Asphalt Pavers: Doing More With Less
A host of new interventions are helping pavers deliver higher productivity, better paving quality and surface finish, along with speed for faster completion of projects. NBM&CW reports.
Manufacturers are giving a facelift to their pavers by incorporating new technologies and intelligent systems. While the aim is to achieve better throughput, they are also considering innovations to reduce operator fatigue and machine optimization so that they can bring more value to their customers.
“VÖGELE has come up with an innovative and economical solution for the road construction sector,” informs Ramesh Palagiri, Managing Director & CEO - Wirtgen India, “Our most recent innovation is the Road Scan temperature measurement system, which helps the paver operator to know the exact temperature of the mix - as it is being paved, and also later - through the recorded data. Making quality measurable is one of the major challenges for contractors and clients worldwide. In road construction, it is particularly important to verify that a constant temperature of the freshly paved asphalt has been maintained, as this is a key criterion for ensuring the quality and durability of roads. As a result, the significance of area-wide temperature monitoring is currently on the rise in many markets.”
VÖGELE’s other innovations include pressure bars and electric heating of the screed, Niveltronic Plus operating concept and Ergo Plus operator features. Its Dash-3 pavers also offer the Eco Plus for saving fuel, Auto Set Plus, Pave Dock Assistant, etc. VÖGELE also offers technologies like the Spray Jet paver that does the tack coat and paving with the same paver; Mobile Power feeders that are being used for building airport runways and expressways; and the Inline paving technology, with which the binder and surface courses are paved "hot on hot" in a single pass, thereby accelerating activities on a job site. In other words, the two VÖGELE pavers work "in line", with just a few meters between them, so that one lane can remain open to traffic.
A VÖGELE MT 3000-2i Offset Power Feeder with pivoting conveyor and automatic distance control ensures a continuous supply of material. The operator can therefore concentrate entirely on paving. VÖGELE has pulled off a hat trick with this development, having speeded up paving considerably, cut costs, and improved road durability.
The company’s asphalt pavers are offered in ranges of 0.5 mtr up to 16 mtrs. Mini Class, Compact Class, Universal Class, Highway Class and Special class. The Dash-3 generation of pavers offer customers an up-to-date, cost efficient paver technology that simultaneously makes a measurable contribution towards environmental protection.
“Generally, the paving quality of any road is defined by the ability of the paver to satisfy three requirements in line with the highway design: mat thickness, level of the mat, and the grade required. Regular pavers without sensors follow the undulations of the road base and are therefore unable to give a smooth finish to a paved surface. However, sensor pavers have intelligent operating technology that helps the machine deliver on these three requirements,” informs Palagiri.
Ammann has a wide product portfolio to cater to all the segments of road construction – national highway state highway city roads and rural roads. Says Girish Dixit, GM-R&D - Division Machines, Ammann India, “Our Mechanical Paver model WM6 can be used to pave up to 4.5 meters, Hydraulic sensor paver in wheeled version, model AP 550 up to 5.5 meter paving, AP600 up to 7 meter paving. We offer track pavers for special applications with better traction requirements, our models AP800 and newly developed paver with advanced AMMANN technology model AFT 500 can pave up to 7 meter in varieties of applications.
A key feature of the our pavers is their ability to Pave in varieties of applications in sub base and top layer wearing course of the road construction. Our unique design features enables less wear & tear of the components amounts to lower maintenance and operating cost of the machine . We have developed pavers with several options to suit many applications requirements, where customers are can choose different options including diesel heating OR gas heating systems
Reveals Dixit, “To bring more operational flexibility in our pavers, we will be introducing electrical screed heating system also which makes our products versatile for any type of application.
Ammann-Apollo pavers equipped with electronic grade and slope sensors ensures the right mat thickness and achieve greater level of paving accuracy. Dixit says, “The material hoppers of our pavers are designed to match productivity requirements. 5 mts class pavers are with 10 ton hopper capacity whereas 7 meters class with 12 ton and 9 mts class with 13 ton capacity.
