Patent ID: 7927038

Claim:
A method of sealing joints in an asphalt pavement surface comprising the following steps: (a) preparing a non-asphalt emulsion that includes a rubber component and that combines with at least one binder in asphalt pavement to create a rubberized sealant, the emulsion being prepared with a heated milling process so that particle sizes in the emulsion are increased by the heating, the particle sizes being reduced to less than a mill setting after the particles have cooled, so that application of the emulsion alters the modulus of elasticity of the binders of the asphalt surface by filling voids in the asphalt pavement surface material; (b) applying the emulsion only to a joint area in a newly laid asphalt surface with an application rate sufficient to fill voids in the joint area; and (c) allowing the emulsion to dry, thereby sealing and strengthening the joint area in the asphalt pavement surface so as to delay deterioration of the asphalt pavement surface.