Roads & Infrastructure August 2019

AUGUST 2019

& INFRASTRUCTURE

LISTENING TO INDUSTRY Astec releases its first range of modular batch plants

Official media partners of

INFRASTRUCTURE AUSTRALIA Romilly Madew takes over as CEO UBER TAKES TO THE SKY A project that could shake up Melbourne’s transport sector

AUSTRALIA’S ONLY SPECIALIST ROAD MANAGEMENT, CONSTRUCTION AND CIVIL WORKS MAGAZINE

AUGUST 2019 CONTENTS

& INFRASTRUCTURE UP FRONT 16 The new Infrastructure Australia Chief

As technology, climate change and the economy put pressure on the industry, Romilly Madew highlights Infrastructure Australia’s key priorities.

PROJECT REPORT

18 Uber Air

Tapping your phone to order a flight to work could be the future of travel.

INDUSTRY PROFILE

22 Women In Industry

Margarida Marques explains flexibility when problem solving is crucial for planning projects.

ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY 25 IMO 2020

A look at international shipping regulations and how they could affect bitumen production.

26 Crumb rubber roads

Tyrecycle reports increased interest for crumb rubber made from waste tyres.

ASPHALT NEWS

28 Lengthening road life

How Colas Solutions and SAMI Bitumen are collaborating to extend the life of Australia’s road network.

29 Future pavements

Road Maintenance has designed a new small blending plant.

30 Adhesive asphalt

A look at different control factors for the improvement of adhesiveness in asphalt mixes.

32 Safety first

DuraGrip is an asphalt product that is 85 per cent recycled with increased safety properties.

34 Equipment for industry

Astec has released a new range of equipment designed to meet industry needs.

36 AAPA industry profile

The first Australian Asphalt Pavements Association member profile featuring Viva Energy.

BRIDGES

41 Precast beams

North-Vic Precast are manufacturing precast components for Melbourne’s Level Crossing Removal Project.

EVENTS

43 IPWEA International Conference

What to expect at the IPWEA International Public Works Conference in Hobart in August.

NATIONAL PRECAST

44 Beams for safety

Precast concrete beams and column shells were used to improve safety for the Perth to Darwin Highway.

TECH AND EQUIPMENT

46 Intelligent rollers

ARRB explores the quality control and efficiency potential of intelligent compaction.

Uber Air announces Melbourne as its first international pilot city, page 18.

51 The latest equipment

John Deere relaunches in Australia bringing a range of new construction and forestry equipment.

52 Evolving machinery

Dynapac releases its sixth generation of large double drum rollers.

54 Innovative bridges

Sloanebuilt Trailers is building bridges with asphalt tailored trailers.

56 Next generation

Wirtgen has a new raft of technology to assist owners and operators.

47 Roadside safety

TMA Hire details its best practice safety equipment.

60 Comparing concrete batches

Gough Industrial Solutions explores competing approaches to concrete batching.

48 Digital engineering

B entley Systems looks at the impacts of new technology on the planning and execution of infrastructure projects.

62 Reading radars

The increasing use of VEGA radar level transmitters in the bitumen emulsion sector.

50 Moving bitumen

Byford Equipment opens a new tanker manufacturing centre in Melbourne.

REGULARS 4 Editor’s note 8 News

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& INFRASTRUCTURE

ALL AT THE CLICK OF A BUTTON MANY OF US HAVE BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO TALKING to our mobile devices to give us the daily weather report and using them to turn our lights off after we leave the house.

Now as the infrastructure construction industry progresses, we are seeing an increase in technological capabilities not just in cars but with infrastructure as a whole.

The notion of tapping a phone to order a flying taxi would have seemed ridiculous 20 years ago but it might soon be a reality. This month’s project report on page 18 explores the idea of Uber Air and the technological transport advancements Uber could soon pioneer in Australia.

Ideas around technology and how it is going to play a role in the infrastructure industry continue to develop across the sector, whether it be using digital twins for planning projects, as Roads and Infrastructure explores with Bentley Systems on page 48 or using intelligent compaction machines to ensure accuracy when laying asphalt, as discussed with ARRB on page 46. The industry is collectively realising possibilities and opportunities to integrate technology and infrastructure.

Large investments for infrastructure have been seen throughout government budgets across the country this year. It is clear that while new innovations and transport options are explored by all industry players, existing roads and key infrastructure are still a key focus for decision makers. This is reflected in our interview with Romilly Madew, the new CEO of Infrastructure Australia on page 16, who speaks of the importance of focusing equally on future developments and getting the most out of current infrastructure.

Many of the technological advancements, equipment and initiatives featured in the magazine will be showcased at the Australian Asphalt Paving Association’s International Paving Flexible Pavements Conference and Exhibition from 18 to 21 August. “Our Everlasting Roads – Enabling Future Mobility” is the theme for the conference, which refers to the changing demands society and transportation technology place on the long-term investment that is road infrastructure.

The IPWEA International Public Works conference is taking place from 25 to 29 August.

The Vibrant Futures, Solid Foundations conference will feature discussions from industry experts covering topics such as the growing millennial workforce, engineering education and how waste could best be used in the construction industry.

These events will act as a great opportunity to experience and learn about new technologies, equipment and ideas. With a large upcoming project pipeline, it is clear that in Australia – much like in the rest of the world – business must keep up with technology as it becomes increasingly important to every aspect of infrastructure.

PUBLISHER Christine Clancy christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au EDITOR Mike Wheeler mike.wheeler@primecreative.com.au JOURNALISTS Holly Keys holly.keys@primecreative.com.au Lauren Jones lauren.jones@primecreative.com.au DESIGN PRODUCTION MANAGER Michelle Weston michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au ART DIRECTOR Blake Storey DESIGN Kerry Pert, Madeline McCarty BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Nick Markessinis nick.markessinis@primecreative.com.au CLIENT SUCCESS MANAGER Justine Nardone justine.nardone@primecreative.com.au HEAD OFFICE Prime Creative Pty Ltd 11-15 Buckhurst Street South Melbourne VIC 3205 Australia p: +61 3 9690 8766 f: +61 3 9682 0044 enquiries@primecreative.com.au www.roadsonline.com.au SUBSCRIPTIONS +61 3 9690 8766 subscriptions@primecreative.com.au Roads & Infrastructure Australia is available by subscription from the publisher. The rights of refusal are reserved by the publisher.

ARTICLES All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher. The Editor reserves the right to adjust any article to conform with the magazine format.

COPYRIGHT

Mike Wheeler Editor, Roads & Infrastructure Magazine

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ROADS AUGUST 2019

Roads & Infrastructure Australia is owned and published

by Prime Creative Media. All material in Roads & Infrastructure Australia is copyright and no part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without the written permission of the publisher. The Editor welcomes contributions but reserves the right to accept or reject any material.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, Prime Creative Media will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published. The opinions expressed in Roads & Infrastructure Australia are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by the publisher unless otherwise stated.

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NEWS

TULLAMARINE FREEWAY SIGNAGE INVESTIGATION A project-wide review and site inspection of all overhead and roadside assets built on the CityLink Tulla Widening project has found the primary cause of an incident.

The review follows an accident which saw a sign fall onto a car driving along the freeway in January 2019.

It showed the absence of stiffener plates inside the gantry the sign was mounted on caused the fall.

The results have confirmed there are no ongoing public safety concerns associated with the project’s construction.

The independently reviewed and verified investigation highlighted the

Absence of stiffener plates caused the road sign to fall.

missing stiffener plates were the result of failures in quality control and inspection processes during fabrication of the gantry.

Onsite audits showed no signs of deterioration or stress, but similar topmounted signs on the project will be strengthened to ensure the signage meets a 100-year lifespan.

Transurban Program Director, Major Projects Victoria, David Clements said safety is a top priority and Transurban has taken a conservative approach in response to the findings.

“We don’t want to see anything like this occur in the future, which is why we have taken additional precautionary steps,” Mr. Clements said.

Signage rectification works, including reinstalling removed signage and the additional strengthening works will commence in coming months.

Mr. Clements said the initial signage audit was expanded to a project-wide design review and site inspection of all overhead and road side assets built by CPB contractors as part of the project.

“These inspections have not identified any ongoing public safety concerns and we are committed to working with government and industry to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

MERGER ANNOUNCED FOR GHD AND FLANAGAN CONSULTING GROUP Global professional services company GHD and civil and structural engineering company Flanagan Consulting Group (FCG) are joining forces to expand their reach of services to clients in Northern Australia.

Some 28 FCG employees will join GHD teams in Cairns, Townsville and Darwin.

“We are responding to our clients’ need for consultants who understand the project complexities in Northern Australia,” said Phil Duthie, GHD’s General Manager – Australia.

He said both companies are committed to maintaining and growing their significant presence close to clients in Northern Australia.

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ROADS AUGUST 2019

“Together, we are expanding the expertise, leadership and capacity to deliver projects in the region, enhancing and growing services such as urban development, roads, building structures, environmental planning and project management,” Mr. Duthie said.

Flanagan consulting group delivers engineering, planning and project management services and has been doing so for 28 years.

GHD is a worldwide company established in 1928. It provides engineering, architecture, environmental and construction services to private and public

sector clients.

“Joining a larger employee-owned organisation will give the FCG team new opportunities for personal and professional growth as part of GHD’s connected network across Australia and globally,” said Pat Flanagan, FCG’s Chairman.

He said the two companies have partnered on many projects over a number of years and share similar culture and values with a commitment to excellent client service.

The company merger will be effective on 1 July 2019.

