CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NOVEMBER 2016

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS

NOVEMBER 2016

ROAD CONSTRUCTION

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

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

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.

VÖGELE TECHNOLOGIES LEND FLEXIBILITY TO

REHABILITATION PROJECTS

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

placing binder course.