Roadbuilding: The way ahead

The industry is forever moving forward, with new technologies contributing to increased efficiency, safety and operator comfort, but when there is the additional effect of the biggest show on the calendar, the number of launches and updating of existing versions of machines seems to grow enormously.

Bauma is almost upon us, and the roadbuilding sector is clearly going to see a raft of changes in almost every element of roadbuilding – no matter what basic material or technique is used.

Bomag, for example, claims that it will feature innovations and world premieres in each of its business sectors – light equipment, asphalt and soil compaction – as well as with specialist machines.

The Wirtgen Group will have a remarkable 29 new products on display, while GOMACO will feature a variety of concrete paving equipment and new paving concepts.

For Ammann, its focus for Bauma will be on the launch of the Stage IIIB/Tier 4 motorised compaction machines in the field of heavy ride-on rollers, as well as completely new mixing plant concepts for high proportions of reclaimed asphalt or highly mobile applications.

The re-use of old asphalt – also known as reclaimed asphalt (RA) – is of particular interest to Ammann, much as recycling has become a way of life to practically everyone today. The company claimed to offer tailor-made, high-quality solutions for every aspect of preserving resources.

It depends on how much RA is added to the mix, said Ammann. Adding cold RA directly to the mixer is recommended for smaller quantities of up to 30%. The RAH 50 ring drum is described as the right choice for customised feed quantities up to 50%.

The parallel drum is said to be best suited for adding larger quantities of hot asphalt up to 60%, while the RAH 100 concept is designed for even larger quantities.

Ammann has launched a new UniBatch asphalt mixing plant range. It described the plant as being flexible, extendible and possessing a larger selection of variants. It focuses on modularity, energy efficiency and reduced emissions, according to the company.

Prime 140, also new, is the mobile version of Ammann’s continuous asphalt mixing plants. Ammann said all its continuous asphalt mixing plants were equipped with a continuously-running two-shaft paddle mixer.

Its EasyBatch II is designed specifically for top mobility and a high output. The completely autonomous asphalt mixing plant produces asphalt at a continuous output rate of 140 tonnes/h. It comes pre-assembled on two trailers and can be set up without a crane.

The Universal is a batch asphalt mixing plant that has been tried and tested for many years, according to Ammann. With the new Universal HRT, the integration of the parallel drum system directly above the mixer is said to optimise the material flow and keep the wear inside the recycling system to a bare minimum.

Batch plants

Marini, part of the Fayat Group, has the eTower range of batch asphalt plants with an output below 200 tonnes/h.

The range currently consists of the eTower 2000 at 150 tonnes/h and the eTower 2500 at 180 tonnes/h. The company claimed that the innovative positioning of the filter and under-filter hopper above the dryer drum resulted in significant energy savings.

It added that the dimensions, adaptable design and factory-integrated electric wiring of the eTower claimed a degree of transferability never before achieved on plants of this size.

Fayat itself said that small and medium-sized enterprises that use bitumen emulsion were increasingly looking to produce their emulsions themselves at lower cost.

The company’s new range of EP 10 emulsion plants are equipped with the silent Bitumill emulsifier.

Bitumen emulsion is produced continuously at an output of 10 tonnes/h. The production temperature of bitumen emulsions is conventionally around 90° to 100°C, which is more than 20°C higher than the usual temperatures, and this extra energy is normally lost.

The EP 10 emulsion plant has a heat exchange system between the bitumen emulsion and water intended for preparing the soap. The water contained in a specific tank is initially heated using an electrical heating element to enable the first emulsion production of the day.

During subsequent production, this water, which circulates in a closed circuit through a heat exchanger, gradually heats up as the emulsion is being produced, and so additional energy intake is said to be unnecessary.

US firm Asphalt Drum Mixers (ADM) has introduced its EX Series asphalt plants with single-drum counterflow technology. It said the new plants offered high efficiency and a compact design for contractors with low to medium production needs.

The EX Series asphalt plants produce 100 to 425 tonnes/h at a very low cost per tonne, claimed ADM. They are said to have the longest aggregate drying and mixing times in the industry, and are capable of processing high percentages of RA.

Using counterflow technology, the EX Series has separate drying and mixing zones to achieve the maximum level of heat transfer and fuel efficiency, it said. Furthermore, this system is said virtually to eliminate unsafe hydrocarbon emissions, which are a common problem with other drum mix plants. To make the plants even more environmentally friendly, ADM designed the system to reintroduce residual gases back to the drum’s combustion zone.

