Features

New legislation has changed fuel specifications as well as engine emission requirements, writes Claire Symes. The latest Stage IIIB engines mean that on-site maintenance routines for newer equipment need to be changed. And at the same time, new fuel specifications also mean changes to management of fuel for all machines. The European standard for gas oil, EN590, changed at the start of the year in order to comply with the Renewable Energy and Fuel Quality Directives. This means fuels now must be low sulphur

Tunnels are the highest value assets on a highway, making their operation, safety and maintenance of paramount importance. Patrick Smith reports

The latest GPS systems will improve the accuracy of many construction operations. Mike Woof reports. The pace of technological advancement is fast in the GPS market. Despite a market downturn, the GPS solution providers continue to invest in research and development. And there is evidence to suggest that the contracting sector is more keen than ever to employ the latest technology because of the cost benefits this can bring.

Day Aggregates offers a novel materials recycling approach - Kristina Smith reports Here's a neat idea: take the muck from utilities trenches, treat it and reuse it, saving between 30-40% on the cost of landfill and backfill. This, in essence, is the theory behind Day Aggregates' EcoFILL 40 material. Confident of a growing market for this type of product, Day has invested over €569,000 (£500,000) in a new plant at its 3.4ha site in south London. "There is great demand for a solution to waste streams which

The stresses placed on modern asphalt and bitumen means that specialist equipment is essential to make sure performance specifications are met. As road traffic increases at a rapid pace and road safety becomes a priority issue, asphalt is put under increasingly higher stresses. For example, road surfaces are subject to compression, flexural tensions and tangential stresses: internal friction, depending on the aggregates, and the cohesion, guaranteed by bitumen's composition, are the two main properties whic

Increasing material costs mean that the US highway sector is looking to increase the use of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP). At the recent World of Asphalt conference and exhibition in Orlando, Florida, two presentations explained the latest developments.

New and improved mobile crushing and screening equipment is focused on delivering cost/tonne reductions in aggregate production - Geoff Ashcroft reports. The level of technology being applied to mobile crushing and screening systems continues to advance, which is indicative of manufacturer confidence in this sector as one that continues to offer an economic benefit. An example of how electronic technology can lead to greater productivity can be found with KPI-JCI - the firm has introduced a high resolution

UK firm Hanson hopes to attain key sustainability targets with its new ERA asphalt product. This energy reducing asphalt delivers a 50% reduction in carbon emissions while enhancing durability and improving health and safety for contractors. It can also use up to 50% recycled content, while the asphalt itself is 100% recyclable. The Hanson ERA production process allows a wide range of base, binder and surface course materials to be produced at temperatures of 80 and 95°C, compared with up to 190°C for equiv

Cesan, the Turkey-based supplier of asphalt plants and related products, says it is following a customer-oriented development strategy and anticipating their needs. "By providing customers with quality, delivery, installation, instruction and after-sale services, we are setting high standards and applying advanced technology developing our business," says Çesan. Looking to the environment, Çesan says it produces and manufactures dust collector systems under licence from B.M.D. GARANT.

In Germany a high production paving operation has been achieved using the largest machine available on the market. This project is all the more notable as the operation has been carried out in a continuous process, without joints. The Vögele SUPER 3000-2 paver was able to advance continuously at a rate of almost 4m/min. The machine was preceded by a bustle of activity, for no fewer than 24 feed lorries were needed to ensure an uninterrupted supply of mix to the paver, which placed an even asphalt surfacing

Two Volvo ABG7820 slope pavers are being used to refurbish a 2,000,000m3 reservoir in Hieflau Styria, Austria. The machines are paving an extra high bitumen content asphalt that is watertight and have been modified to cope with the 34° embankments. The pavers were supplied by the Swiss dealer Robert Aebi and the modifications include tiltadjustable operating platforms to boost operator safety and comfort on the slope. The pavers are being operated by Walo Bertschinger, a Swiss company with a specialist dam

Caterpillar Phoenix-Zeppelin has delivered an AP555E paver to contractor USK Mnichovo Hradišt in the Czech Republic. The machine weighs in at 16tonnes and paves at up to 25m/min and is now working at a construction site near Brandýs nad Labem in the Central Bohemian Region. This versatile machine is able to pave using all standard types of asphalt mixes both in and outside urban areas. The Cat AP555E is also suited for the construction of major trunk roads or highways, while the fitting of a Trimble levelli