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NEWS

$51M CONTRACT AWARDED FOR ROE HIGHWAY, KALAMUNDA ROAD INTERCHANGE Main Roads Western Australia has awarded the $51 million design and construction contract for the intersection of Roe Highway and Kalamunda Road.

Georgiou Group was awarded the contract after a competitive tender process in late 2018.

The project will see Roe Highway lowered by approximately nine metres to pass beneath Kalamunda Road.

Connectivity between the two roads will be retained with two roundabouts on Kalamunda Road as well as on and off ramps to the highway.

Detailed design of the project is currently underway with construction anticipated to begin in late 2019.

Federal Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge said the new interchange was another essential component for the Federal Government’s investment in Western Australia’s road and rail infrastructure.

“This interchange will bust congestion and improve traffic flow and freight efficiency on what is a strategic route across Perth’s eastern suburbs,” Mr Tudge said.

A principal shared path will also be constructed on the eastern side of the highway to provide local connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists.

New drainage, street lighting and other supplementary works will complete the

interchange.

Site surveys and geotechnical investigations for this additional connection are underway, with construction to begin in August.

The project will eliminate one of the last remaining signalised intersections on the highway.

The intersection currently is heavily congested and has a higher-than-average number of crashes.

The project is one of 18 announced as part of the $2.3 billion “Boosting Jobs, Busting Congestion” infrastructure package announced in May 2017.

Completion of the project is scheduled for early 2021.

VICTORIAN SUBURBAN RAIL LOOP GOES TO MARKET The Victorian Government has opened the registration of interest (ROI) process for local and global firms to help deliver the Suburban Rail Loop.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the search is open to firms with a variety of capabilities including designers, engineers, rail systems providers, rail operators, rolling stock providers, investors, financiers and architects.

“The ROI will help government assess which organisations have the experience and capability to be part of the biggest transport investment ever undertaken in Victoria,” Mr. Andrews said.

“The Suburban Rail Loop will create tens of thousands of jobs during construction and will change the way we move around Melbourne forever, slashing travel times and getting you where you need to go.”

The Suburban Rail Loop will be a new rail network linking Melbourne’s middle suburbs, with new stations connecting major railway lines from the Frankston line to the Werribee line via Melbourne Airport.

“The transformational project will be the biggest transport investment undertaken in Victoria. It will change the way people 10

ROADS AUGUST 2019

The Suburban Rail Loop will create tens of thousands of jobs during construction.

move around Melbourne – enabling Victorians to get to major suburban employment, education and health precincts without having to travel in and out of the CBD,” Mr. Andrews said.

“The project will take thousands of passengers off existing rail lines and 200,000 cars off our major roads. It’s anticipated to also create more than 20,000 jobs during construction.”

The ROI announcement follows the commencement of an extensive stakeholder engagement process, focusing on stage one – the southeast section between Cheltenham and Box Hill.

As detailed planning gathers pace, the

state government will seek input from communities, local government, peak bodies and key stakeholders along the proposed corridor.

“We have started briefing local government stakeholders in the cities of Whitehorse, Monash and Kingston,” Mr. Andrews said.

“Further consultation will follow, as well as the beginning of site investigations – expected to start later this year – including ecology and geotechnical studies.”

General precincts and a broad alignment have been identified for the Suburban Rail Loop, but specific station locations are yet to be finalised.

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NEWS

INFRASTRUCTURE AUSTRALIA GREEN LIGHTS $2B QUEENSLAND UPGRADES More than $2 billion in upgrades to the Bruce Highway and M1 Pacific Motorway have been added to the Infrastructure Priority List, following business case approval by Infrastructure Australia.

The Infrastructure Priority List is a pipeline of nationally significant infrastructure needs for the country over the next 15 years.

Infrastructure Australia Chief Executive Romilly Madew said inclusion on the list shows that a proposal has undergone a rigorous business case assessment.

“The list supports better project selection by ensuring Australia’s governments are presented with the best available evidence when making funding decisions,” Ms. Madew said.

“With the addition of the Bruce Highway duplication between Edmonton to Gordonvale and upgrades to two sections of the M1 Pacific Motorway – Eight Mile Plains to Daisy Hill and Varsity Lakes to Tugun – the priority list identifies close to $4 billion worth of nationally significant projects for Queensland.”

CONTRACT AWARDED FOR $354M NORTH-SOUTH CORRIDOR

Photo by McConnell Dowell.

Urban Infrastructure Minister Alan Tudge has announced the successful tender for the major works contract on the $354.3 million North-South Corridor – Regency Road to Pym Street Project.

A consortium of McConnell Dowell Constructors, Mott MacDonald Australia and Arup Group will design and construct a new 1.8-kilometre motorway along South Road, connecting the South Road Superway to the Torrens to Torrens Project.

The consortium is currently working together on the delivery of the Oaklands Crossing Grade Separation Project, and has previously been involved in the delivery of large-scale infrastructure projects in SA. Mr. Tudge said the project is the final missing link between Gawler and the River Torrens.

“When complete, the project will deliver efficient and reliable travel for up to 53,000 vehicles per day by removing the need to travel through two signalised intersections,” Mr. Tudge said.

The federal and South Australian governments are jointly funding the project as part of their overall commitment to build a non-stop 78-kilometre North-South Corridor between Gawler and Old Noarlunga.

The concept design includes: • A 1.8-kilometre section of non-stop roadway, providing three lanes in each direction at grade.

• Two lanes in each direction on the South Road surface road, providing access to the surrounding community

and local businesses.

• An overpass over Regency Road, with three lanes in each direction, and two lanes in each direction on the surface roads underneath.

• Left in and left out only access at Pym Street.

• Full access to and from the non-stop motorway at Regency Road.

• Intersection upgrade at Regency Road.

• Improved cycling and pedestrian facilities.

• A grade separated pedestrian and cycle overpass over South Road in the vicinity of Pym Street.

• Landscaping and noise barriers.

Main construction works for the upgrade are expected to commence in late 2019, with completion expected in 2022.

When complete the project will create efficient travel for 53,000 vehicles per day.

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INFRASTRUCTURE SECTOR ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE SPEAKS TO ROMILLY MADEW FOLLOWING HER APPOINTMENT AS CEO OF INFRASTRUCTURE AUSTRALIA.

T

he infrastructure sector is facing a period of unique uncertainty, with a range of complex global trends affecting asset management now and into the future.

Australia’s infrastructure network faces a series of complex challenges and risks such as public transports reliance on digital connectivity, economic competition from global markets and climate change.

Decisions made in the next decade are crucial to Australia’s future as the growing population puts stress on infrastructure networks across the country.

As the newly appointed CEO of Infrastructure Australia, Romilly Madew takes on a crucial position as the industry seeks to meet future challenges.

Ms. Madew was previously the CEO of the Green Building Council, the authority on sustainable buildings and communities in Australia.

“As you would expect, I am excited to build on the work Infrastructure Australia has already done around resilience and sustainability in the infrastructure sector,” she says.

Sustainability and resilience was a key focus in the 2016 Australian Infrastructure Plan, while planning for climate impacts was built into Infrastructure Australia’s Assessment Framework several years ago.

“What really excites me about my new role is the broader opportunity to improve quality of life for each and every Australian.

I feel privileged to be leading Infrastructure Australia at such an important time for infrastructure investment. We are facing a changing climate, a re-ordering of the world economy and a reshaping of global institutions and norms,” Ms. Madew says.

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ROADS AUGUST 2019

Closer to home, Ms. Madew also recognises the growing population and rapid technological advancements as new and challenging trends.

Infrastructure Australia is preparing to publish its 2019 Australian Infrastructure Audit to address these challenges.

“The Audit takes a forward-looking view at the decisive trends impacting Australia’s infrastructure over the next 15 years and beyond,” Ms. Madew says.

She says it will prioritise community needs and provide a clear picture of problems with Australian infrastructure. It will also strengthen the evidence base for decision making across the country.

Following the release of the Audit, Infrastructure Australia will invite submissions from government, industry and the community and undertake a three-month consultation process to inform the development of the Australian Infrastructure Plan released every 18 months.

“This will be a blueprint for the most pressing reforms infrastructure decision makers will need to make,” Ms. Madew says.

When asked about the most pressing risks for road and transport infrastructure across the country, Ms. Madew began with increased reliance on digital platforms.

She says cyber security is a growing risk as reliance on digital systems to support operations across all sectors increases.

“As the complexity of networked systems grows, so too does the potential for failures and disruptions that are more difficult to predict and more pervasive in their impact.”

Ms. Madew presents economic risks from greater exposure to global markets as another pressing issue.

“Competition from growing and developing Asian nations can cause uncertainty in demand for domestic supply chains and freight hubs, while changing trade conditions could impact our infrastructure networks.”

Ms. Madew also highlights the significant risk climate change poses to road and transport infrastructure.

“Much of our existing infrastructure faces new and challenging conditions, such as higher temperatures, changed stream flows, rainfall, water availability and soil conditions, more intense bushfires, more extreme winds and rising sea levels, causing coastal inundation and erosion,” she says.

Sustainably funding Australia’s transport networks is another challenge Ms. Madew points out. She says the issue is being exacerbated by technologies and business models.

“Fuel excise is the principal source of revenue associated with road use. However it is increasingly under threat as the popularity of fuel-efficient and electric vehicles grows.

In the 20 years to 2018, Australian vehicle kilometres travelled have risen, while excise revenue decreased by 20 per cent.”

She says this is an area that clearly needs new and innovative solutions.

Ms. Madew says while our infrastructure faces risks from shifts in technology, the economy and climate change, resilience strategies provide limited guidance for Australian asset managers.

