Capital Equipment News November 2016

ROAD CONSTRUCTION

VÖGELE TECHNOLOGIES LEND FLEXIBILITY TO REHABILITATION PROJECTS

I n many countries, construction com- panies are hired to rehabilitate exist- ing roads frequently than to build new ones. In addition to the conventional process of milling off the surface and replacing the asphalt pavement, two other methods exist that are gaining ground world- wide: paving thin overlay on spray seal and the “hot on hot” paving of compact asphalt pavements. The two methods were made possible by Joseph Vögele AG, part of the Wirtgen Group, and its specially developed machine technologies. The road construction machin- ery specialist has now combined the two innovations into one. The solution emerged with and for Rask Brandenburg GmbH, a cus- tomer that specialises extensively in modern methods of rehabilitation. The machines behind the modern methods of road rehabilitation are the SUPER 1800- 3i SprayJet paver (for thin overlay) and the Vögele InLine Pave train (for compact asphalt pavements). The latter comprises a Vögele MT 3000-2i Offset PowerFeeder, a SUPER 2100-3i IP for placing binder course and another Vögele paver for the surface course. “With our InLine Pave train and the SUPER 1800-3i SprayJet as the surface course paver, we really have a jack of all trades in our machine fleet,” says Bernd Malcharek, president of Rask Brandenburg GmbH. The combination of leading technolo- gies from Vögele gives us maximum flexibili- ty.” The underlying idea is that Rask Branden- burg can take on conventional paving jobs in future, and still be prepared for thin overlay and compact asphalt paving. The future Malcharek belives that paving thin overlay and compact asphalt are the future. Just a few weeks after shipment, the SUPER

are one of the main reasons why more and more companies are choosing InLine Pave,” says Ray Löffler, general manager of Wirtgen Zwickau, who is responsible for Rask Bran- denburg GmbH. “The InLine Pave process is fully developed and increasingly winning over the market.” Meanwhile, a durable binder course is ensured, thanks to Vögele high compaction technology. Equipped with an AB 600 TP2 Plus Extending Screed, the SUPER 2100-3i IP places a highly compacted binder course that the surface course paver can travel over it without prior rolling. This is made possible by another core innovation: high compaction technology with Vögele’s unique pulsed- flow hydraulics. In this step, the asphalt is pre-compacted during paving by a tamper and two pressure bars. Advantages of SprayJet technology For Rask Brandenburg, VÖGELE adapted the technology on the SUPER 1800-3i SprayJet in such a way that the machine can take over the job of paving the surface course in the InLine Pave train. The machine operates here in the conventional manner, i.e. not in spray mode. This is because the “hot on hot” method achieves a perfect bond between layers and strong interlocking, even without spraying bitumen emulsion. The modifications made to the SUPER 1800-3i SprayJet include the incorporation of a water spray system and wider crawler tracks. For spray applications, the paver is equipped with a removable SprayJet module, which enables it to simultaneously pave and accurately spray the emulsion. After the surface course is paved (by the SUPER 1800-3i SprayJet in the case of Rask), rollers are used as usual to achieve final compaction. b

1800-3i SprayJet had already clocked 600 operating hours, all of them spent on spray paver jobs; “hot on hot” jobs using InLine Pave technology. “The future belongs to this process. Construction projects can be completed quickly, and that benefits traffic flows. They are cost-efficient, in part because the step of pre-spraying emulsion is entirely eliminated. And the results are high-quality, because the bond between layers is outstanding,” says Roland Schug, head of Marketing at Vögele. When it comes to rehabilitation with the compact asphalt method alongside flowing traffic, in the InLine Pave process, the bind- er and surface courses are paved “hot on hot” in a single pass. In other words, the two Vögele pavers work “in line”, with just a few metres between them, so that one lane can remain open to traffic. A Vögele MT 3000-2i Offset PowerFeeder with pivot- ing conveyor and automatic distance control ensures a continuous supply of material. The paver operators can therefore concen- trate entirely on paving. Placing binder course The central technological component of the InLine Pave process is the SUPER 2100-3i IP for placing binder course. Apart from the innovations of the latest “Dash 3” paver generation, the advanced machine has an entirely redesigned transfer module whose heated conveyor system has been extended by 1 m. It transfers the mix for the surface course to the downstream paver. At a defined point, the new transfer mod- ule can easily be removed, a feature that boosts the machine’s capacity utilisation. What is more, the height of the seats on the two operator’s platforms can now be adjust- ed hydraulically. “Advancements like this

In the middle of the Vögele InLine Pave train is the new SUPER 2100-3i IP for placing binder course.

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