How Does Infrared Work?

How Does It Work?

To begin with, you need to understand what infrared is. Infrared is defined as rays of light that cannot be seen but produce heat deep within an object. In comparison to taking a direct flame to a section of asphalt in order to drive heat into it, infrared rays pass through the asphalt layer heating the entire layer evenly which allows the asphalt to soften without burning, scaling or separating the asphalt from the aggregate.

Infrared Asphalt Repair relies on asphalt heating chambers specially designed to distribute infrared rays over a specific "work area". At Ray-Tech Infrared Corp, we manufacture a wide array of equipment featuring many different sizes of asphalt heaters. Each heating chamber features rows of converters that deliver a premixed gas and air combination under pressure. Our converters and grids have been engineered to burn the fuel in a way that creates a true infrared ray. These rays are then spread evenly over the work area by reflectors which make up part of the converters. It is because of this uniquely designed system that our heating chambers can provide an evenly distributed heat without having to increase the number of rows of converters in our chamber. 

Why Is It Better?

Infrared Repair is a much more sensible method than the conventional cut and patch or cold patch repair. There are several key reasons as to why this is true.

1. Strength/Quality of Repair: Conventional methods of cutting out a bad area and patching it in may be the norm when it comes to asphalt repair. But this method leads to more problems down the road; literally. When an area is cut out and filled, the edges of the repair area are not sealed to the elements or to wear and tear of driving. Sealants may be used, but they will need to be repeatedly applied to prevent further damage and even then its not a guarantee. The same goes for cold patch material being applied. This material just fills the hole and will likely be pulled out by the next week. With Infrared Repair, the work area is heated, worked and then rolled in a way that leaves an area on the perimeter of the area untouched yet heated. This allows the asphalt that was worked with to thermally bond to the surrounding area. Only by having a thermally bonded edge will you attain a permanent repair. 
2. Efficiency: When carrying out a conventional cut and repair type job, it will require several people with multiple pieces of equipment. Using a piece of infrared equipment, just two people are needed to operate the unit. Typically one will work the heater, moving it from spot to spot and working the asphalt with a rake and lute while the other helps with shoveling in more asphalt (if needed) and uses a roller or compactor to finish the repair. Ray-Tech's heating times are an average of 7 minutes, depending on asphalt and weather factors, so a team familiar with their equipment can move right along unlike the conventional method. Obviously cold patching is faster but again, the patch will most likely be gone in a short amount of time so its a trade off of durability for efficiency...