Post date: Mar 14, 2013 11:21:18 AM
Next Media - Professor Erik Schlangen of Delft University of Technology has invented a type of asphalt that can repair itself.
The key component to such asphalt is steel wool fibers. Schlangen added steel wool fibers to porous asphalt and applied an induction plate to the material to heat the wool. The result was the steel wool fibers heating up within the asphalt to melt the bitumen around it, which helped fill and close any small cracks.
Although the material is costlier than porous asphalt, it lasts much longer than conventional asphalt and may bring savings in the long term.SOURCES:
GMA News, Mashable
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/298757/scitech/technology/self-healing-roads-under-way
http://mashable.com/2013/03/09/self-healing-asphalt/