Features

New products, including additives, are coming onto the market to help reduce the cost of producing bitumen. Patrick smith reports. According to Eng. Paolo Visconti of Iterchimica, environmental issues and the health and safety of operators of manufacturing plants and workers laying bituminous mixes have raised long debates on the possible harmfulness of fumes which are emitted when heating these mixes at the temperatures (160-180°C) required for their production. "If, on the one hand, the effects on operato

Wirtgen has developed a novel control system for use on its concrete paving equipment. Matthias Fritz is the product engineer at Wirtgen tasked with developing the system. The new AutoControlpackage uses GPS technology to provide guidance for the machine's steering functions. Fritz added, "It has an augmentation centre for vertical control because it requires millimetre accuracy for height." This 3D control system is for use with the firm's SP15 and SP25 slipform pavers and is said to be a user-friendly, co

Sophisticated dual layer paving technologies currently on the market are said to offer major advantages to road builders. Roads built using twin layer, hot on hot paving techniques can last considerably longer than those constructed using conventional methods. Contractors and clients also stand to gain from savings on materials costs, through the elimination of the need for emulsion spraying between binder and wearing courses and with the use of thin layer wearing course designs. At present two paver man

The efficiency of asphalt compaction performance has improved immeasurably in recent years with the development of more effective equipment. Manufacturers have honed the designs of the machines, making them easier and more comfortable to operate, improving visibility and also tackling issues such as maintenance downtime by making the equipment more reliable and quicker to service. However one of the biggest advances in compaction performance has come not from the machines, but from the control and measur

Italian firm Massenza is boosting its range of road repair machines with the introduction of an innovative unit that combines the functions of an emulsion sprayer and chippings spreader.

The use of GPS machine control on sub-base has improved final rideability on a major highway reconstruction project. Innovative construction techniques have helped to upgrade a 9.6km stretch of the 307km long I-96 highway in the US state of Michigan. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) project was initiated in the third quarter of 2009 and was completed in the fourth quarter of 2010. Interstate Highway Construction acted as general contractor on the project, which included widening the shoulder

The unveiling of HAMM's innovative H20i soil compactor at the recent CONEXPOCON/ AGG exhibition in Las Vegas has been a significant development for this type of equipment. The machine is of note as it packs its emission compliant Deutz diesel under a closefitting cover in the rear chassis. In the 1990s, Ammann was a pioneer in the soil compactor segment when it developed machines featuring a sloping rear engine cover, as well as a larger cab with big glass panes. The range was designed this way so as to

A film has been made of the installation of one of the Ammann Group's first new BlackMove II mobile asphalt mixing plants.

Canadian firm Major Wire Industries now offers an array of innovative technologies for the screening sector. Latest developments include the Flex-Mat 3 High-Performance, Self-Cleaning screen media in Tensioned and Modular versions, OptimumWire Woven Wire and LFM Harp Wire, Double-Weave Woven Wire and Flex-Mat 3 Double-Wire and HyperSlot. These products suit an array of duties in aggregate and asphalt production applications and the novel Flex-Mat 3 high-performance, self-cleaning screen is now available in

A new project aims to bring Europe to the forefront of developing the future of transport. A three-year project has set itself the challenge of developing a "truly inspiring vision" of how roads will be built and maintained in the 21st century. Forever Open Road is a revolutionary concept led by the Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories (FEHRL) and supported by the UK's influential TRL (Transport Research Laboratory).

While international diplomatic negotiations on how to tackle climate change are faltering, the International Road Federation (IRF) is taking action and leading the way to meet calls for greener transport systems

An innovative asphalt plant is allowing the use of recycled materials and achieving major cost benefits - Mike Woof reports. UK construction firm FM Conway is seeing the benefit of the €11.5 million (£10 million) it has invested in its asphalt production facilities at Erith in Kent, close to UK capital London, since buying the site in 2005. The biggest single investment in the facility has been a new Benninghoven asphalt plant, which was commissioned in June 2010 and is now the core of the Erith operation.

Innovative formwork systems have been used to construct a variety of bridge structures. Patrick Smith reports. As part of the work on Germany's new A4 autobahn near Eisenach, the contracting joint venture awarded the formwork contract for two of the three viaducts to Doka. What makes this assignment so special to the company is that although the two steel composite bridges each have very different cross-sections, the JV is using the same overslung composite forming carriage to pour the carriageway slabs of

Developed in 1933 by the French engineer M Rouaze, the Atomix(r) mill is now used by many customers across five continents and is able to make all types of emulsions including SBR [styrene butadiene rubber] and SBS [styrene-butadiene-styrene].

Innovative formwork solutions are helping to get projects completed on or before time, meaning savings in time and money as Patrick smith reports. The use of flexible, modular formwork to create innovative structures out of concrete is helping to increase productivity and thus drive down completion time and costs.