“Planning for resilience requires a comprehensive risk assessment, and an understanding of the potential social, economic and environmental costs of outages, damage, disruption or failure,” Ms. Madew says.

The upcoming 2019 Australian

UP FRONT

Romilly Madew, CEO of Infrastructure Australia.

Infrastructure Audit will call for clear, publicly available guidance for the infrastructure sector explaining how to manage risk and plan for greater resilience.

Ms. Madew says a common challenge for private businesses is a lack of information about the scale of risks, impacts and the costs of addressing them.

“This is important in a rapidly changing environment, where risks are shifting in nature and severity. Understanding the scale of potential threats, their impacts and the costs of addressing them is critical to proactively respond to both short- and long-term risks to infrastructure assets and networks.”

In addition to addressing these risks, Ms. Madew acknowledges challenges already in need of attention, such as the large road construction maintenance backlog.

Ms. Madew says there is little doubt a maintenance backlog exists across many parts of the infrastructure networks, with variations by sector and region. She notes, however, funding decisions and project delivery are matters for governments.

“Some of the maintenance backlog is evident to users of many roads and bridges that suffer from poor upkeep, particularly in regional areas, causing safety risks, reliability

issues and adding to vehicle costs.”

Ms. Madew points out the causes of the maintenance backlog are diverse. In some cases she understands the absence of cost recovery arrangements mean there is no mechanism linking usage, driving the physical deprecation of assets.

In other cases Ms. Madew says the backlog has been caused by governments prioritising the construction of new assets over maintaining existing ones, or failing to undertake preventative maintenance, leading to higher costs for reactive maintenance.

“These are all issues which will need to be addressed as we look to accommodate a growing and changing population,” she says.

When talking about Infrastructure Australia’s priorities for this year, Ms. Madew points out the Infrastructure Priority List.

The Priority List, created by Infrastructure Australia, presents nationally significant investment opportunities for all levels of government to choose from.

The most recent update of this list was released in February 2019 and included a $58 billion pipeline of potential investments.

“Many projects on this year’s Priority List respond to the challenges of population growth and congestion in our growing cities.”

While the list includes major public transport investments such as the Sydney Metro, Brisbane Metro and Victoria’s Ballarat Line Upgrade, Ms. Madew says it is not all about new large-scale investments.

“A number of inclusions on this year’s Priority List focus on getting the most out of existing infrastructure through the use of smart technology, such as intelligent transport systems,” she says.

These included projects such as the Monash Freeway upgrade stage two, the Regency Road to Pym Street section of Adelaide’s North-South Corridor and a proposal to improve the performance and efficiency of motorways in Sydney’s CBD. The list also identifies regional road safety improvements as a national priority.

“Between 2008 and 2016, more than half of Australia’s road fatalities occurred in our regions, meaning that, relative to population size, the fatality rate was more than four times greater than for major cities.”

Infrastructure deficiencies have a role to play in causing accidents and she says the expected increase in heavy freight vehicles on roads could lead to further fatalities.

“Given the scale of the problem, we are calling on governments to prioritise investment in high-risk sections of regional roads across Australia.”

Under the leadership of Ms. Madew, Infrastructure Australia will continue its strong focus on improving project selection and infrastructure decision-making such as calling on governments for positive change.

“We know that well-developed business cases are critical to ensuring investments deliver the best results. We are also focused on driving sustained infrastructure reform to ensure services are meeting community needs,” Ms. Madew says.

With congestion, overcrowding and service outages a common feature of networks, she says, it is clear infrastructure needs to work harder to support Australia into the future.

Ms. Madew recognises Infrastructure Australia has an important role to play in highlighting the long-term opportunities for investment and reform that will improve living standards and national productivity.

“To deliver lasting benefits for the community, we must also be a consensus builder and ensure decision makers are appropriately planning for the future. As we seek to drive better outcomes for the community, improving collaboration and coordination with stakeholders across government, industry and the community will be a key focus.” roadsonline.com.au

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According to Uber’s website, more than 3.8 million Australians regularly use its ridesharing service.

UBER AIR TO TAKE FLIGHT

IN MELBOURNE

ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE LOOKS AT THE INTRODUCTION OF UBER AIR, HOW IT WILL OPERATE IN MELBOURNE AND WHAT IT COULD MEAN FOR THE CITY’S WIDER TRANSPORT NETWORK.

U

ber was founded on a vision to create a platform where the tap of a button would present a consumer with a ride service.

According to Uber’s website, more than 3.8 million Australians regularly use its ridesharing service. After the introduction of UberPool, users covered nearly three million kilometres in shared trips across Australia in 2018.

Now the company has released its most ambitious vision to date: Uber Air, a flying rideshare service.

The company says skyscrapers allow cities to use limited land more efficiently. Uber Air will aim to take to the sky to alleviate

An artist’s impression of an Uber Air vehicle operating in Melbourne.

congestion on the ground, and enable riders to access a shared flight on their phones.

After 18 months of negotiations with the Victorian Government, in June 2019, Uber announced Melbourne as the first international city to trial Uber Air. Melbourne was chosen ahead of cities in Brazil, France, India and Japan.

The program aims to give commuters the option of an affordable shared flight. Costs are estimated to be the same as an Uber X service, Uber’s premier car service, over the same distance.

The aerial ridesharing network is intended to be safe, quiet and environmentally conscious, using electric

vehicles. With current designs, Uber hopes to create each aircraft with capacity for one pilot and four riders.

The main physical infrastructure needed to support the service will be Skyports.

These ports, situated in strategic locations, will need to be equipped to deal with a large number of take offs and landings.

Melbourne joins Dallas and Los Angeles as pilot cities for the program.

Working closely with the Victorian Government, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and other key bodies, Uber plans to begin test flights in 2020.

With congestion a growing concern for Melbourne, Uber Air aims to reduce some congestion pressure for commuters.

Roads & Infrastructure spoke to two key experts from Melbourne Airport and RMIT University about Uber Air to get an idea of what Uber Air might look like in Melbourne.

The experts highlighted a need for the consideration of safety and infrastructure, alongside the need for collaboration with federal and state governments.

UBER AIR CHOOSES MELBOURNE AIRPORT Melbourne Airport has been announced as part of a group of companies partnering with Uber to bring Uber Air to life in Melbourne.

Uber stated one of the first flight paths

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ROADS AUGUST 2019

PROJECT REPORT

With current designs Uber hopes to create each aircraft with the capacity for one pilot and four riders.

it wants to trial is between the Melbourne CBD and Melbourne Airport.

Lorie Argus, Chief of Parking and Ground Access at Melbourne Airport, says it is currently in discussions with Uber as to how the companies can facilitate a trial between Melbourne Airport and the city.

“We are all about helping travellers to and from their flights, so any mode is a welcomed addition to get people in and out of the precinct effectively,” Mrs. Argus says.

She says 60 per cent of travellers that pass through the airport use some kind of commercial transport option.

Uber has stated it believes the Uber Air service will take around eight to 10 minutes from the CBD to the airport. Mrs. Argus says this is an opportunity for the airport to cater to different types of travellers.

“There will certainly be a market for people that need to get to the city quickly and don’t want to be dependent on the road traffic. Our approach is to look at every traveller’s needs and offer consumers options to choose their experience,” Mrs. Argus says.

The infrastructure needed to support Uber Air as an offering for travellers at the airport is not known yet.

“We’re in early discussions with Uber on what the infrastructure might look like.

I think Melbourne Airport needs to fully understand Uber’s intent for either airside or landside infrastructure. That will be a key piece for us,” Mrs. Argus says.

She says it is important to be a partner at this early stage so that Melbourne Airport

can understand what is needed from a planning perspective.

Plans for Uber Air and regulations surrounding its operation in Melbourne are at this stage unclear. However, Mrs. Argus says Melbourne Airport needs to work to ensure Uber Air meets all regulatory requirements.

“Melbourne Airport has commitments both to the Commonwealth and to the state. Even with Uber rideshare, that was not implemented at the airport until legislation supported it. So we have an obligation to make sure that we meet all regulatory requirements and understanding Uber’s path to achieve that will be really important,” Mrs. Argus says.

Uber Air will have direct relationships with regulators such as government to decide how it will operate. Mrs. Argus says Melbourne Airport will be a part of discussions to support Uber Air and understand both Uber’s plans and the governments expectations.

“Melbourne Airport does not underestimate the regulatory path and the work that has to be done to have Uber Air approved, but I certainly think Uber has the vision, intent and support of major stakeholders across the industry,” she says.

At this stage, Uber has proposed Skyports which will act like terminals for Uber Air vehicles to take off and land.

Although Mrs. Argus says there are no current plans to build an Uber Skyport at Melbourne Airport, she says it is certainly open to the possibility.

“Its too early for us to say if a Skyport is something Uber wants at the airport or if is there another way to facilitate arrivals and departures. We need to look at the needs of the customers but also what it means for the overall precinct planning,” Mrs. Argus says.

She says first and foremost, Melbourne Airport is focused on facilitating the growth that it continues to see.

“Melbourne consistently leads the market roadsonline.com.au

19

“WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT THE SKYPORTS ARE PLACED IN THE RIGHT LOCATIONS WHERE IT IS ACTUALLY GOING TO BE USED APPROPRIATELY AND WELL. WE WOULDN’T WANT TO COMPETE WITH PUBLIC TRANSPORT OPTIONS. UBER AIR IS AN ALTERNATIVE. IT NEEDS TO COMPLEMENT OTHER MODES OF TRANSPORT.”

for passenger growth as well as city growth, so we’ll always make sure our investments fit in the overall precinct plan.”