He informs that Apollo unique design 9 meter class paver AP1000 designed to meet customer requirement with more operational flexibility, AP 1000, can be paved up to 10 meters for some applications including dry lean concrete paving.
As per Government of India regulatory requirements, All the pavers models will be launched with BS4 emission norms effective from October 2020. Apollo and Ammann branded pavers are fitted with engines from reputed manufacturers like Cummins, Ashok Leyland and Kirloskar. Says Dixit, “Our pavers are known for more productivity with less operating cost and ease of maintenance. Use of highly reliable components makes the product usage for increased lifetime. Ammann which sells its machines through its direct sales channels has its in-house product support and service network. As a world leader in road construction equipment manufacturer, Ammann always works with customers as “Productivity partnership for a Lifetime”.
Volvo CE’s latest P5320B ABG for the road building industry boasts innovative features such as load-sensing hydraulics so that hydraulic output is perfectly matched to all components. An automatic hydraulic track tensioner delivers smoother operation while simultaneously reducing wear and downtime. The Volvo Omni V screed provides variable width on the go. The electronically ignited gas heating system, designed with flame failure protection, quickly and efficiently heats the screed plate, while the LPG blower burner system provides uniform heat for a smooth mat finish, with quality pre-compaction.
Volvo CE’s two sensor paver models manufactured at its Bangalore plant are the P4370B ABG and the P5320B ABG. The P4370B ABG is a wheeled sensor paver powered by an 88 kW engine and has a basic paving width of 2.5 m. It can deliver a paving output of 600 tons per hour. The P5320B ABG is a tracked sensor paver similarly powered by an 88 kW engine. This high power is delivered with minimal noise and low fuel consumption. The P5320B ABG also has a paving output of 600 tons per hour although it has a longer basic paving width of 4.75 m. Both machines have maximum paving widths of 7 m.
Dimitrov Krishnan, Vice President & Head Volvo CE India, informs that the company’s most popular paver is the P6820C ABG, which offers paving widths of 2.5 m to 10 m. Volvo Variomatic screeds provide customers with hydraulically extending widths. The machine can also be configured with manual screeds. The P6820C is powered by a 142 kW engine and has a paving output of 700 tons per hour. In the foreseeable future, we expect a healthy and consistent demand for the P4370B ABG, the P5320B ABG, the P6820C ABG, and our other sensor pavers which include units built at our German factory in widths of 9 m, 10 m, 13 m, and 16 m.”
“Road building contractors are being pressurized to increase productivity both in the size of the roads they build and the speed with which they complete them. We are seeing increased interest in sensor pavers that help contractors do more with less, such as the P5320ABG paver that has many innovative features to reduce wear and downtime,” he says.
Unipave, which believes in continuous updating of its machine as per the market demand, has introduced Sensor Paver Finishers. That apart, the company has a wide range of pavers in the mechanical segment with different upgradations. Avers Vishal Surelia, Managing Partner Unipave Engineering Products, (he is the third generation to carry forward the business of Unipave started by Late Shri Hansrajbhai Surelia), “Our pavers are indigenously designed for a wide range of applications, besides being cost-efficient, which has made us one of the leading paver finisher brands in India. Our range includes mechanical and sensor pavers for working with bituminous, wet mix, DLC, GSB, and DBM materials. We have 5 models in mechanical and 5 in sensor. More than 1550 pavers have been installed worldwide successfully.”
