Skip to main content

Paving giant in action

The project to build a new orbital motorway to bypass the Spanish city of Barcelona has benefited from the use of the world's largest asphalt paver. This represents one of the first jobs in Europe for the power paver, Vögele's SUPER 3000-2, which was first launched at the Bauma exhibition in Munich in 2010.
February 20, 2012 Read time: 3 mins
The powerful new giant Super 3000-2 paver from Vogele is proving its worth on a road contract in Spain
The project to build a new orbital motorway to bypass the Spanish city of Barcelona has benefited from the use of the world's largest asphalt paver. This represents one of the first jobs in Europe for the power paver, 1194 Vögele's SUPER 3000-2, which was first launched at the 688 Bauma exhibition in Munich in 2010.

The project is an important one for the region and construction of the B-40 orbital motorway was a major project in every respect. With an investment volume of €1.9 billion, the roughly 50km long bypass around the Catalan capital represented one of Spain's most significant infrastructure projects. The highway runs some 25km to the north of Spain's second largest city and connects the cities of Abrera, Terrassa, Granollers and Sant Celoni. The forecast traffic volume for the roughly 50km long route is some 40,000 vehicles/day. Because of the high traffic volumes, the demands on the road structure will be high and specifications and quality standards are equally high.

The contract for the asphalt paving work was awarded to Spanish contractor Pavimentos Barcelona (Pabasa), which transported the machine to the job site immediately after delivery, where its first task awaited it: paving wearing course.

To build the new section near Viladecavalls, Pabasa used the SUPER 3000-2, a paver that is predestined for large-scale projects. The width of the job site varied from

12-18m. The pave width was from 10.5-15.5m, with the wearing course placed in one pass. However the output presented no problems for the SUPER 3000-2, which is designed for high laydown rates and large paving widths. It features a maximum laydown rate of 1,600tonnes/hour and a maximum pave width of 16m. The systems for conveying and spreading the mix, too, are designed for highest performance. Conveyors and augers ensure that the required amount of mix is available in front of the screed, even when operating at the maximum paving speed of 24m/min.

In order to ensure the supply of mix from the feed lorries to the paver, a Vögele MT 1000-1 Mobile Feeder was deployed upstream of the SUPER 3000-2. The feeder received the mix from the lorries and transferred it to the heavy-duty paver via its belt conveyor. Due to non-stop feeding of the paver with mix, paving could proceed without interruptions, making the roadworks cost-effective. Furthermore, the non-contacting transfer of mix from the feeder provides for a particularly high quality of paving.

In order to stay within the touch limits for eveness, the Pabasa team equipped the SUPER 3000-2 with two Vögele Big MultiPlex Skis, one on the right and one on the left side of the machine. The binder course served as a reference. The Big MultiPlex Ski is a sensor system operating with three multi-cell sonic sensors attached to a modular beam ranging from

5-13m in length. An average is calculated from the measured values, transmitted to the machine's system for automated grade and slope control, making corrections when necessary. The system is suited for job sites where long irregularities need to be levelled out and proved once again its suitability for use in highway construction projects.

With an average pave speed of 3-4m/min, the contractor's team achieved a very good paving result, due to the powerful paver as well as the 228 Hamm compaction machines used, two HD 130 tandem rollers and a GRW 18 pneumatic-tyred roller.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Cold recycling helps rebuild of Brazil’s Ayrton Senna highway
    September 28, 2015
    Brazil’s Ayrton Senna Highway has been rebuilt using cold recycling. Brazil’s SP-070 is also known as the Ayrton Senna Highway and is a major highway in the country, carrying heavy traffic volumes. For its rebuild, the time-saving, cost-efficient and eco-friendly benefits of the cold recycling process have been put to the test. The SP-070 provides a key transport link between São Paulo and Campos do Jordão, Vale do Paraíba and Rio de Janeiro, as well as being the main access route to Guarulhos Interna
  • On site: VÖGELE SUPER 1803-3i paver
    July 30, 2020
    Improving a helipad 2,100m up in the Austrian Tyrol was exactly the type of demanding work for which the SUPER 1803-3i wheeled paver was made.
  • New US pavers coming to market
    June 21, 2016
    Key developments are being seen in the market for US pavers, with new models being introduced by several key manufacturers - Mike Woof writes An array of new US-style paver models is now being made available on the market. Several of the main manufacturers have developed updated paver models, with new low emission engines being amongst the key upgrades being fitted. Atlas Copco has new Dynapac pavers available in the shape of its F800T tracked machine as well as the F1000T tracked and F1000W wheeled
  • Circuit of the Americas Formula for F1 success
    April 4, 2013
    In November 2012, the new Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, hosted the first ever Formula 1 US Grand Prix on a purpose-built track. But, as Jeff Winke and Guy Woodford report, the construction of COTA was just as demanding as competing in an F1 race itself For COTA construction contractor Austin Bridge & Road, L.P., nothing was more vital to the successful building of the 5.5km F1 track than meeting the strict criteria for its asphalt-paved surface. “The amount of stress this pavement will un