Uber Air has announced it would like to offer a commercial service by 2023.

“We are supporting Uber to do that as quickly as possible but also saying there is a lot of work needed with governments and communities in particular, not just for regulations but also to consider impacts on communities alike,” Mrs. Argus says.

“We’ve been out publicly saying what is really important for the airport is Melbourne’s growth and we look forward to continuing conversations with Uber but also working with the government, regulators and local communities to make it happen.”

TRANSPORT EFFECTS Dr. Chris De Gruyter, a Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellow in the Centre for Urban Research at RMIT University, acknowledges Uber Air will be great for Melbourne’s reputation on the world stage, but questions how big an impact the mode of transport will have.

“I think the good part in all of this is it’s great for Melbourne’s reputation and Australia more generally. It puts Australia on the global stage in terms of technology and innovation and that’s wonderful, though I think it’s going to have very limited effect on overall transport because of the capacity of the vehicles,” Dr. De Gruyter says.

Dr. De Gruyter noted Uber likely did not use Melbourne’s transport network as a factor when choosing the city.

“Uber listed a number of reasons for choosing Melbourne but infrastructure wasn’t one of them. However, the other two cities are Dallas and LA and those are cardependent like Melbourne so they seem to 20

ROADS AUGUST 2019

An Uber Air Skyport concept.

lean towards car-dependent cities,” he says.

Alongside the announcement, Uber revealed a number of partners for the trial.

In addition to Melbourne Airport, one was the Sentre Group which manages and operates Westfield shopping centres.

Dr. De Gruyter says the shopping centres could provide potential sites for Skyports and are a key component for the infrastructure needed to support Uber Air. “The Skyports would generally be on tops of buildings or carparks, but I think that will need safety requirements so there will be a few questions around that,” Dr. De Gruyter says.

One of the widely discussed concerns Dr. De Gruyter notes is the aircraft capacity.

“I actually don’t think it is going to change Melbourne’s transport network much. A key reason is the capacity of these vehicles. You are looking at four passengers per vehicle.

For that to have a noticeable impact on our existing infrastructure on the ground, there would need to be a lot of vehicles in the sky,” he says.

While he doesn’t believe Uber Air will change Melbourne’s transport network, Dr. De Gruyter thinks there are opportunities for it to be an exciting alternative to the existing network.

“We need to ensure that the Skyports are placed in the right locations where it is actually going to be used appropriately and well. We wouldn’t want to compete with public transport options. Uber Air is an alternative. It needs to complement other modes of transport,” he says.

Dr. De Gruyter says the Skybus service is an example of a great system, offering high frequency trips to the airport, and Uber

Air could complement that as another transport option.

“Uber is looking at about $85 to get from the CBD to the airport compared to around $60-70 in a conventional taxi, which is certainly very competitive. The travel time suggested for Uber Air is about nine minutes, but that doesn’t factor in the time to get to and from the aircraft. When you add that up there might be a time saving but not a significant amount,” he says.

Dr. De Gruyter says that while Uber Air will provide an alternative option, for commuters public transport has a much higher carrying capacity and is a more economical option.

“Recent travel data [VISTA’s metropolitan Melbourne travel survey data – 2013] shows more than half of metropolitan Melbourne’s trips are less than five kilometres. Meaning after getting onto and out of an aircraft, you would likely not save much time.

Therefore, using Uber Air for everyday commuters is far less likely,” he says.

Dr. De Gruyter says the service may work better for longer distance trips.

However, he says only 13 per cent of trips in metropolitan Melbourne are more than 20 kilometres so it would only serve a small proportion of the travel market.

Dr. De Gruyter says it is early days for this technology and there are a lot of questions around the idea.

“I think Melbourne needs to be forward looking and plan for this technology because it could indeed become a reality and we don’t want to be on the back foot and not prepared for it – even though at this stage I think it will have very little impact on the transport system.”

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MAJOR PROJECT

PROBLEM SOLVING ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE SPEAKS TO MARGARIDA MARQUES, DOWNER’S REGIONAL PLANNING MANAGER FOR NEW SOUTH WALES, ABOUT HER CAREER IN AUSTRALIA AND AROUND THE GLOBE.

Margarida Marques, Regional Planning Manager for NSW at Downer.

M

argarida Marques began her career 13 years ago as a tender engineer for a medium-sized rail maintenance company, part of a major Spanish infrastructure group, in Lisbon, Portugal. She has since used her engineering expertise on a multitude of projects for various companies around the globe.

Appointed Regional Planning Manager for NSW at Downer in 2018, Mrs. Marques was a finalist for the Rising Star award at the 2019 Women in Industry Awards.

She currently provides governance and support to 14 infrastructure projects at Downer across New South Wales and tells Roads & Infrastructure no two days on the job are the same.

Mrs. Marques’ path to an engineering career was unexpected. Like many

22

ROADS AUGUST 2019

teenagers at high school, Mrs. Marques was unsure of what career path to take.

“I was good at math and physics and I noticed engineering had good career prospects. From there I jumped into civil engineering without much idea of what to expect,” Mrs. Marques says.

“The role of tender engineer doesn’t really exist in Australia, but in Lisbon, I was part of the pre-contracts department developing planning, methodology and budgets for a wide range of rail infrastructure projects.”

During this time, Mrs. Marques worked on a tender for a major billion-dollar project in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, to build a 600-kilometre rail line between two major cities and a second one to link a mining site in Conakry to the Liberian Port.

Mrs. Marques said her team had to think about how to plan the works in a very constrained environment with limited access between the quarry, in Conakry, on one end and the heavy rail machines and track materials being delivered by boat at the Liberian Port at the opposite end of the job.

“We also had to allow for utilisation of local resources, work with the local government and there were presumably cannibal tribes located along the new track alignment. This is what I enjoy about infrastructure projects – developing unique strategies to suit the project environment and constraints,” Mrs. Marques says.

Her work on these tenders saw Mrs. Marques promoted to the head of the precontracts team, with two engineers and a proposals coordinator directly reporting to her. This gave Mrs. Marques great exposure to the parent company, which offered her

the opportunity to relocate to Hong Kong.

After working on a Mass Transit Railway tender in Hong Kong, she was offered a job by contractor McMahon, which brought her to Australia.

Mrs. Marques’ first role in Australia was as a project engineer for a rail job in Geraldton, WA, where she was the only engineer on site.

“I really had to win the supervisors over on that project and towards the end I had developed really good relationships with all the workers on site, which was really rewarding for me,” Mrs. Marques says.

Five years ago, Mrs. Marques joined Downer as Planning Manager for three different projects in New South Wales before taking on the role of Regional Planning Manager.

When asked what the best aspect of her job is, she highlights problem solving without hesitation.

“I like to find unique solutions to different challenges and the nature of this industry, my role and experience, gives me the perfect opportunity to do so,” she says.

One of the projects she is most proud of was completed in Sydney in 2018 where Mrs. Marques managed the planning for significant upgrades of multiple railway stations as part of Sydney’s Transport Access Program.

“We developed a new planning and coordination process that is currently being used across the business and a lot of lessons learnt carried across to different projects,” Mrs. Marques says.

One skill Mrs. Marques attributes to her success is her ability to collaborate with

Margarida Marques (front centre) and the Downer team.

many different people, to get the best out of the team.

“I think one of my strengths is communication. In my role being able to exchange knowledge and information and being able to work as part of a team is critical to successful outcomes. Living in different countries and exposed to multiple work cultures made me more flexible to how I approach collaboration and problem solving.”

She says it is not uncommon in the industry for people to try to implement what they have done in the past to new and different projects, but it is important to think outside of the box.

“Sometimes habit stands in the way of great opportunities, this is particularly true for infrastructure projects where constraints are always quite unique.”

Her advice to young people looking at a career in the infrastructure industry is simply to be flexible.

“I think a lot of unproductive experiences occur when people bring aspects of what they have done before and try to replicate it in a completely different environment.

With infrastructure, that approach doesn’t quite work. You need to have the ability to understand the unique constraints of each job and adapt your point of view to what are the job’s needs,” Mrs. Marques says.

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Looking to the future, she is excited to move with the natural progression of her job into a project control role which involves an even spread between the commercial and planning side of projects.

Over the course of her career, Mrs. Marques also hopes to change the perspective on planning jobs in Australia.

“I think we have really senior qualified planning resources being underutilised. That is something I’m really keen to change. I want to change the industry’s perception of the planning job, to what it should be, an opportunity to be strategic and save money with smart ideas that help us best use time and resources.”

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R Ou eg is r

Ev erl ter as No tin g R w .. oa 10 m ds ore D : E A na b Y S to g o Opening ling F uture Mobility Hugh Bradlow President Intelligent Co mpaction

Australian Academy of Technology & Engineering

George Chang

Director of Resea

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Perpetual Pavem ents

The Transtec Group

David Timm

Brasfield & Gorrie Professor Civil Engineering

Auburn University

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18th AAPA International Flexible Pavement Conference & Exhibition

18 – 21 August 2019 | International Convention Centre, Sydney For more information go to Celebrating www.aapa.asn.au/aapa-conference-2019/

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1

SUSTAINABILITY

IMO 2020

IN 2020 THE INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANISATION WILL IMPOSE LIMITS ON SULPHUR IN MARINE FUELS. ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE TALKS TO PUMA ENERGY ABOUT ITS FLOW ON EFFECTS FOR BITUMEN.

T

o reduce global shipping emissions, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) will implement a 0.50 per cent global sulphur limit for marine fuels from 1 January 2020, reducing the existing 3.5 per cent limit.