Unipave is offering hydrostatic transmission ESP O5 paver of 300 TPH capacity, with hopper capacity 4.25 CM, paving width 2.5 m to 5.5 m, a weight of 14,100 kg, and options with paving width attachment up to 6.0 m. It is powered by Kirloskar engine or equivalent, generating 125 hp at 2200 rpm. The engine has sufficient space on all sides for air draft and cooling and is easily accessible for daily maintenance like checking engine oil, coolant water level, engine suction filter etc. The engine starter and alternator can also be easily removed for maintenance. Gauges like engine temperature, oil pressure and ampere meter are on the sliding panel and visible from operator's seat. Along with the high-quality hydraulic pumps, motors and hose pipes, utmost care has been taken in the selection of joints so as to minimize chances of hydraulic oil leakage. The '0' rings, grooves are of proper match for a longer life and there is maximum use of MS pipes as they take up less space; can be easily clamped; and they reduce chances of leakage.
The ESP-O5 has a provision for thickness and level control as per the job requirements. It is Electro Auto and Manual mode compatible; in Auto mode, electronic sensor control of MOBA, Germany is used. The company is also offering ASP 075 sensor pavers powered by Ashok Leyland water-cooled diesel engine that delivers 158 hp (118 kW) @ 2300 rpm or equivalent 12 V DC and features MOBA sensor. The machine has a 500 TPH laying capacity and 300 mm laying thickness. The machine is equipped with MOBA made dashboard and electric heating facility. The separate drives for conveyor and augur controlled by MOBA Sensor that gives peaceful and hazardous free work.
Surelia informs that sensor pavers have gained a market share of 70%. “Our latest Sensor Paver Model ASP-075 have received a very positive response. Today, for less undulation, sonic Big Ski is an ultra-super technology, which is compatible with all our sensor paver models. Our pavers are approved by ARAI and have the necessary safety measures. In terms of reliability, we are using standard components in the machines to provide better performance and high uptime.”
He informs, "We will soon launch our new redesign model ACP-09, which is known as Autopave 09 and equipped with features like Moba make Dashboard and electric heating facility with new German make gearbox."
Unipave paver finisher models are equipped with solenoid valves instead of spool valves, which gives ease of operation as they can be operated by switches provided in the control panel as well as from consoles fitted on the screed. Two seats for operators provides them the option to operate the machine from either the left or the right side, that is, from where the reference line is most visible. HAP-045HD is a new generation mechanical paver which is equipped with hydraulic transmission that give less maintenance with compare to other tire coupling pully bet system which are purely maintenance taking items.
Dynapac is offering 9m / 9.7m and 14m asphalt pavers. The most recent and the most popular model, according to Vishwesh Rai, National Sales Manager, Dynapac Road Construction Equipment India, is the SD2530CS of 9.7m working width, and can take up to 250mm thickness in single pass. It is powered with Cummins 142 KW QSB electronic engine which can take up higher loads of gravel paving, and is suitable for DLC / WMM / DBM and BC applications. Similarly, the SD2550CS paver can also take up to 14m working width of 350mm thickness.
Says Rai, “Mostly, all new projects are awarded with flexible pavements so demand for asphalt pavers will continue to grow. With new greenfield projects in consideration, customers will opt for 13m segment pavers. There will also be a new drive for the 10m pavers for doing WMM in a single pass. Overall, the market for 9m / 10m and 13 m segments will see a substantial growth in the coming months.
Performance Boost with Intelligent Solutions
Wirtgen’s WITOS Paving Plus software-based process management solution for VÖGELE pavers networks all players from the mixing plant to the paver operator. It consists of five modules that allow job-site planning (control), supply of the mix (materials), transport of the mix (transport), asphalt paving (job site), and subsequent analysis of the processes (analysis), to be controlled in real time, using a single system. Site managers and paving teams can respond quickly and appropriately to possible faults and make processes more efficient.
Elaborates Palagiri: “With WITOS Paving Docu, site managers and foremen can get started directly on the job site without any prior planning and record additional paver and paving data, such as working widths, paving speed, interruptions to the paving work, and the effective paving time. Delivery notes can be scanned by using a QR code or entered manually, allowing paved areas, paved material quantities and areal densities to be calculated continuously. At the end of a day's paving, job-site reports are sent automatically by e-mail to selected recipients. The app and the paver are networked via WLAN, so information can be exchanged between the machine and the operator’s smartphone, even where there is no mobile phone connection.”
