Road Construction Equipment

Road Construction Equipment – Introduction

Road construction equipment is an essential part of road development and maintenance projects of different budget ranges. Available in numerous specifications, this type of equipment offers higher returns at a reasonable investment.
 

Types of Road Construction Equipment

The design, output, and mechanism of road construction equipment differ as per their models. There are several versions of road construction machinery. 

• Its control panel-based automatic mechanism reduces the cost and duration of road construction projects. 
• Being movable, it is easy to relocate to different construction sites.
• The reliable operation of the HMA plant boosts the quality of any road construction project.

2. Line Driver: As pavement marking equipment, the line driver is instrumental in marking the edges of traffic lanes for the convenience of drivers and pedestrians.  The pavement marking equipment is accessible in specific fuel capacity, operating speed, and weight-based specifications. Its forward start system can be controlled manually for the convenience of users.
3. Bitumen boiler: Fueled by gas or oil, the bitumen boiler promotes the setting and jointing of asphalt layers. It is available in different loading capacities, operating temperatures, and agitation rate-based options.
4. Damer plant: It serves as a budget-friendly solution to produce dry hard concrete for medium and low-budget construction projects. Some of its remarkable features include:

• Automatic control of water level to maintain the precision of raw materials of dry hard concrete.
• Built-in vibrator to prevent accumulation of material inside it.
• Large storage capacity of the silo.
• Emergency stop button to ensure the safe working environment.

5. Road broomer: This machine is suitable for sweeping surfaces of wet mix layer, rough roads, and the finished road to suit the specific requirement of road development projects.  Its mechanical version features a nylon or steel broomer for sweeping paved and unpaved road surfaces. Its hydraulic variant has a dust storage arrangement while sweeping paved roads.
 

Latest Innovations in Road Construction Equipment

Innovation in the road construction process aims to reduce human effort and to save the budget of the project by maneuvering digital and automatic equipment. Examples of road construction equipment with innovative technology are mentioned below:
1. Rodo meter digital: As suitable construction survey equipment, it has a bi-directional distance measurement arrangement to minimise labour costs and time associated with the manual distance measurement process. The measured value is visible on its digital display screen. It also has a current value and stored value conversion facility for the convenience of the operator. 
2. Road mechanical sprayer: This mechanical sprayer is suitable for uniform distribution of bitumen on the required road surface before laying hot mix asphalt. This bitumen sprayer not only reduces manpower requirements in construction projects but also improves the quality of road maintenance and repair procedures. 
3. Slipform paver: Innovative technology of slipform paver ensures consistent pouring of plain cement concrete ( PCC) over a prepared paving surface and levelling of the surface at the same time to boost productivity in any road construction project. It is effective in improving the surface quality of any newly developed road by avoiding undulations. One of its main advantages is its ability to cover large paving areas.
 

Maintenance and Repair of Road Construction Equipment

Scheduling routine and preventive maintenance programs has a significant role in boosting the performance of construction equipment for its extended service life. Steps like technical monitoring, visual inspection, and checking of lubrication arrangement of machine parts bring a drastic improvement in the overall performance of any construction equipment. Maintenance tasks of construction equipment also include verification of the safety features of these machines to create a safe work environment for workers.
 

Choosing the Right Road Construction Equipment for Your Project

There are several factors to determine the right road construction equipment for any specific project. These factors include:

• Adaptability and versatility of road construction machines in different working conditions
• Type of road construction projects (road and highway development, walkway construction, road repair, and maintenance, and so on)
• Expertise in those equipment in handling specific tasks
• Budget of project
• Availability of components in case replacement of parts is required
• Experience of a user in handling specific construction equipment.