Many ship owners have been preparing for this change, either investing in scrubbers to remove sulphur from exhaust gases, or by switching to low-sulphur fuels like marine gas oil, an ultra-low-sulphur fuel oil.

This regulation will also impact the global refinery industry, which needs to meet a surge in demand for gas, oil and distillates and manage the lost demand for high-sulphur fuel oil and the onwards supply chain.

Erik Denneman from Puma Energy says this has shaken the shipping and refinery industries, and is one of the largest single specification changes experienced globally.

He says currently many refineries, especially the ones with simple configurations, direct their residues to fuel oil, bitumen or base oil for lubricants production.

Other complex refineries direct the residue to upgrading units like cokers, vacuum residuum desulphurisation units

and hydrocrackers to produce middle and light end products.

“Due to the mandated IMO regulation, there are a number of approaches refiners may look to take,” Dr. Denneman says.

Some refineries may decide to invest and upgrade facilities in order to produce more low -ulphur products. This will enable them to meet an increase in demand for ultralow-sulphur fuel oil but is both time and capital intensive.

Others may change crude feedstocks to sweeter crudes, which have a naturally lower sulphur content. Dr. Denneman says this might structurally change the sweetsour crude price differentials.

Some refineries will have to sell more of the heavy products including bitumen. This could put the quality of bitumen at risk as more residual streams are directed into bitumen production.

There are still uncertainties about where – geographically – we will see these shifts at refineries, so the ability to quickly source high-quality bitumen from different refineries across the world will be critical in ensuring product availability is matched with high product quality.

“Puma Energy, through its unique

global set-up, will be able to manage the impact of IMO 2020 on the quality and supply of bitumen to our customers,” Dr. Denneman says “Puma has the largest bitumen shipping fleet in the world and a global network of 28 terminals across five continents. Puma has the flexibility to rapidly respond to any potential supply disruptions.”

He says Puma Energy’s global infrastructure is complemented by a quality assurance program at its certified laboratories in the UK, Spain, Malaysia and Australia.

The company uses the latest technologies in bitumen testing to ensure it is able to source the highest quality bitumen for customers.

“Puma Energy is committed to ensuring customers continue to receive the highest quality and fit-for-purpose bitumen during this period of global change,” Dr. Denneman says.

At the AAPA International Flexible Pavements Conference to be held in Sydney this August, Dr. Denneman will present a keynote address providing more detail on the implications of IMO 2020 for bitumen quality and consistency in Australia.

Many refineries direct their residues to fuel oil, bitumen or base oil for lubricants.

roadsonline.com.au

25

TAPPING INTO ROAD

MAKER NEEDS

TYRECYCLE EXPLORES HOW THE ROAD CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE SECTOR IS BUILDING STRONGER AND SUSTAINABLE ROADS AS DEMAND FOR AUSTRALIAN CRUMB RUBBER INCREASES.

A

s one of Australia’s leading tyre recyclers, Tyrecycle remains at the forefront of helping the road construction and maintenance sector build better roads.

Established and based in Somerton, Victoria, Tyrecycle shreds end-of-life truck tyres in Australia, turning them into granules and powders to manufacture crumb rubber for use in road surfacing, including sprayed seals or in asphalt.

Tyrecycle’s National Sales Manager Clinton Habner says there has been a notable spike in interest for the product, which is manufactured at its Somerton processing facility in Melbourne – Australia’s largest crumbing plant.

“Growth in the rubber crumb market is being driven by the increased interest in the properties of the rubber when included in applications, and the need to use recycled product from waste tyres generated in Australia,” Mr. Habner says.

Mr. Habner says Tyrecycle’s work is about providing a quality recycled product that delivers enhanced performance while also minimising environmental impact.

“Tyrecycle is particularly seeing a strong uptake in Queensland of rubber modified binder off the back of successful local trials of the product there,” Mr. Habner says.

Tyrecycle forecasts the market to continue its rapid expansion over the short to medium term as regulators, councils and road authorities increase their understanding of the benefits of rubber in the resurfacing of roads.

“We proudly deliver and guarantee full chain of custody for all the materials we process and supply, ensuring that our raw materials are used in an environmentally sound way. This is becoming a number one priority in what our customers are looking for in the product,” Mr Habner says.

Tyrecycle assists a variety of large 26

ROADS AUGUST 2019

Tyrecycle forecasts the market to continue its rapid expansion.

infrastructure construction and roadworks companies, including Fulton Hogan, delivering more than 1000 tonnes of crumb rubber to the company over the past year.

Fulton Hogan’s Surfacing Operations Manager Damian Sullivan says they work on a variety of major projects across the country with Tyrecycle including its Eastern Region Alliance, aimed at improving regional roads in Victoria.

“Fulton Hogan is firmly committed to reducing our environmental footprint and the use of recycled materials that might otherwise go to landfill in our roadworks is a major focus for us,” Mr. Sullivan says.

He says that in delivering local and main roads projects that require resurfacing including the use of spray seal, having a full chain of custody assurance with the crumb rubber Fulton Hogan is purchasing and using from Tyrecycle is paramount.

“The consistency of supply and assurance the same material is delivered on time is crucial as we strive to deliver high quality roads to connect the community,” he says.

“When resurfacing Australia’s roads, you also need flexibility when it comes to lead-in times for a particular job or you may request a delivery at short notice where more product is needed.”

Tyrecycle says supplying crumb rubber as a matter of urgency is often required by customers and it has a seamless manufacturing and supply structure in place.

“We deliver to many remote locations in Australia that don’t have regular transport routes for the handing over of our product and use roadside stands or civil works yards as drop-off points,” Mr. Habner says.

“Flexibility is vital and Tyrecycle has even delivered half loads in small trucks on a Saturday, just to get a customer through a weekend.”

Tyrecycle continues to work with government and industry to increase awareness of the importance of tyre recycling and why it should be mandatory for Australian recovered tyres to be used in road construction.

SPRAYING FOR

LONG LIFE

COLAS SOLUTIONS AND SAMI BITUMEN ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO EXTEND THE LIFE OF AUSTRALIA’S ROAD NETWORK WITH SAFER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS USING BITUMEN EMULSION-BASED TECHNIQUES.

R

oad asset owners can often be faced with the dilemma of having to maintain ageing bituminous sealed road networks with limited funds.

The challenge has to be managed while trying to preserve natural resources, meet community service expectations and manage the backlog of routine maintenance.

According to Trevor Distin, Colas Technical and Marketing Manager, the majority of lightly trafficked residential roads are surfaced with either bitumen spray seals or thin asphalt.

“The deterioration of these roads is mainly due to surfacing distress caused by oxidation of the bitumen than vehicular traffic,” he says.

Mr. Distin says the properties of bitumen, like other organic substances, are affected by the presence of oxygen, ultra violet light and changes in temperature.

He adds that when these environmental conditions interact with the chemical makeup of bitumen, the binder in the surface starts to harden.

“This phenomenon is more pronounced in hot climates like what we experience in Australia, making low-trafficked bitumen surfaces more prone to premature cracking and stone loss during their in-service life,” Mr. Distin explains.

“These circumstances can lead to an increased expenditure on road maintenance to retain the integrity and functionality of bituminous surfaces.”

Mr. Distin says there are various techniques road asset managers can employ to help extend the life of original surfaces.

“Changing elements in the design and construction to reduce the impact of bitumen oxidisation of the seal and asphalt used in the original surfacing and timeous intervention during the service life are effective,” he says.

According to Mr. Distin, timeous 28

ROADS AUGUST 2019

intervention involves treating an ageing surface to prevent the ingress of water to extend its life, and therefore delay the cost of more expensive and resource-hungry maintenance activities such as pot hole repairs and resurfacing.

“Working in conjunction with SAMI Bitumen, Colas Solutions has developed a range of specialised timeous intervention bitumen emulsion-based treatments that provide safe and sustainable management options for the Australian road network,” he says.

“The typical treatments range from using dilute SAMI Bitumen emulsion enrichments to applying a thin coating of special polymer modified bitumen emulsion to thin layer micro surfacing.”

According to Jason Williams, Colas Solutions General Manager, SealCoat is an example of one of these collaborative technologies.

“SealCoat is a polymer modified mineral filled emulsion designed to extend the life of existing bituminous surfaces,” Mr. Williams says.

“By combining SealCoat’s high adhesive characteristics with polymer modifiers and varied quantities of solids, SealCoat seals and protects the road.”

Being an emulsion, SealCoat it is not heated, but applied at ambient temperatures.

“The advantage of this is speed of application and fast drying, which then helps traffic get back on the road,” he says.

“During the application process, the macro texture of the initial surface is filled with the emulsion and fine sand to the point of oversaturation, covering the exposed aggregates in the process.”

According to Mr. Williams, in-house Colas testing shows that SealCoat reduces the permeability level of asphalt and increases skid resistance.

“The surface of flexible asphalt pavements designed for a 20-year life commonly have a functional life of between 12-15 years between major maintenance treatments,” he says.

“A mid-life surface treatment of SealCoat can potentially delay those more expensive periodic treatments.”

This is the SealCoat technique road managers can employ to help extend the life of original surfaces.

ASPHALT NEWS

PAVEMENT DIRECTION

INTO THE FUTURE ROAD MAINTENANCE IS CREATING A SMALL BLENDING PLANT TO EASILY INCORPORATE CRUMB RUBBER INTO ASPHALT BINDERS AS IT LOOKS TO THE FUTURE OF ASPHALT PAVING.

W

ith more than 50 million tyres generated across Australia, using crumb rubber in asphalt spray sealing offers an environmentally friendly alternative to landfill.