Volvo CE’s on-board computer and display Pave Assist, powered by Volvo Co-Pilot, provides real-time insight into the operations, so one can monitor the progress and output of the work independently and confidently. The data can be stored on the cloud and accessed remotely, allowing complete paving management.
Dynapac range of pavers come with gas and electric heating options depending on the application requirement. The pavers can take up to 1100 TPH capacity at peak loads with the help of the company’s advanced PLC control system (PAVE MANAGER), Bigger augurs and wider conveyor arrangement. Dynapac Screeds are best in class & the most reliable due to its 4 tube principle design.
Informs Rai, “Dynapac pavers are very stable, thanks to our ALPHATRACK which is wider and longer (than pavers of other companies) and can therefore handle higher loads. Our pavers come with a range of grade and slope controls, in fact, our new technology has enabled a 3D set-up for controlling the fineness of road surfaces. Our contact-less sensors (BIG SONIC SKI) are mostly used in the Indian market as customers today are asking for 3D technology with remote access.”
The company offers special gravel kit for paving WMM material to reduce wear and tear of pavers. All SD range of pavers are equipped with Dyn@link advance for optimisation of paving parameters. Dyn@link also enables fuel consumption track record, service alerts, geofencing, engine parameters etc.
While the new-gen pavers boast superior features and improved performance due to their intelligent systems, manufacturers must ensure timely technical support to their customers for optimum utilizations of the machines. This will enable them to derive the benefits for a longer lifecycle of the products.
Manufacturers are giving a facelift to their pavers by incorporating new technologies and intelligent systems. While the aim is to achieve better throughput, they are also considering innovations to reduce operator fatigue and machine optimization so that they can bring more value to their customers.
VÖGELE’s other innovations include pressure bars and electric heating of the screed, Niveltronic Plus operating concept and Ergo Plus operator features. Its Dash-3 pavers also offer the Eco Plus for saving fuel, Auto Set Plus, Pave Dock Assistant, etc. VÖGELE also offers technologies like the Spray Jet paver that does the tack coat and paving with the same paver; Mobile Power feeders that are being used for building airport runways and expressways; and the Inline paving technology, with which the binder and surface courses are paved "hot on hot" in a single pass, thereby accelerating activities on a job site. In other words, the two VÖGELE pavers work "in line", with just a few meters between them, so that one lane can remain open to traffic.
A VÖGELE MT 3000-2i Offset Power Feeder with pivoting conveyor and automatic distance control ensures a continuous supply of material. The operator can therefore concentrate entirely on paving. VÖGELE has pulled off a hat trick with this development, having speeded up paving considerably, cut costs, and improved road durability.
The company’s asphalt pavers are offered in ranges of 0.5 mtr up to 16 mtrs. Mini Class, Compact Class, Universal Class, Highway Class and Special class. The Dash-3 generation of pavers offer customers an up-to-date, cost efficient paver technology that simultaneously makes a measurable contribution towards environmental protection.
“Generally, the paving quality of any road is defined by the ability of the paver to satisfy three requirements in line with the highway design: mat thickness, level of the mat, and the grade required. Regular pavers without sensors follow the undulations of the road base and are therefore unable to give a smooth finish to a paved surface. However, sensor pavers have intelligent operating technology that helps the machine deliver on these three requirements,” informs Palagiri.
A key feature of the our pavers is their ability to Pave in varieties of applications in sub base and top layer wearing course of the road construction. Our unique design features enables less wear & tear of the components amounts to lower maintenance and operating cost of the machine . We have developed pavers with several options to suit many applications requirements, where customers are can choose different options including diesel heating OR gas heating systems
Reveals Dixit, “To bring more operational flexibility in our pavers, we will be introducing electrical screed heating system also which makes our products versatile for any type of application.