Also, the plants are available in portable or stationary versions. The EX Series can be operated by just one plant operator and one loader operator, according to the company.

Stabiliser additions

New additions to the Wirtgen stabiliser line-up include the WR 200 and WR 250. The WR 200 is a smaller version of the WR 240 launched last year, and offers increased manoeuvrability over the larger version.

The WR 250, meanwhile, is described as is the most heavy-duty machine of the new WR generation. It is designed for stabilising heavy, swampy soils and for recycling and pulverisation jobs, where it can turn roadways up to 250mm thick into homogenous granulate.

Bomag is introducing optimised black steel faced BPR reversible vibratory plates equipped for the toughest site conditions. It will also launch three new tamper models – BVT 65, BT 65 and BT 60.

Bauma will also see the world premiere of the new series 5 articulated tandem rollers in the 6 to 8 tonne weight class. These compact rollers are designed for small- to medium-sized job sites.

Another launch will be the BF 900 C finisher, whose new auger and scraper chain drives are said to allow high volumes of asphalt to be conveyed and spread smoothly and efficiently, with maximum widths of up to 13m.

The Bomag earthworks division has a number of innovations for Bauma, the new generation of single-drum rollers in the 5 to 8 tonne class. In its special machinery section, Bomag is launching the MPH 600 soil stabiliser with its Flex Mix Technology. The company said the “infinitely adjustable” rotor allowed mix results to be changed and adjusted to local conditions. Its new additive spreader series includes the flagship model BS 160000 PROFI with 16m³ capacity and fully automatic metering control.

The first half of 2013 will see Ammann undertake its biggest market launch to date in the field of heavy compaction machinery.

The implementation of the latest engine technology throughout the product range of ride-on rollers will be accompanied by a complete review of the entire product range with regard to industrial design, ergonomics and operation.

New launches include its first ever 9-tonne roller with pivot steering. The ARX 90 is currently available with Stage IIIB/Tier 4 interim engines, and Tier 3A motorisation will become available during the course of 2013.

Ammann said the ARP 95 represented the flagship of its asphalt roller line. It said a highly-efficient compaction output, and broad and flexible area of application was offered by this tandem roller model from the 9-tonne class.

Meanwhile, the manufacturer said the new AFT 270 is the most compact tracked finisher in its range. The 3.5 tonne compact finisher is equipped with a new, gas or electric-powered ramming and vibrating screed – features that are said to prodice maximum pre-compaction and top asphalt quality.

The new Rammax 1575 CI articulated trench roller is the articulated counterpart to its Rammax 1515 skid-steered trench roller.

New generations

Wirtgen’s paver specialist, Joseph Vögele, will present eleven new products in the sector at Bauma, including its new Dash-3 generation of machines.

These are designed to lower fuel consumption, emissions and costs with a range of new features and feature new Stage IIIB engines. One key feature is a splitter gearbox, which separates systems for paving from those used just for travel.

There is also a variable speed tamper drive, which matches oil flow to the required compaction effort, and a variable speed fan, which automatically adjusts itself according to how much cooling the engine requires.

New screeds from Vögele include the AB 500 and AB 600, which feature an infinitely variable single-tube telescoping system for pave widths from 2m to 9.5m.

Bauma is where Guntert & Zimmerman (G&Z) will be introducing the S600 multi-purpose slip form paver to the European market, following its launch in the US.

The machine is designed to fulfil the need for a small- to medium-sized paver for city streets, secondary roads, highway and airport paving, as well as a wide range of other applications such as barrier walls, off-set paving and zero or minimum clearance paving, and canal lining.

The Accu Steer system allows the operator to rotate the crawler tracks independently almost a full circle for excellent manoeuvrability, and the Smart Leg system allows the paver operator or ground person to adjust the crawler track location while stationary or change the swing leg angle on the fly while automatically keeping the crawler tracking straight ahead.

It is available with G&Z’s No Line stringless paving kit, a software upgrade and hardware package to allow the use of total stations to help guide the machine. It is also available with a telescopic paving kit end section that allows the contractor to perform paving kit width changes without removing bolts or use of cranes and with just a one or two person crew. Each kit can add 915mm at either side of the paver.

New rollers from Wirtgen’s compaction specialist Hamm will include new 7 and 8 tonne articulated tandem machines in the HD+ range.