Road Maintenance expects the demand for crumb rubber used in asphalt and spray sealing depots across Australia to be increased by small blending plants.

According to Max Fitzgerald, Road Maintenance Owner, crumb rubber has traditionally been blended in large plants which were not in convenient locations for contractors.

This led Mr. Fitzgerald and the team at Road Maintenance to design a small and easily transportable blending plant to be assembled at the contractor’s depot.

The plant will have the correct formulas to incorporate waste rubber into asphalt binders and is intended to be situated closer to companies’ projects.

Road Maintenance’s first manufacturing plant was built in 1984 to produce rubberised bitumen products for road contractors in southeast Australia to use in road spray sealing.

Mr. Fitzgerald believes small blending plants will advance crumb rubber spray sealing and asphalt.

With best performing binders, Mr. Fitzgerald says government authorities will increase the life of their pavements by as

RUBBER ASPHALT AND SPRAY SEALING CAN BE USED AS AN OVERLAY OF EXISTING ASPHALT AT THE END OF ITS LIFE.

Road Maintenance has designed a small blending plant to be assembled at the contractor’s depot.

much as 50 to 100 per cent.

Rubber asphalt and spray sealing can be used as an overlay of existing asphalt at the end of its life.

Mr. Fitzgerald says using crumb rubber for asphalt is proved to have advantages, including a thinner application layer, and tyre noise reduction when braking.

Rubber asphalt can be used on local government roads due to its longer life span and noise reduction properties.

Mr. Fitzgerald says local government is a large user of asphalt in dense grade, and open grade is only used on major highways.

Another major advantage of using crumb rubber in spray sealing for asphalt is alleviating Australia’s waste tyre accumulation.

While some of Australia’s waste tyres are shipped overseas, only 16 per cent are recycled locally according to data from Sustainability Victoria.

Mr. Fitzgerald says many developed countries already use crumb rubber blends for most of their roads.

“In Australia we are falling behind on using waste tyres in the asphalt industry. This is largely due to the distance of blend plants

“IN AUSTRALIA WE ARE FALLING BEHIND ON USING WASTE TYRES IN THE ASPHALT INDUSTRY. THIS IS LARGELY DUE TO THE DISTANCE OF BLEND PLANTS FROM WORK SITES.” from work sites,” he says.

Road Maintenance has also created odourless rubber binders and a bonding agent which allows the asphalt to be laid at lower temperatures.

Mr. Fitgerald says lowering the temperature asphalt is laid increases quality on site as the colder asphalt allows more time for laying.

He says Road Maintenance has created a combination of a smaller blending plant and a bonding plant with lower laying temperatures to make it easier for contractors to utilise waste tyres in road construction around the country.

“Road Maintenance is committed to establishing equipment that will ensure the best performance of roads across Australia.” roadsonline.com.au

29

ADHESIVENESS CONTROL

IN ASPHALT MIXES ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE TALKS WITH MARCELO ZUBARAN, APPLICATION ENGINEER AND PRODUCT SPECIALIST AT CIBER EQUIPAMENTOS, ABOUT CONTROL FACTORS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT IN THE ADHESIVENESS OF ASPHALT MIXES.

T

he basic quality standard of a hot asphalt mix is adhesiveness, which is the adhesion capacity among the materials.

Often the choice of aggregates is limited and the material’s adhesiveness can become an issue. Adhesiveness is a quality an aggregate must have to be covered by bitumen, which has to resist damaging factors, such as water, without breaking.

The adhesive capacity of the asphalt mix can be measured in the laboratory through qualitative or quantitative testing. The results of this analysis should be used for improving the mix.

Qualitative adhesiveness tests, by displacement of the bitumen film, are commonly used given their simplicity.

However, these tests only determine if there is binder displacement of the aggregate’s surfaces.

Marcelo Zubaran, Application Engineer and Product Specialist at Ciber Equipamentos, says the concept of adhesiveness goes beyond the aggregate being “painted” or “black” as set in a qualitative test. For this reason, modern designs consider quantitative tests, such as the induced moisture damage, or Lottman, test.

“This test indirectly measures the adhesion capacity between the aggregates and bitumen from one per cent to 100 per cent,” he says.

In order to improve natural adhesiveness between aggregates and the asphalt binder, granular or liquid additives can be used in the design phase.

A typical example of a granular additive is hydrated lime of calcific origin, capable of reversing the surface polarity of acidic aggregates. This makes the surface of the

30

ROADS AUGUST 2019

A continuous flow Pug Mill mixer by Ciber in play with low mixing time (left) and high mixing time (right).

aggregates basic and improves attraction with the bitumen, which is slightly acidic.

“Liquid additives, called anti-stripping agents, are surfactant compounds that lower the superficial tension of the bitumen. Such additives are added directly into the bitumen tank, dosing normally between 0.1 and 0.3 per cent in relation to the binder weight,” Mr. Zubaran says.

The best additive to use depends on the cost, particular reaction of each mix to each additive, as well as the particle size, as lime increases the amount of fine that can pass through the 200 sieve.

Once the project is defined, the characteristics of the plant mixer and the mixing time affect the adhesiveness of the mix that is to be applied to the pavement.

External pug mill mixers, in continuous and batch plants, transfer higher shear rates to the mix, tending to aid the coating of the bitumen on the aggregate’s surfaces.

“It is also possible to make a dry mix, using coarse and fine aggregates, lime and other additives, prior to the injection of bitumen.

This pre-homogenisation of the dry granular materials enables an equal thickness of the binder film on the aggregates surfaces,” Mr. Zubaran says.

This allows for a reversal of the superficial polarity of acidic aggregates when they are mixed with lime, and makes additives, such as cellulose fibers, homogeneous to prevent

segregation of the additive in the pavement.

“Another relevant factor is the mixing time. In batch plants, this is freely assisted by the operator, according to the need of the application, but it has a direct impact on the plant’s production rate,” he says.

Modern continuous plants with a pug mill mixer are able to adjust the mixing time, which is controlled by plant automation, with no need for mechanical intervention in the mixer.

“In continuous plants, the mixing time is an indirect measure of the amount of material inside the mixer and it depends on the plant’s production rate. By keeping the amount of material constant in the mixer, the lower the production rate, the longer the mixing time,” Mr. Zubaran says.

The correct measurement of the adhesiveness of an asphalt mix, mainly by quantitative tests, guides the insertion of additives, allowing for a mixing project of higher quality to be implemented.

Mr. Zubaran says in the application, the asphalt plant technology can affect the homogenisation of the mix produced.

“The most modern continuous plants present high flexibility regarding the mixing time, something that would only have been possible before in batch plants. Therefore, the continuous Ciber plants of the new generation have exceeded expectations when it comes to the mixing process.”

The end of the road?

Or the start of one?

Who would have thought that the very things that wear our roads would become part of them.

At Tyrecycle we turn end-of-life tyres into Recycled Crumb Rubber. It’s perfect for use in Crumb Rubber Asphalt (CRA). Road surfaces paved with CRA exhibit improved fatigue and rutting resistance, reduced road noise generation and improved braking distances. As a result of these improved characteristics, CRA paved roads are expected to have a longer life-cycle, require less maintenance and potentially require a thinner pavement depth to start with, making them easily more sustainable.

Tyrecycle’s Victorian facility in Somerton has the largest crumbing plant in the nation.

Crumb Rubber is produced from 100% recycled truck tyres providing improved performance compared to passenger tyre crumb, with negligible fibre or steel content.

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DuraGrip is made from 85 per cent recycled material.

ASPHALT AS A SAFETY

INNOVATION

AUSTRALIAN ASPHALT MANUFACTURING BUSINESS ASPHALTECH HAS DEVELOPED DURAGRIP TO IMPROVE SAFETY, HELP THE ENVIRONMENT AND INCREASE DURABILITY.

T

echnical prowess and professionalism are at the core of Asphaltech’s vision.

The company has over the past 25 years gone from strength to strength.

Starting out in Western Australia, the company expanded to Victoria in the early 2000s.

Since 2014, Asphaltech has significantly increased its annual production and range of innovative products, and built two full time laying crews.

Asphaltech has leveraged the expertise of its engineers and technical experts to work towards continuous product development.

Bringing innovations to asphalt products and laying techniques has been a boon for staff and clients alike.

The company’s first market disruptive innovation was bringing thin asphalt overlays to local government resurfacing programs. This has now been adopted by at least eight councils in and around Melbourne.

Asphaltech’s latest innovation is DuraGrip.

DuraGrip uses steel slag, a by-product of the steel production process, in place of traditional virgin aggregates. It is a stone mastic asphalt and has a general registration status with VicRoads.

DuraGrip aims to reduce the road toll because the product’s increased skid32

ROADS AUGUST 2019

resistant surface will hold vehicle tyres to the road in hazardous circumstances.

DuraGrip most recently won the Highly Commended award for Safety Innovation at the AAPA Victoria Gala Dinner, where it was up against some of the biggest players in the asphalt industry.

Daniel Ajzner, Business Development Manager, says DuraGrip is a product that puts public safety first. It increases vehicle tyres’ grip of the road surface due to the properties of the steel slag.

“The way the steel slag presents is such that it’s more angular than traditional products and attracts increased frictional resistance from the vehicles that pass over it. Tyres latch onto the slag particles creating greater skid resistance,” Mr. Ajzner says.

British Pendulum testing is being undertaken on two separate DuraGrip demonstration sites. Results to date already show substantial benefits in skid resistance properties compared to the original surface.

“I really believe it will save lives, particularly when in high risk areas such as intersections, traffic black spots and school crossings,” Mr. Ajzner says.

