Skip to main content

Removing runway rubber

When Dubai Airport contacted Waterblasting Technologies it faced a number of challenges.
February 20, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
When Dubai Airport contacted Waterblasting Technologies it faced a number of challenges.

One was finding a waterblasting system that would operate successfully in the 42º-52ºC daylight heat of the summer and also to find the fastest and most productive waterblasting system because of very limited runway closure time.

Chemicals, shotblasting and other waterblasting equipment had been tried on the runways, but eventually engineers and management chose the Stripe Hog SH8000T manufactured by 362 Waterblasting Technologies.

The system, which can be built on a variety of truck chassis, uses needle sharp water jets to quickly remove all types of roadway and airfield marking paint as well as runway rubber deposit build-up.

According to the company the Dubai airport runways is probably the most challenging rubber removal environment in the world with an average of 800-plus movements a day with summer-time peaks of 1,100/day and an average of only 5-10 days of rain each year.

"With the ability to remove runway rubber deposits on average of 1,672m²/hour and the ability to operate in the extreme heat without breaking down, the SH8000T became the product of choice for the Dubai airport," says Waterblasting Technologies, which also offers the SH8000T or the new SH8000R with optional, on-board water recycling.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Advancing asphalt plant technology
    June 9, 2016
    Advances in asphalt plant technology were in major evidence at the bauma 2016 exhibition in Munich - Mike Woof writes One of the most apparent developments at bauma 2016 was the strong focus on asphalt plant technology. The massive physical presence of the asphalt plants could be seen from a distance, right across the showground, particularly the 50m-high machine Benninghoven had opted to exhibit. However, other plant systems from rival firms Ammann, Lintec and Marini, as well as Turkish company E-MAK, c
  • The Twister, from Traffic-Lines, hydro-blasts off road markings
    July 5, 2016
    The Twister, from German manufacturer Traffic-lines, represents an alternative method for removing road markings. Traffic-lines says that its environmentally friendly method uses nothing but water. The system attacks the relevant area with a high-pressure water jet and then immediately sucks the used water back up together with the removed material. It uses a highly efficient suction action which means that there is no water residue left on the cleaned-up road surface. Traffic-lines says the machine is uniq
  • RetroTek: standards are key
    December 12, 2022
    Accurate retroreflectivity measurements of line markings across the full lane width has become even more important after the US adoption of minimum levels of retroreflectivity.
  • Road user charging, the way to highway investment?
    February 27, 2012
    Tough political decisions have to be made to ensure highway investment - *Dr Max Lay reports