I read that driveway fabric can help prevent new cracking when putting an asphalt overlay on top of an existing asphalt driveway networked with little cracks ("alligator"). Can this be done DIY? If so, would I fill the depressions with asphalt patch first?
What's the difference between driveway fabric and landscape cloth (if any)? I have a whole lot of landscape cloth left over from a project and I wonder if I could use that.
Here's a general description of petro-mats:
The greatest source of damaging water in road structural sections is precipitation infiltration through pavements. Most pavements do not have adequate drainage systems to quickly remove infiltrated water. If a pavement base is saturated as little as 10% of the time, the useful life of that pavement will be reduced by 50%. The Petromat fabric, when saturated with the asphalt cement tack coat, becomes a moisture barrier in the pavement, minimizing surface water infiltration. The American Association of Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) 1993 flexible pavement design methodology gives a substantial structural credit to unbound roadbase materials when they are well drained and not allowed to become saturated. By minimizing water infiltration, the Petromat System moisture barrier will keep the road base more well drained and will therefore maximize the structural strength of unbound roadbase materials.
I think geotextiles were initially used in pavement as a weed barrier under the gravel sub-base, but then they evolved from there.