Further to its safety benefits, DuraGrip is made from 85 per cent recycled material. It is also a great solution for the problem of depleting virgin aggregate quarry resources.

In 2017, the Construction Material Processors Association released findings from an independent investigation in Victoria. It presented concerns about the rate of consumption of quarry materials and a shortage in quarry development cases reaching production.

Asphaltech has three different quarries for sources of material, but in creating DuraGrip, Asphaltech is helping to alleviate this shortage.

“DuraGrip being 85 per cent recycled means that we are not significantly impacting on quarry stocks. The more we can use recycled products, the less impact there is going to be on virgin stocks and local quarries,” Mr. Ajzner says.

It was important for Asphaltech to not just produce an environmentally friendly product, but to make a product that matched industry standards in quality.

“Everything that goes into DuraGrip is a VicRoads-approved, high-quality product, including all of the recycled material inputs,” Mr. Ajzner says.

To ensure DuraGrip performed as well, if not better, than traditional asphalt over time, it was tested by a third-party laboratory and exceeded VicRoads specifications.

Using wheel track testing, DuraGrip was

ASPHALT NEWS

found to have a 1.7-millimetre deformation at the end of its life. This test demonstrates the exceptional durability of the product.

“VicRoads has certified our product and given it a general registration status for use.

Customers therefore can have confidence that DuraGrip is a VicRoads-approved, laboratory-tested and field-trialled product.” Mr. Ajzner says.

“To use intersections as an example... if a very large truck is going to do a sharp turn and screw its wheels on a specific point, customers need a robust asphalt. That’s where the quality of the product comes in. While its key feature is safety, quality is important too,” he says.

The first demonstration using DuraGrip was in December 2018 with Moreland City Council in the northern suburbs of Melbourne.

In the six months that followed, Asphaltech was awarded the entire Darebin Council resurfacing contract in Victoria and five other Victorian councils have now also used the product.

David Simmons, General Manager for Asphaltech Victoria, says Asphaltech

“THE WAY THE STEEL SLAG PRESENTS IS SUCH THAT IT’S MORE ANGULAR THAN TRADITIONAL PRODUCTS AND ATTRACTS INCREASED FRICTIONAL RESISTANCE FROM THE VEHICLES THAT PASS OVER IT. TYRES LATCH ONTO THE SLAG PARTICLES CREATING GREATER SKID RESISTANCE.”

doesn’t want to simply lay the DuraGrip and finish the job. Its about building long-term relationships and trust.

“For us it is about being ethical. We like to be seen as leaders in our field even though we are a smaller business. Not just with DuraGrip, but with all Asphaltech products and the work we do every day, we want to be ethical,” Mr. Simmons says.

Asphaltech offers a range of other products including DuraMastic, a modified

seven-millimetre stone mastic asphalt. The company also has a gravel mix, which is a red material used in high traffic areas for traffic delineation, speed humps, tramways and bus lanes.

Mr. Simmons says the ultimate goal is increased utilisation of the asphalt resulting in the possibility of it saving lives.

“We are currently working with VicRoads to find sites on their network where DuraGrip will benefit and we are also working with current clients to grow their volumes and use it in the right places,” he says.

He is also looking forward to the company’s plans to develop DuraGrip into different asphalt mixes with varying stone sizes.

Mr. Ajzner says he is excited for Asphaltech’s future in developing innovative asphalt products which benefit the industry and road users.

“Now we are starting to talk about a whole range of other inputs Asphaltech can use for this and our other products.

Some of them relate to safety, some to durability and some to environmental sustainability I don’t think that Asphaltech will stop innovating.”

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INDUSTRY NEEDS ASTEC OFFERS A RANGE OF NEW ASPHALT EQUIPMENT, DESIGNED TO ENABLE THE COMPANY TO OFFER NICHE SOLUTIONS FOR A VARIETY OF PROJECTS.

I

n Australia, oversized vehicle transport restrictions prevent a truck or trailer from carrying equipment more than 2.5 metres in width at any time of the day.

Strict time restrictions around business hours are imposed due to safety, according to state road authority guidelines.

This prompted Astec to create an asphalt paver that is exactly 2.5 metres wide, capable of being transported at any time.

The paver is among a host of new equipment Astec will be showcasing at the Australian Asphalt Pavements Association (AAPA) Conference.

As a major supplier selling new and used equipment, parts, service, maintenance and training support, Astec is continually refining its products to suit the constantly evolving industry needs.

With dedicated teams on the ground in Australia, Astec is able to supply its best equipment from the United States to the Australian market.

Roads & Infrastructure speaks to Jorge Boil, National Sales Manager for Asphalt and Paving, about Astec’s background and the new equipment it has on offer.

Mr. Boil says most importantly, Astec

There are more than 220 pieces of Roadtec equipment in use around the country.

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is a dedicated company with a focus on designing, manufacturing and servicing asphalt making and asphalt paving equipment for the asphalt industry.

“We have a dedicated team that looks after asphalt equipment and has been doing so for decades. We like to focus our knowledge on a niche market and ensure that we can provide the best solutions and support,” Mr. Boil says.

He says although Astec has a smaller operation in Australia, it has a large footprint specifically in the asphalt market.

Originally based in Brisbane, Astec has now expanded to have premises in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney.

“Astec has a number of asphalt plants, around 28, running with clients across Australia. We are one of the market leaders when it comes to supplying asphalt pavers, shuttle buggies, material transfer vehicles and asphalt plants to the Australian asphalt industry.”

Mr. Boil says the company has well over 220 pieces of Roadtec equipment in use around Australia.

Astec’s latest equipment will be showcased at the AAPA International

Flexible Pavements Conference in Sydney in August.

Mr. Boil explains the Carlson CP60/65 Paver, which will be at the conference, is Astec’s first offering of a smaller paver.

He says persistence from customers prompted Astec to design the AstecCarlson CP60/65 Paver, with Carlson adhering to oversized vehicle restrictions.

The paver weighs about 10 tonnes and features a 1.8-metre screed.

“This paver can be transported at any time of the day and is a great example of how Astec listens to industry to offer equipment which fills industry gaps,” Mr. Boil says.

Among its range of new equipment is Astec’s first range of modular batch plants.

Astec is well known in the industry for its supply of continuous drum plants and the popular double barrel plants, but this is the first time the company will offer a modular batch plant in Australia: the BG Batch Plant range.

“In Australia we have big plants in the major capital cities, but the BG Batch Plant range is ideally suited for the smaller satellite towns where the amount of asphalt needed is less, and the asphalt mixes are more variable than in the major cities,” Mr. Boil says.

“In smaller locations, asphalt plants may be required to produce 12 tonnes of one type mix for a particular customer and five tonnes of a different type of mix for another customer. In this case a batch plant is better suited, so we listened to the market and decided to offer both the big and smaller options,” Mr. Boil says.

The new BG Batch Plant range has batch sizes from 1800 to 3200 kilograms which have mix capabilities from 120 to 240 tonnes per hour.

The plant is also capable of producing up to 50 per cent recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) mixes when the RAP is incorporated either via the dryer drum or

ASPHALT NEWS

through the mixer unit.

One of the features of the BG Batch Plant range Mr. Boil points out is the ease of set up and transport.

“The BG Batch Plant range is set up on a steel base, so there is no need for the customer to have foundations. The model is also containerised and can be erected extremely quickly and easily. All of the electrical equipment and ducting are already installed from the factory, so essentially the customer can plug it in and have it working straight away,” Mr. Boil says.

Mr. Boil says Astec prides itself on the level of service it offers to customers after the purchase of its equipment.

“We have dedicated personnel that have extensive knowledge to support customers during the installation process and in continued servicing of the asphalt plants,” Mr. Boil says.

Astec will also be showcasing its new Shuttle Buggy Vehicle SB-2000ex, and its Voyager 140 mobile asphalt plant at the AAPA conference.

Mr. Boil says the new SB-2000ex features

An Astec/Carlson paver in use.

major upgrades from the older SB-1500ex in terms of visibility, storage capacity, output, upgraded longer lasting wear components and ease of transport.

The Voyager 140 double barrel mobile asphalt plant is another new offering for Astec and is able to be assembled in just three days. Mr. Boil says this mobile plant is also incredibly easy for customers to transfer between sites.

He says Astec’s range of new products

were produced as a result of its close relationships with its customers and the industry.

Mr. Boil says Astec constantly strives to create and supply machines that meet and exceed expectations.

“We don’t spread ourselves thin through multiple industries. Our people are well experienced in specific fields to provide the best equipment and service possible for our customers.”

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BITUMEN FOR AUSTRALIA’S PAVEMENTS INDUSTRY IN THE FIRST OF ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE’S AUSTRALIAN ASPHALT PAVEMENT ASSOCIATION MEMBER SERIES, WE PROFILE AUSTRALIAN BITUMEN SUPPLIER VIVA ENERGY.

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he Federal Government has committed $100 billion in infrastructure funding for the next 10 years, including $23 billion for the 201920 budget.

Amid this infrastructure pipeline, companies are now looking at ways to save time and increase efficiency when carting tankers to work sites to supply bitumen.

Continuing improvement in the delivery of road infrastructure, such as increasing efficiency and changing traditional behaviour, is one of the themes for the Australian Ashpalt Pavements Association (AAPA) International Flexible Pavements Conference and Exhibition.

For more than 40 years AAPA has been the peak body representing the flexible pavement industry in Australia. It prides itself in supporting the industry with cutting edge technology, research, training and innovation.

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With large government investment in both the road and transport industries, it’s essential companies and transport users have bitumen and fuel available across the country.

