When success is a bind

Around 94% of the materials which make up a bituminous road surface are natural aggregates that have a life expectancy which can be measured in millions of years. Yet, when defects appear, authorities are inclined to excavate and remove the surface, despite road-repair technology's evolution to provide a sustainable solution that allows the aggregates to be reused in-situ The main culprit for defects is the 6% bituminous binder which holds the aggregates together. It degrades over a relatively short period through the effects of trafficking, weathering and oxidisation.