Asphalt milling, paving & compaction

Research in the US has shown that using Intelligent Compaction (IC) for quality control purposes can lead to longer-lasting pavements and therefore lower whole life costs. Now the major roller manufacturers are investing heavily in developing new technologies that will meet emerging specifications in the States. “It may take five to ten years but I think that IC will be widely used for both soils, aggregate base and asphalt pavement materials in the US,” said Bob Horan, senior regional engineer at the Asph

Material transfer vehicles (MTVs) have become more and more popular over the years, particularly for large paving projects. These machines can help reduce materials segregation issues and also allow a more even heat profile in the mat, for more homogenous compaction. Roadtec has long held a strong position in this segment, with its highly successful Shuttle Buggy machine, which continues to be improved. However Roadtec is also now facing increasing competition from rival firms offering their own machines

A diverse array of advanced paver designs is now being offered in the asphalt paving sector – Mike Woof reports With the World of Asphalt and INTERMAT 2012 events having both taken place in recent months, a series of innovations have been introduced for the asphalt paving market. Developments have come to market that widen the array of both US and European asphalt paving systems and all the major manufacturers have developed new pavers and materials feeders to meet the latest emissions requirements. Demand

Asphalt compaction advances were unveiled from an array of manufacturers at the INTERMAT 2012 event - Mike Woof reports. With new emissions legislation being introduced, manufacturers are rolling out a range of new asphalt compaction models designed to meet the latest requirements. These include both large rollers for high-production highway operations and compact machines designed for the rental market and suited to urban applications, with the latter segment becoming particularly competitive at present.

UK company Aggregate Industries is now using a Super 1302-2 model paver from Vögele for on the island of Guernsey. The company's Guernsey subsidiary Ronez is using the machine for maintaining the island's narrow lanes as well as other paving duties.

Chile's highway system has fared remarkably well considering the severity of the massive earthquake that struck the country a few days ago. This is a crucial factor in ensuring that emergency help, food and other aid can reach the worst affected area in the south of the country quickly. The Vespucio Norte highway collapsed and while the Costanera Norte route was slightly damaged, the Vespucio Sur and Autopista Central highways were unaffected.

Delays are now expected on work to upgrade the Dhaka-Chittagong highway to dual carriageway status. This delay has been caused by a dispute with the consultant, the National Engineer Service of Pakistan (Nespak). The firm was contracted to monitor implementation of the project but is now requesting a larger fee to carry out the work.

Cooper Technology, among the leaders in the design and manufacture of computercontrolled testing equipment for asphaltic and unbound materials, has unveiled its next generation of intelligent technology. New developments to the pioneering company's standalone four-point bending beam (BB) machine SA4PT Control Unit MKII that facilitates the rapid throughput of modulus and fatigue tests, now integrates the fully automated software of the Beam Flex V3 1.0.

A loan from the Philippines-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) will help Sri Lanka rebuild roads damaged by its civil war. The US$154.4 million credit facility will be put toward projects such as repairing or replacing bridges and around 140km of provincial roads that were damaged in the north of Sri Lanka, where the civil war was most intense.

The Wirtgen Group has held a highly successful Technology Days event at the brand new Kleemann facility in Göppingen near Stuttgart. Some 2,600 people attended this year's event, the largest of the three held so far by the firm. A key focus for this year was highlighting the full integration of the Kleemann crushing equipment operation within the Wirtgen Group. The previous Technology Days events were held at the Hamm facility in Tirschenreuth and at the Wirtgen headquarters in Windhagen. Following the Kle