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[Scott5114]

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2012/04/silly-putty-for-potholes.html

[realjd]

Interesting concept, but why bother with the non-Newtonian fluid? It seems like a bag of something solid like a stiff foam or sand would work just as well.

I wonder if anyone has researched patching potholes with a quick-set epoxy instead of asphalt.

[mgk920]

Interesting concept, but why bother with the non-Newtonian fluid? It seems like a bag of something solid like a stiff foam or sand would work just as well.

I wonder if anyone has researched patching potholes with a quick-set epoxy instead of asphalt.

They're doing something like that in various places around here.  'Cold mix' patching asphalt doesn't hold up at all in the freeze/thaw cycles that are normal in the upper midwest.

Mike

[hbelkins]

Interesting concept, but why bother with the non-Newtonian fluid? It seems like a bag of something solid like a stiff foam or sand would work just as well.

I wonder if anyone has researched patching potholes with a quick-set epoxy instead of asphalt.

Didn't they use that to patch a pothole that developed in the track surface at Daytona a few years ago during the 500?

[realjd]

Interesting concept, but why bother with the non-Newtonian fluid? It seems like a bag of something solid like a stiff foam or sand would work just as well.

I wonder if anyone has researched patching potholes with a quick-set epoxy instead of asphalt.

Didn't they use that to patch a pothole that developed in the track surface at Daytona a few years ago during the 500?

Yep. They tried various high-tech things and ended up using a COTS product from the hardware store: Bondo.

I had actually forgotten about that. So yes, that proves my theory that pot holes can be filled with epoxy. It worked so well that they used it again after the big crash this year.

[Takumi]

It worked so well that they used it again after the big crash this year.

That and Tide. Because, you know, they gotta get that product placement in there

[WillWeaverRVA]

Interesting concept, but why bother with the non-Newtonian fluid? It seems like a bag of something solid like a stiff foam or sand would work just as well.

I wonder if anyone has researched patching potholes with a quick-set epoxy instead of asphalt.

They're doing something like that in various places around here.  'Cold mix' patching asphalt doesn't hold up at all in the freeze/thaw cycles that are normal in the upper midwest.

Mike

I was going to say, I'm not sure how a non-Newtonian fluid would work in such conditions. In cold enough conditions the substance could freeze (unless it had a lower freezing point) and therefore defeat the purpose of its use, because it would become brittle and relatively weak. However, it has potential to be cost-effective; corn starch and water is a common non-Newtonian fluid (though it's biodegradable, so couldn't be used for this purpose).

[Scott5114]

Theoretically, it could—in the article, they're putting the substance into bags that get tossed in the hole, not just filling the hole up with the fluid. Additionally, when the street is permanently repaved/fixed, the bags can be pulled out and re-installed elsewhere, leading to more savings.