The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1922-06-30
PAvEMENTs MUST BE BUILT TO
BEND" WITHOUT @BREAKINGp
BY A Layn,an

! stood by the side Of the road and
watched some sweating workmen pour
q hot sticky substance In the cracks be-
tween the newly laid brick In the pave-
ment. wondered what II was and
why Il was used. This gave me an az
cusee for opening conservation with the
engineer on the job.
lavements must be built to bend
without breaking. was his terse reply.
l looked at him like fool. Who
ever heard Of pavements bending? 1
suspected that, seeing that was 4 lay
man, he was trying to spool me. Well
he couldn't fool me.
"Bend?", "Ha, ha", laughed.
That's a good one"
He looked down ut me pityinrly.
started to turn away as II In disgust
and then, evidently thinking there was
still hope Of saving me from total ie-
norance, tried again. He was busy
man and said lot in few words.
"A pavement must have Ave charac-
teristics, and II anyone Is absent, the
pavement has lost just that much Of
It's value. II must be hard, but not brit
tie; smooth, but not slick; tough, hut
not roughi flexible, not rigid; watei.-
proof, not porous"
He picked up paving brick and,
showing II under my nose In manner
that made me step back, he continued,
"See this brick? II Is hard. smooth.
tough. and won't absorb water That
stuff they're pouring In the cracka. is
asphalt filler When you're all done,
your pavement Is hard, smooth, tough,
waterproof and flexible. II will bend
when II has to-"
OUGHT There was that "bend" again.
Was no kidding me? Remembering
my fathers advice In early life to az
ways TASK questions, | fired away.
u don't quite understand that "bend-
Ing business, | said. II never saw
q pavement bend"
you've seen pavements cracked,
haven't your" he asked. l said that /
had, and he informed me that the
cracking often was due 10 the pave
ment's rigidity and refusal TO bend.
"Old mother earth'a surface Isn't
stlll FOR moment, and I'm not refer
ring to its turning on its axis or NOV
Ing around the sun, either The
ground right under your feet Ia moving
this very second, expanding with mols-
ture or contracting az II dries out.
You've seen q sponge swell up. Also,
you've seen cracks In clay soil when Il
has dried out after q rain. More than
that, you should know that In tho win
ter the freezing and thawlng means
expansion and contraction.
"No power In the world that man
knows about as yet, can entirely stop
these movements. We can only mlni-
mize them. When you put stiff, rig
Id pavement on the ground the earth
moves under II. Sometimes the pave.
ment IL supported and sometimes Il
isn't. Along comes heavy traffic and
cracks II. Dlslntegration follows"
He didn't notice my open mouth, and
kept right on.
"old Sol gets In his licks too. His
heat expands pavements, and cold cons
tracts them. IL there Ia no give and.
take they simply must crack and crum-
BILE away. SO, what you need Ii d
pavement that will cling TO mother
earth like wet blanket, only II must
be hard, smooth, tough and waterproof.
That iiller makes the pavement water
proof and flexible. II the base hap
pens to be Of the rigid kind, II way
crack, but the surface won't. Your
brick are hard, tough and smooth and
your filler waterproof and flexible.
There you have all Ave characteristics
Do you sect" smiled weakly and
thanked him.