Earthmoving & soil compaction

Foundation specialist Forasol has developed an innovative technique for anchor drilling that is improving ground consolidation on road projects in Switzerland. The technique has been widely used on a number of highway projects in the country, including construction of a new 1.3km long cut-and-cover trench for the A9 highway in south western Switzerland.

'Le Barbare' or The Barbarian, the biggest wheel loader in the Caterpillar range, had already clocked up a respected 48,000 hours of heavy duty in the Belgian quarry Carrieres d'Antoing when a need for a bit of rejuvenation was identified. To carry out this careful operation, the local Caterpillar dealer Bergerat Monnoyeur tore the impressive 193tonne 994D wheel loader into thousands of pieces, reworked them all and then reassembled the whole machine with new or refreshed parts: it performed a full rebuild

Innovations in materials technology, as well as machines, could provide a major boost to the concrete paving sector - Mike Woof reports Development of new material technologies for the concrete paving sector continues apace and the latest innovations could provide the biggest boost for this market in many years. High performance cementitious material (HPCM) is an innovative concept that has been developed and tested for road surfacing applications as part of a project in which the UK's Transport Research La

The drill and blast contractor Technical Drilling and Blasting in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is standardising on Sandvik rock tools for its fleet of drill rigs. The firm operates across Fujeirah, providing quality gabbro aggregates for construction projects in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Recognised as one of the worlds hardest rocks, gabbro features a typical density in excess of 3tonnes/m, a crushing factor of 10 and a 61% silica content and demand remains strong for this quality construction material. Every

Volvo graders have made an important contribution on upgrades to a 150km stretch of the NH7 highway, one of India's most important road links. The NH7 highway is an impressive 2,369km in length, linking the town of Kanyakumari, perched on the southern-most point of the Indian mainland where the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean meet, with the north-eastern holy city of Varanasi on the banks of the river Ganges.

Three years of development and field trials have resulted in the proven SparkMaster system from ASL. This sophisticated initiator is said to meet the needs of explosive engineers requiring a reliable shocktube-based system. The SparkMaster has been designed to suit an array of site conditions and can provide reliability even in challenging environments. The solid-state, ergonomically-designed unit is portable, robust, highly-visible and weighs just 700grammes. It can be operated while still inside its weath

Hitachi is boosting its wheeled loader line with the addition of two new ZW models, the ZW140 and ZW150. These machines join the proven ZW180, ZW220, ZW250 and ZW310 and share many technical features. High performance is claimed and the ZW140 and ZW150 are powered by powerful yet economical and durable engines, delivering 96 and 107kW respectively. Fuel consumption is reduced while productivity has been increased across a range of duties. An innovative hydrostatic drive system (HST) is fitted that is said t

Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) has announced a significant new addition to its popular Zaxis-3 range of excavators, the ZX14-3, highlighting a new level of performance. Filling an important gap in the 1-2 tonne class, the new model has been developed to compete in the general construction sector and strengthens the Japanese manufacturer's position in the mini excavator market. Basic and durable, the ZX14-3 is easy to operate, while its compact and lightweight design allows it to be transported by t

Work is progressing apace on the biggest infrastructure project in Europe, the Transylvania Motorway or Autostrada Transilvania (A3) in Romania, with completion scheduled for 2013. The four-lane, 415km motorway, stretching northwest from Brasov in central Romania, at an altitude of nearly 600m, will reach the country's northwestern border with Hungary at Oradea in Câmpia Crisanei at 130m above sea level, and will connect the cities of Brasov, Fagaras, Sighisoara, Târgu Mures, Cluj-Napoca, Zalau and Oradea.

Mike Woof reviews the latest compaction market developments In the run-up to the upcoming World of Asphalt event in Orlando, Florida in March, the leading compaction equipment firms are rolling out upgraded and improved machines. With market conditions tough worldwide, customers are also likely to be encouraged with competitive deals on purchasing new machines and replacing ageing fleets.