Features

In Germany a high production paving operation has been achieved using the largest machine available on the market. This project is all the more notable as the operation has been carried out in a continuous process, without joints. The Vögele SUPER 3000-2 paver was able to advance continuously at a rate of almost 4m/min. The machine was preceded by a bustle of activity, for no fewer than 24 feed lorries were needed to ensure an uninterrupted supply of mix to the paver, which placed an even asphalt surfacing

Two Volvo ABG7820 slope pavers are being used to refurbish a 2,000,000m3 reservoir in Hieflau Styria, Austria. The machines are paving an extra high bitumen content asphalt that is watertight and have been modified to cope with the 34° embankments. The pavers were supplied by the Swiss dealer Robert Aebi and the modifications include tiltadjustable operating platforms to boost operator safety and comfort on the slope. The pavers are being operated by Walo Bertschinger, a Swiss company with a specialist dam

MeadWestvaco (MWV) says that its Evotherm warm mix asphalt technology is now approved by the Colorado Department of Transportation (Colorado DOT) for use in statewide paving projects. The warm mix asphalt system can be used in any traditional hot-mix asphalt application, but with significantly lower temperatures required for paving application. This feature is particularly useful in Colorado's high altitude paving projects and has been tested extensively.

Sophisticated new paving technologies are coming to market that will help boost quality and performance. New paving technologies are being introduced to meet the differing demands of both North American and European customers. Although North American and European paving techniques do vary, there are also some control technologies being introduced that will help quality for both approaches.

Twin-layer paving offers high quality, long lasting road surfaces to be constructed. Paver manufacturer Dynapac is one of the pioneers of the twin-layer paving technique, which it calls Compactasphalt. According to Dynapac this method offers major benefits to contractors and clients alike as roads surfaced using this technique last longer and are cheaper to maintain. To ensure contractors have maximum utilisation of their machines, Dynapac offers a modular paver system that can be operated using the convent

More sophisticated compaction technologies are now coming to market, offering a wide range of benefits to users

Tony Pearce, honorary life member and former director-general of IRF Geneva, recalls the history of the Silk Roads, highlights their continued economic relevance and introduces IRF's active long-term commitment to their rehabilitation. The Silk Roads had their origins in a Chinese military mission in 138BC to purchase horses in Central Asia's Fergana Valley that were reputed to run so fast that they sweated blood. When General Chang Ch'ien reached Fergana, now in Uzbekistan, he found that the fabled horses

A Europe without borders is an attractive prospect for the construction and design industries, claim supporters of Eurocodes. For all companies involved in the construction and infrastructure sectors, Swedish company Trelleborg for example, new Eurocode regulations will have decisive importance. So says Professor Haig Gulvanessian, one of the experts involved in developing the codes, which are a series of 10 European Standards (EN 1990-EN 1999) providing a common approach for the design of buildings and oth