MCM 511 CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT

Road Making Equipments

Prof. Debopam Roy

Typical Cross Section of Road

BITUMINOUS CONCRETE (WEARING) Prime Coat / Tack Coat DENSE BITUMEN MACADAM (BINDER) WET MIX MACADAM (BASE) GRANULAR SUB BASE SUBGRADE SHOULDER

EXCAVATION

EMBANKMENT

Broad Categories
Earthmoving Equipments Hauling Equipment Mix production plants Mix Laying Equipments Compaction Equipment Accessories

LAYER

RAW MATERIAL

MAJOR EQUIPMENTS

DISMANTLING, CLEARING & GRUBBING

EXCAVATION EMBANKMENT SUBGRADE GSB / SHOULDER Suitable soil

Milling Machine, Tractor Ripper, Earthmoving equipments

Earth Moving Equipments Earthmoving Equipments Suitable Soil , Cement/Lime Earthmoving Equipments, Soil Stabilizer Natural River Bed Material, Earthmoving Equipments, Overburden, Milled Pugmill Material, Blended mix Course & Fine Aggregates, Water Pugmill, Paver/Grader, Rollers

WMM/WBM

BM/DBM/BC
Prime Coat / Tack Coat

Course & Fine Aggregates, Bitumen

Bitumen Emulsifiers

Hot mix plant, Paver, Rollers

Bitumen Sprayer, Tractor

GSB Production
For natural GSB no blending required In some cases, materials from different sources may be blended to achieve desired properties (drainage & strength) The blending of raw materials to produce GSB can be done at stock yard using Excavator/Wheel Loader In some cases a Pug-mill is used to achieve desired mix properties

WMM Production

Parts of WMM Plant

Aggregate Feeding system Cold Feed Bins & Conveyor Water Supply Pug-mill Discharge System Load out Conveyor & Surge Silo Control Cabin

Cold Feed System

3-4 open top bins mounted together as single unit Each bin used to store certain fraction of aggregate

At the bottom of each bin there is a gate for controlling material flow and a feeder unit for metering the flow The aggregate in right proportion is carried to the mixer, by conveyor belt

Feeding of Bins
Option 1 : Direct Feeding A ramp is provided up to brim of bins, which is used by dumpers/wheel loaders to feed the bin Option 2: An extra bin is provided at Ground level, where the dumper/wheel loader empties aggregate, and then the aggregate is taken to the right bin, through a radial conveyor

Water Supply
Continuous Water Supply is ensured by installing Water tank & Pump A Bore-well may be required for ground water source Water Flow meter with Sensor to control flow

Pug mill
A pug mill is a machine in which materials are simultaneously ground and mixed with a liquid A typical pugmill consists of a horizontal boxlike chamber with a top inlet and a bottom discharge at the other end, 2 shafts with opposing paddles, and a drive assembly To achieve uniform mixing, a pugmills live zone should be completely filled with mix

Discharge System
Discharge system is not required if Pug mill is placed at sufficient height However, in most cases, the mix from pug mill is taken by a Load out Belt conveyor to a storage silo This ensures continuous operation The trucks are fed from under the storage silo

Salient Features
Capacity 100-200 TPH Hire Charge Rs. 1-2 lakh / month Autometic / Semi-autometic / Mechanical Leading Brand : Local Manufacturers

Asphalt Production
An asphalt plant is a high-tech group of equipment which is capable of uniformly blending, heating, and mixing the aggregates and binder, while at the same time meeting strict environmental regulations Two types of plants are in use: Batch Heater & Drum Mix. Drum Mix plants are most common now.

