After training and a week or so of practice, he perfected his skills. A high volume blower provides a blast of air to remove loose rock and debris. A tack coat of hot emulsion is applied to the area to be patched. Aggregate and hot emulsion are combined with forced air and shot into the hole. A dust coat of aggregate is applied.
Traffic can flow immediately.
According to their branch manager, Tom Martin, follow-up studies show that repairs made with automated patchers are lasting two and three times longer than repairs made by traditional methods. The automated pothole patcher boasts repairs that are staying in place for an average of 43 months. Furthermore, the machine's ability to fill potholes in cold temperatures means crews do not have to wait for warmer weather to make repairs. Previously, weather delays allowed potholes to degenerate and made the crews' work more difficult. When they could do winter repairs, crews generally had to use cold-mix materials.