Ammann-Apollo pavers equipped with electronic grade and slope sensors ensures the right mat thickness and achieve greater level of paving accuracy. Dixit says, “The material hoppers of our pavers are designed to match productivity requirements. 5 mts class pavers are with 10 ton hopper capacity whereas 7 meters class with 12 ton and 9 mts class with 13 ton capacity.
He informs that Apollo unique design 9 meter class paver AP1000 designed to meet customer requirement with more operational flexibility, AP 1000, can be paved up to 10 meters for some applications including dry lean concrete paving.
As per Government of India regulatory requirements, All the pavers models will be launched with BS4 emission norms effective from October 2020. Apollo and Ammann branded pavers are fitted with engines from reputed manufacturers like Cummins, Ashok Leyland and Kirloskar. Says Dixit, “Our pavers are known for more productivity with less operating cost and ease of maintenance. Use of highly reliable components makes the product usage for increased lifetime. Ammann which sells its machines through its direct sales channels has its in-house product support and service network. As a world leader in road construction equipment manufacturer, Ammann always works with customers as “Productivity partnership for a Lifetime”.
Volvo CE’s latest P5320B ABG for the road building industry boasts innovative features such as load-sensing hydraulics so that hydraulic output is perfectly matched to all components. An automatic hydraulic track tensioner delivers smoother operation while simultaneously reducing wear and downtime. The Volvo Omni V screed provides variable width on the go. The electronically ignited gas heating system, designed with flame failure protection, quickly and efficiently heats the screed plate, while the LPG blower burner system provides uniform heat for a smooth mat finish, with quality pre-compaction.
Volvo CE’s two sensor paver models manufactured at its Bangalore plant are the P4370B ABG and the P5320B ABG. The P4370B ABG is a wheeled sensor paver powered by an 88 kW engine and has a basic paving width of 2.5 m. It can deliver a paving output of 600 tons per hour. The P5320B ABG is a tracked sensor paver similarly powered by an 88 kW engine. This high power is delivered with minimal noise and low fuel consumption. The P5320B ABG also has a paving output of 600 tons per hour although it has a longer basic paving width of 4.75 m. Both machines have maximum paving widths of 7 m.
“Road building contractors are being pressurized to increase productivity both in the size of the roads they build and the speed with which they complete them. We are seeing increased interest in sensor pavers that help contractors do more with less, such as the P5320ABG paver that has many innovative features to reduce wear and downtime,” he says.
Unipave is offering hydrostatic transmission ESP O5 paver of 300 TPH capacity, with hopper capacity 4.25 CM, paving width 2.5 m to 5.5 m, a weight of 14,100 kg, and options with paving width attachment up to 6.0 m. It is powered by Kirloskar engine or equivalent, generating 125 hp at 2200 rpm. The engine has sufficient space on all sides for air draft and cooling and is easily accessible for daily maintenance like checking engine oil, coolant water level, engine suction filter etc. The engine starter and alternator can also be easily removed for maintenance. Gauges like engine temperature, oil pressure and ampere meter are on the sliding panel and visible from operator's seat. Along with the high-quality hydraulic pumps, motors and hose pipes, utmost care has been taken in the selection of joints so as to minimize chances of hydraulic oil leakage. The '0' rings, grooves are of proper match for a longer life and there is maximum use of MS pipes as they take up less space; can be easily clamped; and they reduce chances of leakage.
The ESP-O5 has a provision for thickness and level control as per the job requirements. It is Electro Auto and Manual mode compatible; in Auto mode, electronic sensor control of MOBA, Germany is used. The company is also offering ASP 075 sensor pavers powered by Ashok Leyland water-cooled diesel engine that delivers 158 hp (118 kW) @ 2300 rpm or equivalent 12 V DC and features MOBA sensor. The machine has a 500 TPH laying capacity and 300 mm laying thickness. The machine is equipped with MOBA made dashboard and electric heating facility. The separate drives for conveyor and augur controlled by MOBA Sensor that gives peaceful and hazardous free work.