Batch Heater Plant

Old Technology Weigh batcher weighs the raw aggregates into heater drum / drum dryer, where it is heated to desired temperature Hot aggregate discharged into mixing drum / pug mill, where filler & binder is added Blend is mixed and discharged either directly or into a weighing and collecting hopper Capacity is low (Tens of Tons per hour) Can be effective where short production runs with frequent change in recipe is used

Drum Mix Plant

Parts of Drum Mix Plant

Cold Feed System Asphalt Handling System Drying & Mixing Drum Conveyor Dust Collector Storage Silo Operator Cabin

Cold Feed System

Similar to WMM plant Since mixing is done in drum, aggregate must be weighed prior to feeding Since Aggregate weighed prior to drying, moisture content must be monitored, and weight adjusted accordingly Vibratory Screen used to remove the oversized and unnecessary materials from feeder

Asphalt Handling System

Liquid Bitumen is stored in Metallic Tanks Temperature of the bitumen should be in range of 300F to enable pumping and mixing but prevent flash Heating can be done either directly (using HSD) or by hot oil system (using Furnace Oil)

Drying & Mixing Drum

This inclined rotating cylindrical drum dries the aggregate and performs the mixing Consists of a long tube with flights for tumbling the aggregates and the mix, a burner for heating aggregates, and a spray bar for applying bitumen Aggregate is fed into one end, and is dried, and heated while moving along the drum, using HSD/FO Bitumen is sprayed near the discharge, and the drum rotation, with flight in drum does the mixing

Drying & Mixing Drum

Slope : 40-80mm/m Rotation speed : 510rpm Diameter: 1-4m Length: 5-20m

Conveyors
2 sets of Belt Conveyors are used for feeding aggregates into the drum & carrying mix to storage silo Additionally Radial conveyor may be used to fill bins Conveyors are equipped with load cells for continuous monitoring of weight, and limit switch for emergency switch offs Conveyors are the parts of the plant susceptible to maximum Wear & Tear

Dust Collectors
Because of air pollution requirements, asphalt plants are equipped with dust control systems
The two most commonly utilized systems are the water venturi approach & the cloth filtration baghouse system

The wet approach does require the availability of adequate water supplies
It introduces water at the point where dust laden gas moves through the narrow throat of a venturi-shaped chamber The dust becomes entrapped in the water and is thereby separated from the exhaust gas

The dry baghouse systems allow mechanical collection and recycling of fines
The system works by forcing the dust laden gas through fabric filter bags which hang in a baghouse The dust falls into hoppers in the bottom of the baghouse and is moved by augers to a discharge vane feeder

Storage silo
Since drum plants produce a continuous flow of asphalt , the output must be stored in silos Upright cylindrical structures, silos, fed at the top by a drag flight conveyor, and discharge to transport trucks through bottom dump Sealed/Filled with inert gas to prevent hardening & ageing of mix Drop control methods to avoid segregation Insulated to retain heat

Operator Cabin
Asphalt plants today are all electronically controlled A fully automatic control cabin with AC/DC control panel, on board electric power console, distribution, switch board, is provided for controlling the quantity and quality of production with operator sitting in A/c comfort. In addition to controlling pant operations, this facilitates controlling mix recipes, checking quality parameters, storing and printing data, monitoring health of plant, and identifying problems if any.

Salient Features
Capacity 100-500 TPH Needs DG back up of >500 kVA Acquisition Cost Rs. 50-200 Crores Hire Charge Rs. 10-30 lakhs/month Leading Brand MARINI

Existing Surface Preparation for Overlays

The degree of surface preparation for an overlay is dependent on the condition and type of the existing pavement The overlay scheme is decided based on results of Benkelman Beam Deflection Test If the existing pavement is structurally sound, it is
cleaned, repaired wherever necessary, coated with a bonding agent, a leveling / profile corrective course is applied

If the existing pavement is structurally weak, it is completely dismantled by ripping or milling and reconstructed

Leveling Course / PCC

Initial lifts placed directly on to the existing pavement to fill low spots in the pavement Essential for Slope Correction Generally asphalt mix of a lower grade than the structural layers is used
New Pavement PCC Existing Pavement

Ripping
Dismantling of existing pavement can be done by a Tractor Ripper or an Excavator The ripping action is similar to plowing, using a stronger ripper The method in recent times has been completely replaced by milling

Milling
Milling (also called grinding or cold planing) can be used to dismantle/smoothen an existing pavement Rather than filling in low spots, as a leveling course does, milling removes the high points in an existing pavement to produce a relatively smooth surface The basic components of a milling machine are
a cutting drum to mill the existing pavement a vacuum to collect the milled particles a conveyance system to transport the milled particles to a dump truck for hauling

Advantages of Milling
Eliminates the need for complicated leveling courses and problems with quantity estimates for irregular leveling course thicknesses used to fill existing pavement depressions. Provides RAP for recycling operations. Allows efficient removal of deteriorated flexible pavement material that is unsuitable for retention in the pavement structure. Provides a highly skid resistant surface suitable for temporary use by traffic until the final surface can be placed. Allows curb and gutter lines to be maintained or reestablished before flexible overlays. Provides an efficient removal technique for material near overhead structures in order to maintain clearances for bridge structures, traffic signals and overhead utilities.

