Features

A trio of leading global construction equipment manufacturers have released innovative hybrid excavators. Guy Woodford reports on the new models Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) has launched the first of a new generation of excavators, the ZH210LC-5 hybrid. The latest innovative Zaxis-5 model has been designed to deliver reliable performance with fewer emissions and less fuel than the ZX210-3 model.

The road infrastructure sector, in its strive to deliver better products for its customers, such as road authorities, has worked hard to develop innovative solutions. These are intended to be more durable, making them more cost-effective in the long-run, and also more environmentally friendly. In its efforts, however, it has often been frustrated by a rigid legal framework that leaves little room for manoeuvre to its customers. Until last year, existing rules for public procurement at EU level gave almost u

Investigating the options for green roadmarkings solutions - *Dr Alexander Klein reports Global challenges such as climate change, urbanisation and aging societies are increasingly becoming more important in managing any industry today. Road markings must ensure traffic safety. But there are differences among them—in terms of functionality and performance and eco-friendliness. A certified life cycle assessment for major road marking materials and application technologies has found that cold plastic agglome

The revolutionary AUD$4.8 billion Airport Link has delivered a landmark infrastructure project for Australia, tackling traffic congestion, enhancing the busway network and removing an infamous traffic bottleneck through an innovative and inspired design. The Airport Link in Brisbane, Australia included three separate projects – the Northern Busway (a 3km two-way dedicated busway), the Airport Roundabout Upgrade and the AirportlinkM7 (a 6.7km toll road including 5.2km of tunnel). Together, they represent the

Further changes in the vehicle swept path software seem to have been triggered by last year's purchase of the UK's Savoy Computing by Autodesk and subsequent incorporation of its swept path and roundabout design tools into Autodesk's own portfolio. They are now sold as the standalone program Vehicle Tracking 2014. Transoft Solutions, the Canadian-based company has now purchased the Swedish swept path software producer Simtra which only just released a new version of its PathPlanner program. Transoft itse

Even before its annual spring upgrade announcements, covering all the major software from AutoCAD to Civil 3D, the giant Autodesk has been releasing a stream of changes. Some of these cover recent acquisitions such as the French Graitec software for detailing and design of concrete and steel structures, now through its legal processes, and the Bestech acquisition. In both cases the software is re-released under an Autodesk brand to ensure continuity for users "and with a price reduction," said Autodesk c

The two-way flow of machine data is a crucial issue for machine optimisation and new telematics systems are becoming increasingly important in construction Telematics systems can be tapped into by machine control technologies to allow greater integration of the machine as a data provider within an operation. And for certain production machines that feature wear-intensive operation, telematics systems are becoming a vital tool for minimising maintenance costs by scheduling service intervals, maximising u