In Part 2 of this subject, we continue exploring which compaction equipment is best suited to specific conditions.
In the first part, covered in the July 2 issue of Logging-on, we examined the type of roller, compaction width and weight. In this issue, Case assists us with water tank size, crab offset and curb clearance, comfort and serviceability, and compaction meters.
- Water tank size: If laying at asphalt road, water is important to prevent asphalt from sticking to the rollers or tires. The water tank should be sufficiently large to allow the compaction equipment to run all day without having to stop and fill up.
- Crab offset and curb clearance: The ability to offset drums is important for a number of reasons. It is important to bind each pass together. If the compaction machine has rollers that can be either in-line or offset, it is possible to have an overlap of up to 15 cm (6 in) to bind the two passes together. It also allows tighter turning radiuses for better manoeuvrability when compacting in confined areas. A high curb clearance also improves manoeuvrability and allows the operator to work right next to existing curbs and other low structures.
- Comfort and serviceability: Important comfort features from the cab are visibility to the drums (sloped hoods to the rear), seat adjustment (sliding and rotation) for forward and backward operation, and intuitive controls for adjusting tire pressures, amplitudes and/or frequencies while operating. Maintenance and service items should be in easily accessible locations. When compacting asphalt, it needs to be compacted at a certain temperature. If the temperature drops too low because of a machine breakdown, the asphalt could be ruined.
- Compaction meters: These meters measure the amount of rebound at each drum as they go over an area. For example, if the machine passes over an area and does not register any rebound during soil compaction, it lets the operator know they’ve hit a bad area that requires attention. However, if the meter is registering full rebound, the operator will know to avoid over-compaction of that area.