Are you aware of how asphalt and concrete perform differently in weather conditions? Tom Yager, senior research scientist at NASA’s Langley Research Center, recently took the time to explain the science behind highway design.
Water builds up when roads lack proper drainage, causing vehicles to hydroplane or slide off the road. By adding grooves on the pavement’s surface and slopes along the edges, road engineers make sure precipitation safely drains off the road.
There are many ways to add grooved texture to road surfaces. With “longitudinal tining,” road workers use rakes to create shallow channels in wet concrete. “Diamond grooving” consists of using diamond-tipped saw blades to cut quart-inch slices into the pavement, which increases friction. Either way, the grooves are placed no more than 1½ inches apart – closely spaced grooves increases drainage and improves traction.
Asphalt is more flexible and easier to apply than concrete, which is why you’ll often see a road crew rolling out asphalt to repair a pothole in winter. However, asphalt deteriorates more rapidly than concrete, a process that is quickened by moisture and temperature changes.
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