Salient Features
Cut Width 75mm to 4.5m Cut Depth Up to 250mm per pass Production Rate 100-200 tons/hr Material Size after milling 95% passing the 50mm sieve Acquisition Cost Rs. 2-3 Crore Hire Charge Rs. 6-8 lakhs Diesel Consumption 20 ltrs/hr Leading Brand - WIRTGEN

RAP (Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement)

Existing asphalt pavements represent a large investment in aggregates and asphalt. By reclaiming these materials, using either cold milling or ripping methods, much of that investment can be recaptured Disposing of dismantled pavement material is an environmental hazard. It can be avoided by incorporating it in new pavement Further usage of milled material reduces the quantity of aggregate crushing, thus reducing the carbon foot print The RAP are combined with virgin aggregates, additional asphalt, and/or recycling agents in a hot mix plant to produce new paving mixes The new mix design will have to account for both the gradation of the aggregate in the RAP and the asphalt content of the RAP The mixing of virgin material and RAP to produce a new mix is performed by heat transfer methods, or using a double drum system to prevent exposure of asphalt content of milled material to direct flame. In case, mix design using RAP is not approved, it can be used in WMM/GSB

RAP production in double barrel drummix plant

Laying of Prime & Tack Coats

Prime Coat is a layer of emulsifier applied above base course (WMM) before laying Asphalt Tack Coat is a layer of emulsifier applied to bond between old and fresh layer of asphalt Before applying the coats, the underlying surface is cleaned using compressor, and mechanical broomer Specially designed distributer truck is used to lay the bitumen emulsion

Mechanical Broomer
A Brush, made of metal wire & nylon bristles, is fixed to the rear of a tractor, and towed on the road A debris hopper is attached with main frame in front of bush, with lever-controlled unloading mechanism Hire Charge Rs. 1000015000 / month Diesel Consumption 2 ltrs/hr

Tractor Compressor
Jet of compressed air is also often used for road cleaning A tractor compressor is used to supply compressed air to clean the underlying layer Hire Charge Rs. 1500020000 / month Diesel Consumption 4 ltrs/hr

Bitumen Sprayer
These trucks must be able to apply the liquid asphalt to a surface at uniform rates They have insulated tanks for maintaining material temperature and are equipped with burners for heating the asphalt material to the proper application temperature Discharge pumps are used to maintain continuous and uniform pressure for the full length of the spray bar The nozzle angle must be set properly, usually 15 - 30 from the horizontal axis of the spray bar so that the individual spray fans do not interfere or intermix with one another The height of the nozzle above the surface determines the width of an individual fan To ensure the proper lap of the fans, the nozzle (spray bar) height must be set and maintained

Bitumen Sprayer
The factors which affect uniform application are:
The asphalt spraying temperature The liquid pressure across the spray bar length The angle of the spray nozzles The nozzle height above the surface The distributor speed

The relationship between the application rate and the truck speed is obvious; truck speed must be held constant during the spraying to achieve a uniform application Hire Charge Rs. 40000-80000 /month Diesel Consumption 8 ltrs/hr

Laying of WMM
Laying of WMM can be done either by a Motor Grade, a Mechanical Paver, or a Sensor Paver
Parameter Rate of Progress Hire Charge Quality, Line Level Motor Grader 1 1 3 Mechanical Paver 2 2 2 Sensor Paver 3 3 1

Material Wastage

Laying Of Asphalt
Asphalt is laid using a Sensor Paver The sensor paver ensures the line, level, and quality of mix The mix is loaded in the front hopper, carried to the rear by set of flight feeders, spread out by a set of augurs, and leveled by a screed.

