Asphalt milling, paving & compaction

Specialised swale construction featured in Northern England recently UK contractor Balfour Beatty examined different methods for building swales along the Norwich Northern Distributor Road near the English city of Norwich. Balfour decided to trial specialised road-widening machines, specially configured excavator buckets and modified compaction equipment. Excavators and dump trucks prepared the area for placement of sub-base material. The swale areas were constructed using both conventional methods as wel

Caterpillar is introducing a new rubber tyred compactor designed for use on granular materials and all types of asphalt-mix designs. The firm says that its new CW16 pneumatic roller is available as a standard nine-wheel model with a 1754mm compaction width or as an optional 11-wheel model with a 2,132mm compaction width. The CW16 is designed for efficient performance on highways, city streets, county roads, lane additions, industrial sites, overlays, or other mid-size jobs. Depending on ballast used (inclu

Volvo CE is expanding its offering for the asphalt compaction market with the availability of a new model that features oscillation. The firm says that the DD 105 OSC is first of a new generation of double drum asphalt compactors from the firm that it says have been developed to deliver high compaction performance while offering a low fuel consumption. Offering oscillation type compaction is a major development for Volvo CE, a package that broadens the firm’s road machinery range. The advantage of the osci

Hydrodemolition is being used for repairing airport runways, making the process faster and improving quality. According to Aquajet Systems, its high-pressure water jets can be used for the controlled removal or scarification of concrete, as well as the removal of paint and rubber, leaving a fresh surface. The Aqua Cutter hydrodemolition robots are said to be highly efficient when working on concrete runway surfaces. The operator controls the high-pressured ceramic nozzles from a distance, adjusting the s

The US-based specialist Asphalt Systems Inc (ASI) says that if used properly, its GSB products can maintain asphalt pavement condition for decades. The company says that field trials and studies support the asphalt life extension claims for the product. During the 1990s, an ASI GSB sealer was evaluated through two independent field trials in Oregon – Portland International Airport (PDX) and Mulino State Airport (4S9). In both cases, the sealer was applied as a part of a preventive maintenance programme, and

Recycling of materials has been carried out at Cologne/Bonn Airport in a move to boost efficiency Using the Wirtgen KMA 220 mobile cold recycling mixing plant allows road construction materials to be recycled or upgraded onsite and avoids the need for numerous transport trips. The system is also economical, as became clear from a job at Cologne/Bonn airport at the end of 2017. There the plant, located immediately next to the job site, produced around 11,000tonnes of materials for a hydraulically bound ba

Specifiers must do more than just scratch the surface of asphalt specification, urges Keith Harvey* Improving the UK’s road network is a serious business. Amid an escalating population, 2016 saw a colossal 916,000 new vehicles registered in the country. The was a leap of 5% on the year before, bringing the total number of vehicles on our roads to 36.7 million, according to UK government figures. What is perhaps even more concerning, however, is the surge in commercial vehicle use of the network. As he