When you’re not in the paving industry, there are some terms that may sound pretty strange to you. We’re here to help, with a list of terms and their definitions so you can be a little more familiar with what our concrete paving company does.
Aggregate
A material made from crushed stone, sand, and gravel; used as a base for concrete.
Alligatoring
When asphalt has multiple cracks in a single area. The area usually looks like the skin of an alligator.
Asphalt
A naturally occurring liquid that is mixed with sand or gravel and used as a surfacing agent.
Base
The materials installed after the subgrade but before the asphalt for a paved area. A base can be crushed stone, sand, or gravel.
Base Failure
This occurs when the base material can no longer support the weight from a building or vehicles. Base failures look like holes in the asphalt.
Blacktop
Another name for asphalt.
Compaction
When a piece of equipment is used to further compact soil, sand, or another base material.
Concrete
A liquid material made from gravel, sand, water, and cement that dries to stone.
Course
A row of pavers.
Efflorescence
A powdery white deposit on rocks or soil. Efflorescence usually occurs in dry regions and forms when mineral-rich water rises to the surface and then evaporates.
Emulsion
The act of combining ingredients that wouldn’t normally be combined. For example: asphalt emulsion, which is asphalt in water mixed with an emulsifying agent.
Filler
A material that is dispersed into cracks to fill them, but not necessarily seal them.
Frost Heave
When water gets in between and underneath pavers and then freezes, it expands and causes pavers to lift upward. This is called frost heave.
Joint Sand Stabilizer
A liquid added to joint sand that stabilizes it to prevent water seepage, loosening, and weed or moss growth.
Laydown
The process of laying the hot asphalt down with a paving machine.
Patching
The process of removing old, damaged pavement and installing a new section of pavement.
Pavers
Paving pieces that come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials (such as concrete, brick, rubber, stone, and more).
Paver Splitter
A piece of equipment used for breaking up old pavement. Can be hand-operated, machine-operated, and/or hydraulically assisted.
Primer
A coating used to seal the subgrade and base materials and enhance the binding of asphalt to the base.
Screeding
The leveling of the sand bedding by using wood or metal tools.
Sealant
A liquid material that coats asphalt in order to protect it and enhance its natural color.
Sealcoat
The act of applying the sealant to asphalt.
Subgrade
The prepared soil used to support a new area of pavement.