Parts of Paver
Consists of a Tractor Unit & a Screed Tractor (Material Feed System)
Push Roller & Truck Hitch Hopper Conveyor Augur

Screed
Screed Plate; Strike-off plate; Screed Arms; Depth crank; Screed Heater; Screed Vibrator; Screed Extension

A Windrow Elevator may sometimes be used

Push Roller & Truck Hitch

The push roller is the portion of the paver that contacts the transport vehicle The truck hitch holds the transport vehicle in contact with the paver They are located on the front of the hopper

Hopper
Pavers can receive mix directly into their hoppers from rear dump or flow bottom trucks The hopper is used as a temporary storage area for HMA delivered by the transport vehicle Hopper sides (or wings) can be tilted up (or folded) to force material to the middle where it is carried to the rear by the conveyor system Hoppers can also be fit with inserts to allow them to carry more mix

Conveyor
The conveyor mechanism carries the mix from the hopper, under the chassis and engine, then to the augers The amount of HMA carried back by the conveyors is regulated by either variable speed conveyors and augers or flow gates, which can be raised or lowered by the operator or, more often, by an automatic feed control system

Augur
The auger receives HMA from the conveyor and spreads it out evenly over the width to be paved There is one auger for each side of the paver and they can be operated independently

Windrow Elevator
Paving operation is often affected by delay in truck loads. This cause undulation in the mat Windrow elevators were developed to address transfer and truck queuing effects on mat quality The flight system of the elevator continuously lifts the mix into the hopper from the windrow If queuing delays individual trucks, the effect to paving speed is limited or nonexistent because the windrow storage allows the paver to continue moving

Screed
The most critical feature of the paver is the self-leveling screed unit, which determines the profile of the HMA being placed The floating screed is free to pivot about its pin connections. This pinconnected tow arm arrangement allows the screed to be self-leveling and gives it the ability to compensate for base surface irregularities

Screed
Screed Plate The flat bottom portion of the screed assembly that flattens and compresses the

Screed Angle -

The angle the screed makes with the ground surface

Strike-off plate Screed Arms -

The vertical plate just above the leading edge of the screed used to strike off excess HMA and protect the screeds leading edge from excessive wear Long beams that attach the screed to the tractor unit

Tow point - Point at which the screed arm

is attached to the tractor unit

Depth crank -

The manual control device used to set screed angle and ultimately, mat thickness

Screed Heater - Heaters used to preheat

the screed to mix temperature

Screed Vibrator -

Device located within the screed used to increase the screeds compaction effort.

Screed Extension - Fixed or adjustable

additions to the screed to make it longer

Screed
Since the screed is free floating it will slide across the HMA at an angle and height that will place these six forces in equilibrium When all the forces acting on the screed are constant, it will ride at a constant elevation above the grade or follow the stringline When any one of these forces is changed, the screed angle and elevation will change (which will change the mat thickness) to bring these forces back into equilibrium In typical paving operations the screed angle is manually adjusted to control mat thickness, using a thickness control screw or depth crank

Factors affecting Paver Performance

Screed Angle of Attack
This angle is the principal mechanical factor affecting variations in mat thickness Change in angle affects the equilibrium of forces, hence mat thickness is changed It regulates the amount of material passing under the screed in a given distance

Speed of Paver
Paver speed affects mat thickness by changing the screed angle If a paver speeds up and all other forces on the screed remain constant, the screed angle decreases to restore equilibrium, which decreases mat thickness, and vice versa.

Head of the material ( Amount of Mix in front of screed)

If the material head increases (either due to an increase in material feed rate or a reduction in paver speed), screed angle will increase to restore equilibrium, which increases mat thickness, and vice versa.

Tow Point Elevation

As a rule-of-thumb, a 25 mm (1-inch) movement in tow point elevation translates to about a 3 mm (0.125 inch) movement in the screed's leading edge Tow Point Elevation changes with change in tractor elevation, due to roughness in the surface over which it drives As the tow point rises in elevation, the screed angle increases, resulting in a thicker mat, and vice versa.

