Earthmoving & soil compaction

Chicago Pneumatic has supplied a major order of hydraulic breakers to Rock Fall Contracting WLL (RFC), a key civil engineering and earthmoving specialist based in Doha, Qatar. The firm has augmented its fleet of Chicago Pneumatic rig-mounted hydraulic breakers with the addition of new RX8 and RX54 units. The breakers are destined for use in demanding applications within the programme of infrastructure projects for Qatar’s hosting of the IAAF World Athletics Championship in 2019 and the World Cup in 2022.

Doosan Bobcat EMEA has launched the DX160LC-5 HT and DX180LC-5 HT Stage IV compliant high track crawler excavators. They complement the company’s standard configuration DX140LC-5 14tonne and DX180LC-5 18tonne mid-range excavators. Doosan says that the DX160LC-5 HT excavator combines the upper structure from the DX140LC-5 14tonne model with an 18tonne class high track undercarriage system, increasing the ground clearance from 410mm in the DX140LC-5 to 615 mm.

Demand in Latin America for heavy construction equipment is expected to continue growing - Allied Market Research reports. Latin America is set to see strong growth in demand for construction machines. This is according to a new report published by Allied Market Research, called Latin America Heavy Construction Equipment Market by Equipment, Application, and End User: Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2014-2022. The report shows that the market size for Latin America’s off-highway equipment sector

The second generation TBM camera from 3GSM is said to be tough and durable to suit hard rock applications. The new unit is part of the ShapeMetriX TBM system and has been redesigned, making it more rugged than the earlier mode. However the new unit is sufficiently lightweight to be handled by a single person. New lights have been attached and the GoPro camera inside has been upgraded to version 5. The TBM camera is water resistant and features a new clamping system for a quick and easy installation in

At the BICES exhibition in Beijing, it was clear that the Chinese construction market has bounced back - Mike Woof writes. Demand for construction machines is now improving in China once more, with the backlog of unsold or nearly new secondhand units having been absorbed. This was apparent at the recent BICES construction machinery exhibition held in Beijing, where firms were more bullish than in previous years.

A massive highway project in Kenya will boost transport for the country as well as its neighbours - Shem Oirere reports. Kenya has commenced the process of rehabilitating, expanding and tolling of 657km of East Africa’s Northern Corridor that is anchored on the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa and which links the gateway with landlocked countries of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and parts of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Tobroco, a Dutch compact wheeled loader manufacturer, reports that its Giant D337 model is now available with higher specifications, the X-TRA version. The D337T X-TRA loader has a lower front frame making for a lower centre of gravity and an increased lifting capacity. The machine has a tipping load of 2,054kg in comparison with 1,450kg for the standard model. The new wheeled loader has a 24.6kW 3-cylinder Kubota diesel engine and comes with a hydraulic pump from Bosch Rexroth.

Saudi Dolomite runs a processing plant in Abqaiq, which is located in the desert, 80km south-west of the capital of the eastern province of Saudi Arabia, Damman. Covering an area of 250,000m², the plant processes 5,000tonnes of material/day and runs its around-the-clock operation seven days/week.

Tunnelling equipment from Chinese firm XCMG has played an important role in a project in Montenegro. The work was carried out by contractor CCCC Tunnel Engineering Company and involved the excavation of the Jabuka Tunnel Works. This link forms part of the North-South Expressway of Montenegro and was completed on schedule recently. The link is of note as it is the first-ever expressway in Montenegro. Due to the country’s hills, a stretch of tunnel was a necessity.

New developments in tunnelling technologies offer contractors greater efficiencies when constructing new bores. Tunnel boring machines (TBMs) are widely being used in major projects such as the Brenner Base Tunnel in the Austrian Alps. Full face TBMs are highly sophisticated machines featuring a rotating drilling head, which removes the material, and, depending on the type of construction, secures the excavated tunnel with shotcrete, rock bolts and wire mesh or prefabricated segments of reinforced concrete.