Features

Brazilian cement maker Brennand Cimentos now boasts a Bretec Breaker to boost efficiency A Bretec breaker has been used to solve a production problem at a materials operation in Brazil. Brazilian cement producer, Brennand Cimentos, has recently purchased a Bretec L20 hydraulic hammer. The unit is being used to carry out secondary breaking duties and split apart boulders that are too large to be moved or crushed. Introducing the breaker has helped the facility improve operational efficiency. The 1.34tonne

Truck-mounted concrete pumps from the manufacturer Cifa have been working around the clock at one of Italy’s most prestigious road infrastructure projects, the Milan Outer Bypass. The toll motorway project, known by the TEEM acronym from the Italian name Tangenziale Est Esterna di Milano, involves 32km of new carriageway consisting of three lanes in each direction in addition to an emergency lane. The route winds through agricultural land and connects the A4 highway (Milano-Venezia) in the north to the A

SEETO’s acting general manager reflects on a decade of transition in South East Europe Ten years ago, the Western Balkans region and the European Commission agreed on a regional transport network consisting of the Pan- European corridors crossing the region to which additional routes were added. The resulting SEETO Comprehensive Road Network was formally recognised in 2013 by the European Union as part of the Trans- European Transport Network for South East Europe. By extending Europe’s main corridors

IRF e-Learning Webinars offer an excellent overview of the international state of the art and regulatory environment across a range of highway areas. They also provide an introduction to the discussion topics and coursework covered in the traditional courses. IRF e-Learning Webinars are typically structured as a 60-minute presentation followed by Q&A session with the registrants and are available to everyone on a complimentary live access. The following webinars are now available on-demand (complime

IRF calls for road safety audits on all donor-funded projects By the end of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, it is estimated that the World Bank and other major development donors will collectively have invested well over US$100 billion in road infrastructure programmes across hundreds of individual projects, representing a considerable opportunity to introduce or strengthen risk management practices from the design stage. In January 2014, the International Road Federat

Bentley Systems continues to develop its portfolio of software solutions - Mike Woof writes One of the leaders in the field of construction software, Bentley Systems is developing its array of solutions for industry users. The company is growing both by acquisition and organically, using its financial strength to buy up smaller niche firms as well as developing the capabilities of its in-house software further. The company has recently made three key acquisitions, for EADOC, Acute3D and C3global. The

Hydrodemolition surface preparation keeps Liberty Tunnel rehabilitation project on schedule in Pittsburgh. The Pennsylvania state Department of Transportation selected hydrodemolition surface preparation for the US$18.8 million rehabilitation of Pittsburgh’s Liberty Tunnels. Time was of the essence to complete the project on deadline without penalties and hydrodemolition was selected as it offered a fast and cost-effective method to prepare the tunnel walls for a new, shotcrete surface. This methods off

Major gains in tunnelling productivity and performance are claimed for a series of new machines now coming to market These new tools will help contractors boost productivity and versatility in an array of applications. The new equipment items are designed for a variety of tasks, including drilling and shotcreting duties. One of the leaders in the underground equipment sector, Atlas Copco, has a new line-up of single and twin boom drill rigs, which suit duties in smaller tunnelling applications. The fi

Using ground penetrating radar to determine reason for serious pavement settling in Kentucky-Tennessee tunnel Just a few years after the opening of the Cumberland Gap Tunnel, highway officials noticed moderate to severe settling of the continuously reinforced concrete pavement. The mountain tunnel provides an important link between Kentucky and Tennessee along US25E and the problem looked serious, with many voids discovered beneath the pavement surface. To investigate the problems, the Kentucky Transpor

Equipment from the Wirtgen Group has played an important role in stabilising the area being developed for a new industrial zone in Germany. The site of a new factory located in Backnang, including access roads and parking areas has seen the use of the Wirtgen machines to help address poor ground conditions. The contractor employed a Wirtgen WR 200i soil stabiliser, two Hamm compactors and a Streumaster SW 16 MC binding agent spreader to improve the ground properties the soil. The firm, Riva, expanded

Road recycling technology was one focus area at the recent World of Asphalt exhibition in the US city of Baltimore - Mike Woof writes. The economic and environmental benefits to be gained from recycling road materials are well understood. In many markets such as North America, Europe and now China, the percentage of road materials being recycled is on the increase. New technologies are helping make recycling more efficient and widening the possibilities for contractors and clients One innovative deve

Caterpillar vice president Paolo Fellin sums up the past year for the global equipment manufacturer and looks at the increasing importance of telematics and machine control. David Arminas reports from Caterpillar’s Demonstration and Learning Centre in Malaga, southern Spain First the good news. Despite the difficulties, especially of the financial markets, 2014 was “a record year for a lot of things” for global heavy equipment maker Caterpillar.Now the bad news. Hang onto your seats because despite some

Engine technology is advancing, with lower emissions, lower fuel consumption and longer service intervals being key developments - Mike Woof reviews some of the latest developments A huge investment in diesel engine technologies in recent years has seen manufacturers develop low emission diesels that are quieter, cleaner and use less fuel, while in many instances delivering more power. For machine manufacturers this has been a major benefit, allowing them to meet tougher regulations on noise and exhaust