsed, wear from traffic expands the hole.

Survey of the site

• A simple survey was conducted to determine the average size of potholes in different parts of the site. It involved the basic measurement of pothole dimensions.
• Average depth of potholes is o.5’

Working

• The potholes fixing unit is driven and parked above the pothole.
• Basic cleaning of pothole is done using wire brush.
• Cold asphalt from the storage tank is poured into the pothole in necessary quantity using the flap control mechanism.
• The cam-operated rammer is used to push and pack the cold mix into the area of repair.

Easy method to fix gaps

• Splits could possibly be fixed using asphalt patching material. Asphalt furniture is of two types- cool asphalt and in addition hot asphalt.
• Both utilize benefits and also issues however chilly asphalt confirms it certainly doesn’t need to be an alternative remedy for fixing craters as a result of alleviate of usage, handling compaction and also longer life.
• Though high efficiency cool mix asphalt costs more than just the very hot mix, during the time frame or account of its sustainability, it confirms from being economic choice.

Hot asphalt or Cold asphalt for crater repair work

• Hot asphalt is mixed around at 300 F, and paving, potholes repair and compaction must be performed while the asphalt is sufficiently hot.
• Paving and pothole repair is restricted to summer months in many states, because in the winter the ground will cool the asphalt before it is packed to the optimal air content, preventing proper pothole repair.
• Cold asphalt is mixed and used at lower temperature then hot asphalt. In this state, cold asphalt is easy to work, compact and repair potholes with, and is not as viscous as hot asphalt.
• A well designed cold asphalt takes on the properties of hot asphalt and is virtually indistinguishable from it , despite being easier to use for pothole repair.

Pothole Detection System

• Potholes detection system which assists the driver in avoiding potholes on the roads, by giving him prior warnings.
• This can be used in 4 wheelers, especially for ambulance drivers so that they could save many lives in time.
• Warning can be like a buzzer or series of LED, if the driver is approaching a pothole, or driver may be warned in advance regarding road pothole.
• Due to weather conditions, improper construction and overloading of vehicles the roads are getting damaged.

Issues and Resolutions

• About 70% of the road accidents in India takes place due to improper construction of roads and due to unpredictable weather conditions in India.
• Need of such a safety providing system is becoming essential for current scenario.
• Currently no such derives are available in the market.
• With system the irregularities in roads can be detected and informed, therefore the road accidents can be reduced to a certain extend.

Conclusion

• The project involved the 3D-design and a scaled down prototype of a potholes fixing unit which is aimed at reducing human effort and expertise to patch potholes.
• A recent university study by James Bearden shows a cost savings of 72% when using EZ Street cold asphalt compared to hot mix asphalt repair.
• By comparing the cost of time and materials for each product he was able to calculate the percentage of cost savings.
• In comparison to the more sophisticated methods available in the present day such as the Python 5000, The proposed design is very economical, simple to use and employs cold asphalt mix.
• There lies a huge potential for the future development of the design. For one, it can be modified as a trailer attached to a bigger vehicle such as a tractor or a mini truck. This would create a new group of sub-contractors to fix potholes and make the pavement patching process quicker especially in India.