Factors affecting Paver Performance

HMA must be delivered to maintain a relatively constant head of material in front of the screed The hopper should never be allowed to empty during paving. This results in the leftover cold, large aggregate in the hopper sliding onto the conveyor in a concentrated mass and then being placed on the mat without mixing with any hot or fine aggregate. This can produce aggregate segregation or temperature differentials, which will cause isolated low mat densities Screed angle adjustments do not immediately change mat thickness but rather require a finite amount of time and tow distance to take effect. Because of this screed reaction time, a screed operator who constantly adjusts screed level to produce a desired mat thickness will actually produce an excessively wavy, unsmooth pavement

Screed Control of Sensor Paver

Sensor Pavers operate using an automatic screed control, which controls tow point elevation using an external reference other than the tractor body The mat thickness is maintained using grade sensors tracing the external reference, and hence the name Erected String line Mobile reference Joint matching shoe / ski In addition to grade control, the screed can also be set to control pavement slope and/or crown. A slope controller uses a slope sensor mounted on a transverse beam attached to the screed to determine screed slope, then adjusts screed slope to the desired amount

Salient Feature
Capacity > 500 TPH, Restricted by capacity of plant Width Basic width is 2.5m. Can be extended up to 9m Diesel Consumption 7-10 ltrs/day Acquisition Cost Rs. 1-2 Crores Hire Charge Rs. 1-5 lakhs/month Leading Brand VOGELE, BITELLI, INGERSOLRAND

Compaction of Asphalt
Because of the relationships between pavement air voids and mechanical stability, durability and water permeability, asphalt pavements are designed based on the mix being placed at a specified density Four basic type of equipments are available for compaction of asphalt mix
The Paver Screed Smooth Drum Steel Wheel Roller (static) Smooth Drum Steel Wheel Roller (vibratory) Pneumatic Tire Roller

Each piece of equipment compacts the mix by two principal means

By applying its weight to the HMA surface and compressing the material underneath the ground contact area By creating a shear stress between the compressed material underneath the ground contact area and the adjacent uncompressed material

Paver Screed
The screed takes the head of HMA from the material delivery system, strikes it off at the correct thickness and provides initial mat compaction Screed compaction depends upon screed weight, frequency and amplitude of Screed Vibrator Approximately 75 to 85 percent of the theoretical maximum density of the HMA will be obtained when the mix passes out from under the screed

Static Smooth Drum Roller

Self-propelled compaction devices that use steel drums to compress the underlying HMA Can have one, two or even three drums, although tandem (2 drum) rollers are most often used Water on sprayed on the drums to prevent mix from sticking Width 860-2150mm; Diameter 500-1500mm Rarely seen at present, other than for small projects

Vibratory Steel Wheel Rollers

Some steel wheel rollers are equipped with vibratory drums Drum vibration adds a dynamic load to the static roller weight to create a greater total compactive effort Produces greater friction and interlock than could be achieved without vibration Roller drum vibration is produced using a rotating eccentric weight located in the vibrating drum (or drums) and the force it creates is proportional to the eccentric moment of the rotating weight and the speed of rotation

Vibratory Steel Wheel Rollers

Operators can turn the vibrations on or off and can also control amplitude (eccentric moment) and frequency (speed of rotation) which affects the Dynamic (Compactive) Force In general, higher frequencies and lower roller speeds are preferred, which
increases the compactive effort provides a smoother mat 3000 vibrations/min, and 5kmph gives recommended impact spacing of 33-37 impacts per m.

Increase in vibratory amplitude increases compactive effort, but it can fracture aggregate particles. Better solution is to maintain low amplitude vibration, and increase no. of passes.

Salient Features
Weight ranges from 1 MT (mini) to 20 MT Diesel Consumption 5-15 ltrs/day Acquisition Cost Rs. 7-50 lakhs Hire Charge Rs. 0.4-2 lakhs/month Leading Brand L&T CASE, BOMAG

Pneumatic Tire Roller

Employs a set of smooth (no tread) rubber-insulated tires on each axle; typically four on one axle and five on the other The tires on the front axle are aligned with the gaps between tires on the rear axel to give complete and uniform compaction coverage over the width of the roller Compactive effort is controlled by varying tire pressure, which is typically set between 400 kPa (60 psi) and 800 kPa (120 psi) Once the tires heat up to near mat temperature, they do not pick up appreciable amount of binder In addition to a static compressive force, pneumatic tire rollers also develop a kneading action between the tires that tends to realign aggregate within the mix