Surelia informs that sensor pavers have gained a market share of 70%. “Our latest Sensor Paver Model ASP-075 have received a very positive response. Today, for less undulation, sonic Big Ski is an ultra-super technology, which is compatible with all our sensor paver models. Our pavers are approved by ARAI and have the necessary safety measures. In terms of reliability, we are using standard components in the machines to provide better performance and high uptime.”
He informs, "We will soon launch our new redesign model ACP-09, which is known as Autopave 09 and equipped with features like Moba make Dashboard and electric heating facility with new German make gearbox."
Unipave paver finisher models are equipped with solenoid valves instead of spool valves, which gives ease of operation as they can be operated by switches provided in the control panel as well as from consoles fitted on the screed. Two seats for operators provides them the option to operate the machine from either the left or the right side, that is, from where the reference line is most visible. HAP-045HD is a new generation mechanical paver which is equipped with hydraulic transmission that give less maintenance with compare to other tire coupling pully bet system which are purely maintenance taking items.
Says Rai, “Mostly, all new projects are awarded with flexible pavements so demand for asphalt pavers will continue to grow. With new greenfield projects in consideration, customers will opt for 13m segment pavers. There will also be a new drive for the 10m pavers for doing WMM in a single pass. Overall, the market for 9m / 10m and 13 m segments will see a substantial growth in the coming months.
Performance Boost with Intelligent Solutions
Wirtgen’s WITOS Paving Plus software-based process management solution for VÖGELE pavers networks all players from the mixing plant to the paver operator. It consists of five modules that allow job-site planning (control), supply of the mix (materials), transport of the mix (transport), asphalt paving (job site), and subsequent analysis of the processes (analysis), to be controlled in real time, using a single system. Site managers and paving teams can respond quickly and appropriately to possible faults and make processes more efficient.
Elaborates Palagiri: “With WITOS Paving Docu, site managers and foremen can get started directly on the job site without any prior planning and record additional paver and paving data, such as working widths, paving speed, interruptions to the paving work, and the effective paving time. Delivery notes can be scanned by using a QR code or entered manually, allowing paved areas, paved material quantities and areal densities to be calculated continuously. At the end of a day's paving, job-site reports are sent automatically by e-mail to selected recipients. The app and the paver are networked via WLAN, so information can be exchanged between the machine and the operator’s smartphone, even where there is no mobile phone connection.”
Volvo CE’s on-board computer and display Pave Assist, powered by Volvo Co-Pilot, provides real-time insight into the operations, so one can monitor the progress and output of the work independently and confidently. The data can be stored on the cloud and accessed remotely, allowing complete paving management.
Dynapac range of pavers come with gas and electric heating options depending on the application requirement. The pavers can take up to 1100 TPH capacity at peak loads with the help of the company’s advanced PLC control system (PAVE MANAGER), Bigger augurs and wider conveyor arrangement. Dynapac Screeds are best in class & the most reliable due to its 4 tube principle design.
Informs Rai, “Dynapac pavers are very stable, thanks to our ALPHATRACK which is wider and longer (than pavers of other companies) and can therefore handle higher loads. Our pavers come with a range of grade and slope controls, in fact, our new technology has enabled a 3D set-up for controlling the fineness of road surfaces. Our contact-less sensors (BIG SONIC SKI) are mostly used in the Indian market as customers today are asking for 3D technology with remote access.”
The company offers special gravel kit for paving WMM material to reduce wear and tear of pavers. All SD range of pavers are equipped with Dyn@link advance for optimisation of paving parameters. Dyn@link also enables fuel consumption track record, service alerts, geofencing, engine parameters etc.
While the new-gen pavers boast superior features and improved performance due to their intelligent systems, manufacturers must ensure timely technical support to their customers for optimum utilizations of the machines. This will enable them to derive the benefits for a longer lifecycle of the products.
NBM&CW March 2020
