Skip to main content

BOMAG’s smart asphalt compaction technology in use

BOMAG’s highly sophisticated compaction control technology is now being used successfully on the highway project to link Warsaw with St Petersburg. The system is being employed in the rural area around the border triangle of Lithuania, Latvia and Belarus. Lithuanian road contractor Panevezio Keliai won the package of works to upgrade a stretch of the E262 in Zarasai. The project requires high quality as the E262 route links Warsaw with St Petersburg and carries a large volume of traffic, including a hig
May 25, 2016 Read time: 4 mins
Efficient working was achieved in this remote location in Poland
BOMAG’s highly sophisticated compaction control technology is now being used successfully on the highway project to link Warsaw with St Petersburg. The system is being employed in the rural area around the border triangle of Lithuania, Latvia and Belarus. Lithuanian road contractor Panevezio Keliai won the package of works to upgrade a stretch of the E262 in Zarasai.

The project requires high quality as the E262 route links Warsaw with St Petersburg and carries a large volume of traffic, including a high percentage of heavy vehicles. As a result, Panevezio Keliai uses the 172 BOMAG Compaction Management (BCM net) package to ensure the high compaction quality requirements of the project are met.

The compaction control system is used to links the machines being used and integrates a tablet PC and a GPS receiver into every single compactor. This provides the compactor operators with a continuous overview of the number of completed passes, temperatures and work progress. As well as a general overview, with the tablet PC in the cab, the operators can see the results enabling them to optimise their working schedule. The drivers can follow the development of a compaction map on the tablet. Data on passes, temperature and the EVIB value for asphalt stiffness are displayed visually and saved for documentation. The colour display shows the operator where there is still work to be done and what areas are within specification.

The contractor had BCM net installed in four rollers. Two new BW 174 AP-AM tandem rollers were equipped with the system in the factory, while a BOMAG BW 174 AP from stock and a roller from a different producer were retrofitted with the package. An advantage of this package is that it can be used on compactors from other suppliers, although it works particularly well with BOMAG machines featuring the firm’s own ASPHALT MANAGER system. This is because the ASPHALT MANAGER package measures the stiffness of the mat continuously and also sends the values to the BCM. The EVIB value in MN/m² correlates with the density and the system is able to use the BCM to see when the required density has been reached.

The proven BCM system can display and save the data of single machines but the newer BCM net package allows several machines to be connected at the same time.

Before starting compaction, the team used a 778 Troxler gauge to determine the number of passes needed to achieve the required 98% density. It is common practice to pave with AC22 type asphalt to a thickness of 90mm. However care is required should the material react to vibratory compaction with deformation. On the E262 project Panevezio Keliai opted to use 10 static passes and the BCM net system has proven highly beneficial in ensuring the correct rolling pattern is achieved.
The system allows the compactor operators to concentrate on driving the machines, improving site safety. The system also provides information on the asphalt temperature on their monitor, preventing the operators from driving too early onto hot material. A further option of monitoring the asphalt temperature as it is laid by the paver has yet to be explored by the contractor but the firm is considering using this feature also.

The system is said to be easy to use and requires minimal instruction as the operators only need to switch the tablet PC on and off. The coordination of the construction processes and analysis of the resulting data is also simplified for the site manager, while preparation and post-processing can be carried out on a PC in the office.

The quantity of data that the system provides was a key factor in the firm opting for this technology. Using the information the BCM system provides is now allowing the firm to optimise its processes. Regardless of the setting selected, everything is documented: passes, temperatures, EVIB, speeds, vibration and area output. The package also helps increase safety on site, by minimising the personnel needed in the working area and providing up-to-date information on the precise location of every single piece of equipment.

All the machines are connected with each other using a broadband link and there are no lags caused by mobile telecommunications or servers, allowing real-time imaging and maximum availability. Even if the broadband connection were to be interrupted, no data would be lost and the firm has proven that the system can operate even when the machines are up to 400m apart, a factor that has been particularly important when the construction site is as remote as the E262 in Zarasai.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Speedy airport upgrade
    February 15, 2012
    Increases in flight numbers from the Frankfurt Hahn airport have resulted in necessary improvements to the facility, including new runway surfaces. The former German military airbase has been used as a civilian airport since 1993 but is now Germany's fifth largest air cargo hub and handles some 40,000 flights/year.
  • Automatic control
    February 7, 2012
    Leica Geosystems says that sophisticated PowerDigger 2D guidance system for excavators offers automatic slope control. The system expands on its PowerSnap technology and is said to make excavating easier and more productive. The system uses a standard panel whether fitted to a dozer, excavator or grader, which is also said to save money on training and equipment, as well as reducing down time. Leica PowerDigger 2D system allows multiple elevations and slopes to be constructed at any orientation, witho
  • SANY Road Machinery is looking to increase export levels
    March 4, 2015
    SANY Road Machinery says that its machines offer customers a very good return on investment - Mike Woof writes. SANY Road Machinery looks set to boost its profile outside of China. The company has been focussed on the Chinese home market in recent years, due to the massive highway expansion programme in the country. However with 80% of the country’s highway construction programme now complete, SANY Road Machinery is looking to further develop its export business. Wang Zuochun is senior vice president at SAN
  • Game-changing ideas that deliver daily life and continue to evolve
    December 14, 2016
    As World Highways celebrates its 25-year anniversary this month, we thought that it would be a good moment to take a step back and look at the exciting times we live and work in, and pick out a few of the game-changing new products, technologies and services that have brought about so much innovation in our industry over the past quarter of a century. Where will these new ways of thinking and working take us next? The global highways market has been transformed in the lifetime of World Highways by high-v