The 200 Dergree Hole

[R Valente]

Pot Holes Repaired
Our speaker for this week, David Hendren was introduced by President John Anderson. David's talk and illustrated slide presentation title was "The 200 degree Hole". He spoke about his company's new technique for repairing pot holes in the roads, something dear to the hearts of drivers everywhere! The normal technique for repairing holes in the roads, is for a gang of men in several lorries, with lots of equipment including steaming hot tar, traffic cones and traffic lights, to arrive at the scene and spend lots of time digging up the road. They disrupt the traffic for quite some time before finally filling in the hole and rolling it flat. David’s company - Nu-Phalt Scotland uses a new method, developed in the United States, of in situ tarmac recycling. This uses infra-red heat to heat the existing road surface to melt it at 200 degrees centigrade. The system uses the existing load bearing material instead of carting it away, and creates a welding effect, a thermal bond between the existing road surface and the new material, using the minimum amount of Nu Asphalt Tar to secure a smooth, long wearing repair. The machine is portable, being carried inside a medium sized van which holds all the material and equipment, plus two operatives who work the machine. A small pothole will take 20 minutes to repair, with no pneumatic drills, jack hammering or cutting round the hole. There is much less disruption to traffic when doing repairs due to the speed of the process, and the CO2 “Carbon Footprint” is much reduced. Propane gas cylinders supply the fuel for the machine along with 12 volt power which together produce the Infra Red heat in the process. The machine can also be used to reinstate failed joints, such as around manholes, rainwater drains and public service trenches dug up during repairs and installations. David said that several Local Authorities in Scotland had taken up the Service, which is leased to them, and run using the Council's own workers after a course of instruction in how to use the machine. The maintenance of the machine is done by the supplying company.


The Vote of Thanks was given by Past President Rai Valente.