The new Stage IIIB-compliant 7 tonne, 1.50m wide HD+ 70i and 8 tonne, 1.68m drum width HD+ 80i are available as vibratory, oscillatory and combi rollers. All variants are factory fitted with the Hammtronic machine management system.

The company is also making three new additions to the H series of single drum compactors, in the shape of the H 11i, H 13i and H 16i from 11 to 16 tonnes.

Single-drum rollers

Atlas Copco’s road building brand, Dynapac, is completing its range of fifth generation single-drum rollers with the introduction of the CA1300, CA1500 and CA2000 models, after it introduced the larger and mid-range models last year.

The new rollers feature cross-mounted diesel engines and are said to produce low noise. They also feature the company’s Active Bouncing Control technology that prevents damage to the machine and over-compaction.

Using ECO Mode, the CA2500 – 6500 rollers, large asphalt rollers and new CG2300, are said to consume between 15% and 20% less diesel than the previous range without ECO Mode.

Another new launch comes in the form of the CG2300 roller, which features an electronic steering wheel for smooth and precise steering within a turning radius of 3.1m, while the CC1600 tandem roller will also be present on the stand – a machine that boasts 1.6m wide vibratory drums.

New pavers include the SD2550CS tracked paver with R300TVE rigid screed, which features an EU Stage IIIB-compliant engine. The F1200CS paver is also being introduced – a machine capable of laying down 300 tonnes per hour – while two wheeled pavers are also available in the form of the SD2500WS and F1700W.

Dynapac said the F1700W stood out for its power, economy, and its robust new design. The MF2500C material feeder is also new – a machine that the company claims is the only 2.5m feeder on the market. It is capable of feeding 27 tonnes of gravel, sand or asphalt in just 35 seconds.

The 9m maximum pave width P6870C ABG wheeled paver is the latest addition to the Volvo range. The company said it was quieter, more productive, and up to 30% more fuel efficient than its predecessor.

A key feature is the new fume extraction system, which is common across all of Volvo’s C-series pavers and is said to capture 83% of the fumes from the machine’s auger channel, protecting operators working on the machine. It comprises a fan on either side of the auger channel, which captures fumes and routes them into a duct system to be released at the paver’s canopy level.

Multiple launches

Three new Caterpillar road building machines will be on show at Bauma – the AP300D paver and the CB24B and CB34B XW compactors. The new paver boasts a turning radius of 1.65m and can pave to widths of up to 4m with bolt-on extensions.

Both the compactors meet US Tier 4 Final/EU Stage IV emission standards, but can also be fitted with other engines for lower regulated markets.

GOMACO will feature a variety of concrete paving equipment and new paving concepts at Bauma, including the G+ Connect control system, which it describes as “a system of unlimited possibilities designed specifically for maximum paver performance and ultimate rideability”.

The company will also be introducing its new four-track texture/cure machine, and all the machines in the stand will feature the G+ operating system.

The GHP-2800 slipform paver with G+ Connect will make its international debut in Munich. The Commander III and GT-3600 slipform pavers will also be there. They are capable of slipforming the various profiles demanded around the world, including irrigation canals, waterways and channels, cattle barn flooring, European-style step barrier, pathways, flat slabs up to 6m wide, and more.

Asphalt additives

Honeywell has introduced a line of additives for asphalt which are aimed at helping the paving industry decrease energy usage, reduce emissions and save money while helping meet demanding road specifications.

The new Honeywell Titan additives for asphalt are said to have been proved in real-life paving trials – subject to weather and paving practices – to reduce the fuel required to mix asphalt by 13% and harmful emissions generated by road paving by as much as 82%, while helping to minimise rutting.

Depending on the asphalt’s composition, using Honeywell Titan can also reduce the amount of additive required by nearly 30%, the company claimed.

It said that by adding small quantities of Honeywell Titan additives, asphalt flows as much as 60% to 80% more easily compared with asphalt modified with traditional technologies.

Improved asphalt fluidity allows for temperature reduction during both the manufacturing and paving processes, so less energy is needed and costs are reduced for both asphalt manufacturers and road pavers. In addition, asphalt formulated with Honeywell Titan doesn’t require high shear mix equipment, making it easy to handle and use.

Honeywell Titan additives also help meet demanding modified asphalt and road specifications, and can help minimise rutting when compared with other products. Decreased rutting could help roads last longer and decrease the amount of maintenance required.