Cape Seal Pavement Best Practices

Screen the material immediately prior to loading the nurse truck/mobile support unit. This way, there is no possibility of contamination when re-handling the material.

Require a recalibration when material changes, conveyor seals and/or, emulsion pumps have been replaced.

Require the contractor to perform a calibration with the inspector on site, with the specific materials for the job. This step has a high potential for increasing the quality of the job.

The agency can provide early notification by website, newspapers, signs and/or door hangers. The contractor can notify by signs and/or door hangers the day before and the day of the application.

To increase the longevity of the cape seal, roll parking lots, cul-de-sacs, and other pavements that will not receive regular traffic.

Treat vegetation with herbicide early to prevent it from growing back following the project.

If patching occurs within 60 days before construction, a fog seal should be placed over the patching to seal it off. If not sealed, rock loss could occur in the area of the patch due to chip seal emulsion soaking into the patch and not being able to hold the aggregate.

In residential areas, place a cone at the end of each driveway until the new application has cured adequately to carry traffic, and to explain the reason for these cones in the public notifications.

Periodic calibration of the distributor should be performed to ensure that the proper rate of binder is being applied.

Calibration is key for the chip spreader.  This should be checked regularly to ensure the correct application rate is being applied.

Make sure haul trucks are clean and that no debris is remaining in bed.

The front end loader should be leak free and in good condition.

Pneumatic tired rollers should be a 12 ton minimum with a contact pressure of 60 psi.

Bristles on the rotary broom should be nylon or plastic and checked for evenness.

Remember, that the design application rates are a starting point and adjustments will need to be made as the surface conditions change throughout the project.

• Spray the surface to be hand-worked lightly with water before applying the material.
• Perform handwork first, so as to have as much area as possible applied by the spreader box.
• Tar paper can be used at the beginning and end of a pull to provide a straight edge.

• A variable width spreader box eliminates the need for half passes.
• Using tar paper (roofing felt) to end the first pass eliminates handwork.
• Pulling a spreader box until empty will cause problem in the slurry seal/micro surfacing application in the future.

Temperature, humidity and wind conditions all affect chip seal emulsion and slurry seal/micro surfacing break and cure times.