Skip to main content

Spanish contractor Sorigué has the edge with VÖGELE SprayJet

Spanish contractor Sorigué, the first to use the SUPER 1800-3i SprayJet from Vögele, has pioneered paving thin overlays and the development of new mixes. The company won the contract for rehabilitating the surface course of the 3km-long dam, 10m-wide promenade in the Catalonian port city of Tarragona. Sorigué’s idea was to overlay the existing surfacing with a thin layer applied to a spray seal of polymer-modified bitumen. The spray seal prevents water penetrating inside the structure – a major advant
March 21, 2016 Read time: 3 mins
Spanish contractor Sorigué, the first to use the SUPER 1800-3i SprayJet from 1194 Vögele, has pioneered paving thin overlays and the development of new mixes.

The company won the contract for rehabilitating the surface course of the 3km-long dam, 10m-wide promenade in the Catalonian port city of Tarragona. Sorigué’s idea was to overlay the existing surfacing with a thin layer applied to a spray seal of polymer-modified bitumen.

The spray seal prevents water penetrating inside the structure – a major advantage for a dam promenade which is regularly flooded with seawater because of strong winds and heavy seas. Sorigué says the process is cost-effective because the thinner layer significantly reduces milling and material costs. There is no need for costly adjustments and the installation of new curbs. It is also time-saving because spraying the high-quality polymer-modified bitumen and paving the surface course can take place in a single pass.

Lastly, pavement rehabilitated by paving thin overlays are exceedingly durable. The sprayed binder forms a continuous film on the lower layer, effectively sealing the road structure against water and significantly extending the service life of the new pavement.

The job was done in less than two days.  

In order to produce a particularly high-quality bond between layers when overlaying the surface course, Sorigué used an emulsion called ELASTAM. It was developed by the company itself and contains 65% polymer-modified bitumen and 35% water. The polymer-modified emulsion guarantees very rapid “breaking” so that the film of emulsion can be overlaid with hot asphalt immediately after spraying.

The SprayJet module ensures that the emulsion is sprayed in the right quantity. Unlike the case when using conventional methods, job site vehicles and paver do not drive over the film of emulsion, so that it remains intact over the full width.

The set rate of spread was relatively high, at 1.1kg/m². “Using a high rate of spread produces a reliable tack coat on all bases and ensures a strong bond between the layers,” said Alfredo Bobis, product developer for Sorigué. “It also allows more bitumen to be mixed into the asphalt retroactively. All this extends the service life of the new surfacing in line with demands for sustainable road construction.”

The Dash 3 SprayJet module and automatic functions calculates optimum pave speed on the basis of the installed nozzle size and the selected rate of spread, guaranteeing perfect application of the emulsion.

Operation of the SprayJet module has been consistently integrated into the ErgoPlus 3 operating concept. The central element is the colour touch screen, positioned on the emulsion tank so it is easily be seen and reached by the paver operator. All preparatory, spraying and cleaning functions can be selected and started in a few swift moves via various menus. Settings for the work flows are mainly performed automatically. This assures the machine’s availability and long-term value and prevents potential operator errors.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Cost effective road maintenance
    February 7, 2012
    Highway maintenance and repair is an easy target for cuts in highway budgets, but there are cost-effective measures that can be adopted as Patrick Smith reports
  • Bitumen additives raise environmental questions
    February 14, 2012
    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 Group machines delivering new runway for German airbase
    October 26, 2016
    Machines from the Wirtgen Group are carrying out an important reconstruction job for the surface course at Büchel Air Base. Road machinery from Hamm, Vögele and Wirtgen as well as asphalt plants from Benninghoven have been carrying out the work, delivering a new runway within a tight timeframe. To achieve this, the work had to be planned well in advance, with the contractors organising the logistics and their personnel accordingly.
  • Vögele MT 3000-2 for Austria A2 motorway
    May 14, 2014
    Road construction work with moving traffic always represents a major challenge. This is especially true when only one lane can be closed, consequently leaving little space for working and manoeuvring. That was exactly the case for a rehabilitation project on the A2 motorway in Austria between Vienna and Graz near Schäffern. However, the job was further complicated by another factor: all access roads to the job site were roughly 1km apart. Ensuring an uninterrupted supply of mix to the paver under these