Salient Features
Weight is > 20 MT Diesel Consumption 10-12 ltrs/day Acquisition Cost Rs. 25-30 lakhs Hire Charge Rs. 1-2 lakhs/month Leading Brand BITELLI, INGERSOLRAND

Comparison of Pneumatic Tire Roller wrt. Drum Rollers

Advantages They provide a more uniform degree of compaction They provide a tighter, denser surface thus decreasing permeability of the layer They provide increased density They compact the mixture without causing checking (hairline surface cracks) and they help to remove any checking that is caused with steel wheeled rollers Disadvantages The individual tire arrangement may cause deformations in the mat that are difficult or impossible to remove with further rolling. Thus, they should not be used for finish rolling If the mix binder contains a rubber modifier, binder pickup (mix sticking to the tires) may be severe

Factors affecting Compaction

Rolling temperature
To compact a mix properly, the asphalt binder must be fluid enough to allow the aggregate portion to assume a new configuration The temperature at which the mix was produced is the important factor in determining the time duration that is available for hauling, placing, and compaction To extend the available time, it may be necessary to use trucks having insulated bodies Rolling should begin at the maximum temperature possible

Rolling steps
Compaction of an asphalt mat is usually viewed in terms of three distinct steps:
Breakdown Intermediate Finish

Factors affecting Compaction

The breakdown step seeks to achieve a required density within a time frame defined by temperature constraints and consistent with paver speed There is an optimum mix temperature range for achieving proper compaction
If the mix is too hot, the mat will tear and become scarred If the mix is too cold, the energy requirement for compaction becomes impractical because of viscous resistance

Sometimes density cannot be achieved by a single roller within the time duration available
In that case an intermediate rolling step is required to supplement the breakdown step in reaching the required density

Steel wheel rollers are used for finish rolling Pneumatic rollers are multipurpose and can be used for breakdown and intermediate rolling The vibratory steel wheel-type rollers are usually the roller of choice for breakdown and intermediate rolling because of their adaptability to a range of mixes and differences in mat thickness

Factors affecting Compaction

Roller capacity
Paver speed and production is set by the asphalt plant capability. Net roller speed is influenced by:
The gross roller speed The number of passes The number of laps The overlap between adjacent laps to cover the mat width The extension overedge The extra passes for joints The nonproductive travel (overrun for lap change)

Roller capability for a project must match the net roller speed with the average paver speed It must be remembered that increased roller speed simply reduces compactive effort, so speed alone cannot be used to compensate for increased production

Other Equipments
Dumper Trucks Mix Transportation Tele-Light Mast Night Paving Tractor/Truck Transporting Tools & Tackles Water Tanker Conveyance Vehicle Power Generator Plant Wheel Loader Operations Weigh Bridge

Tools & Tackles

Rakes Lute Squeegees Depth Gauge Straightedge Cutting Tools / Scraper Broom & Brush

Critical Issues
Minimizing Downtime Right Usage Regular maintenance to reduce breakdown Idling of costlier resource due to shortage of cheap resource Availability of spare parts After sales service

Supply Chain Management

Milling Plant Dumper Paver Roller Manpower Accessories Continuous paving is essential for productivity, schedule-adherence, quality, and cost Most Critical Activity of Road Project Manage the multiple resources to ensure continuous paving Critical Success factor Resource Planning (optimum mobilization & usage); Equipment Availability (low down time); Equipment Performance (quality & productivity)

Problem
You are required to do the equipment planning for a four laning project of an existing 2 lane highway in the state of Maharashtra. Length of Project 50kms Duration 30 months Complete dismantling & reconstruction of existing road is required Existing road asphalt thickness 150mm New pavement: 150mm DBM, 50mm BC There is one central camp and plant For how many months you need to mobilize a 100 tph milling machine What capacity of asphalt plant you shall propose How many dumpers for transportation of asphalt and milled material What average paver speed will match the plant production Considering 2m wide drum with 10% overlap, & 3 passes for compaction, how many rollers are required Assume 80% productivity & 16 working hours per day