Viva Energy, a diamond sponsor of the conference and exhibition, is one of the largest Australian suppliers of imported bitumen and a manufacturer of bitumen in Australia.

Through its refinery in Geelong, Viva Energy has a unique role in supporting local jobs, contributing to fuel security and producing products such as bitumen for the Australian industry.

The company supplies products in metropolitan, rural and remote areas and is committed to creating the infrastructure industry needs to receive quality bitumen on grade, on time and on temperature.

Viva Energy supplies fuels and lubricants

to other commercial segments such as the aviation, transport, resources and marine industries. Its supply chain includes more than 20 fuel terminals across Australia, and around 50 airports and airfields.

Viva Energy was formed following the acquisition of Shell’s downstream business in August 2014.

Roads & Infrastructure speaks to Mike King, General Manager of Bitumen at Viva Energy, about the company’s products and goals.

“The core purpose of Viva Energy is to help people reach their destinations, whether that be our customers on the road or our people here at Viva Energy,” Mr. King says.

Its most recent achievement was the listing of the company on the ASX in July 2018.

Mr. King says Viva Energy provides a safe,

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ASPHALT NEWS

A bitumen tanker at Viva Energy’s bitumen gantry.

efficient and reliable supply of quality fuels and products for its customers. He says the company services around one quarter of Australia’s fuel needs.

“We like to talk to our current and prospective customers to understand what they want from their suppliers. This is not just from the products we supply but where we can deliver more value,” Mr. King says.

Over the past seven years, Mr. King says the company has invested close to $100

million in bitumen infrastructure across the country, enabling customers to have access to fuel and products such as bitumen when and where they need it.

To support bitumen customers, Viva Energy has opened a new world class bitumen facility in Botany, New South Wales, converted its Townsville and Pinkenba terminals in Queensland to hot import facilities, built new tankage, gantry and driver facilities at its Geelong refinery in addition to building a new bitumen export line.

“This shows the value and geographic coverage we have invested in for Australian bitumen supply,” Mr. King says.

At this year’s AAPA International Flexible Pavements Conference and Exhibition, Mr. King says Viva Energy wants to connect with its customers and continue to show the industry how it operates.

He says the company has been one of the longest supporters of AAPA and its international conference.

“We believe it is important to support the industry body. AAPA provides a forum for its members to have their view and voices heard. It’s great to discuss the key issues within the industry, both across our member organisations, as well as with key stakeholders, be it with state road authorities, asset owners or the largest civil contractors and consultants,” Mr. King says.

In the next decade Mr. King says Viva Energy’s main goal is to continue to be a major contributor to the Australian economy, creating jobs for Australians

Mike King, General Manager of bitumen at Viva Energy.

in local areas.

He says broadly speaking, the industry is looking at future technology and mobility as well as working with government on its policies and initiatives in the sector.

“We know there continues to be a significant infrastructure investment program at a federal and state level. In the bitumen and asphalt industry, there are huge road projects coming up, and there is still going to be a large need for road products. I think like many others, we are watching that space closely and seeing how we can get involved with our locally manufactured and imported products.”

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BRIDGES North-Vic Precast own and operate their own precast manufacturing yard.

LEVEL CROSSING L-BEAMS NVC PRECAST MANAGING DIRECTOR DANIEL KLEINITZ TALKS TO ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE ABOUT WORKING ON THE VICTORIAN LEVEL CROSSING REMOVAL PROJECT AND THE BENEFITS OF PRECAST.

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he Victorian Government’s Level Crossing Removal Project is set to reshape the urban design and transport connectivity of the state. While the long-term benefits of the project are largely uncontested, construction is disrupting the morning commute.

To calm the public and reduce construction time, the state government is recognising the benefits of precast manufacturing. This realisation is illustrated in the government’s decision to use precast concrete L-beams as part of level crossing replacement elevated rail.

Civil construction company NVC Precast (NVC), formally North-Vic Constructions, has been tasked with manufacturing the L-beams.

Daniel Kleinitz, NVC Managing Director, says precast concrete elements allow rapid on-line construction in the existing rail network, which is a key requirement of the level crossing project, due to short occupation periods.

“Manufacturing precast components can begin as soon as contracts are approved, meaning on-site construction and offsite manufacture can overlap, which reduces overall construction times,” Mr. Kleinitz says.

Mr. Kleinitz says the L-beams function much like a viaduct when they are installed.

“Trains run through the U-shaped viaducts once ballast and track is laid, which fasttracks project completion,” he says.

NVC owns and operates its own precast manufacturing yard, which Mr. Kleinitz says enables them to offer a range of economic options, while still maintaining strict quality assurance.

Government’s interest in precast concrete is being mirrored throughout the civil infrastructure industry.

“The rise in precast is largely due to site constraints, tightening budgets and a wider understanding of economy of scale potential.”

He adds it was this shifting climate that inspired the company’s recent decision to re-brand.

“We used to go by the name North-Vic Constructions, but recently changed that to NVC Precast,” Mr. Kleinitz says.

“We chose the name because it recognises the significant investment the company has made in precast capabilities.”

Mr. Kleinitz says precast has allowed the company to grow to level where it can manufacture and supply elements to contractors on major infrastructure projects throughout southeast Australia.

“NVC began operations as a small familyrun business competing for bridge design and construction projects in 1989,” he says.

“The core business consisted of predetermined municipal and government tenders, with subcontracted roadworks and ancillary works.”

“MANUFACTURING PRECAST COMPONENTS CAN BEGIN AS SOON AS CONTRACTS ARE APPROVED, MEANING ON-SITE CONSTRUCTION AND OFF-SITE MANUFACTURE CAN OVERLAP, WHICH REDUCES OVERALL CONSTRUCTION TIMES.”

He says NVC can now provide a total package of services including the design and construction of T-beams, planks, L-beams, PSRC piles, headstocks, columns, large service pits and other items suitable for precasting.

“We have grown organically in parallel with the expertise of our people and consultants, allowing the company to take on a number of large contracts – mostly completed in-house – with a specialisation in precast,” Mr. Kleinitz says.

“We are continually reviewing techniques and best practice in our fields.” roadsonline.com.au

41

Road Maintenance ROAD MAINTENANCE HAS BEEN SEALING CRACKS AND FIXING ROADS ACROSS AUSTRALIA FOR OVER 40 YEARS. ITS FOCUS ON RESEARCHING AND PERFECTING WAYS TO KEEP CRACKS FROM LEADING TO TOTAL FAILED AREAS HAS HELPED SAVE COUNCILS AND ROAD OWNERS THOUSANDS. THE COMPANY IS ALSO SET ON FINDING INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR WASTE TYRES TO KEEP AUSTRALIA BEAUTIFUL.

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EVENTS Attendees at the 2017 International Public Works conference.

HOBART INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC WORKS CONFERENCE INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC WORKS ENGINEERING AUSTRALASIA EXPLORES THE TOPICS OF WASTE, MILLENNIALS AND ENGINEERING EDUCATION AT ITS HOBART CONFERENCE FROM 25 TO 29 AUGUST.

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ngineering is the backbone of the infrastructure industry, creating machines and processes used to design and build infrastructure across the country.

Like many other fields, engineering is evolving and adapting to future trends and new technology.

As such, vibrant futures and solid foundations is the theme of the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA), International Public Works Conference 2019.

IPWEA is the professional organisation providing member services and advocacy for those involved in and delivering public works and engineering services to the community in Australia and New Zealand.

Held every two years, this year’s conference heads to Hobart, the hub of some of Australia’s most significant natural, cultural and historic heritage.

With 130 presentations in six concurrent streams and five plenary sessions, the conference is the premier public works event held in Australasia. It will be the largest conference on public works infrastructure asset management.

Featuring industry expert speakers and panel discussions, this is a conference that covers each sector within public works.

The future of engineering education will feature in a presentation by Professor Euan Lindsay from Charles Sturt University (CSU).

It will detail a report commissioned by global leader in engineering education

and research Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in which it identified CSU as one of the top four emerging engineering courses in the world.

The report describes the CSU degree as completely rethinking what engineering educating should look like, and Professor Lindsay will explore the program.

A panel will focus on management by millennials which will consider the scenario of a rapidly retiring baby boomer workforce.

This will explore the new wave of millennial managers and pose the question, what changes to workplaces, structures and decision-making can we expect?

Mike Ritchie, Managing Director of MRA Consulting Group, will address the future of waste in challenging times.

Mr. Ritchie will speak from a background as a senior executive in the waste industry for over 25 years with Visy, SITA and Waste Service NSW about how waste can be utilised in engineering.

Peter Welling, Managing Director of Serco Citizen Services, will present a keynote address demonstrating how improved customer satisfaction, better policy outcomes, increased productivity as well as robust cost control can be achieved through sustainable people and change management outcomes.

In 2017, two sisters, Jaine and Ashleigh Morris, founded Australia’s first circular economy pilot project, The Circular

Experiment. They worked with over 100 stakeholders to implement six circular economy principles in a Queensland street.

Together they created an environment built on trust that helped businesses implement a plan that worked to drive economic growth, improve environmental performance and create social capital.

This will be the focus of the final keynote session to consider the application of a circular economy and minimised waste in public works.

Stop press Smart lighting controls, using communications networks to support other smart community devices and packaging smart community technology in multi-function poles, will be the focus of a 90-minute session. It will aim to help council managers understand the increasingly important role that smart street lighting and associated technologies play in the smart communities’ space.

The focus will be on the rapidly evolving field of smart street lighting controls, how the communications networks for these controls can support other smart community objectives, and how multi-function poles can help physically tie much of this infrastructure together.

roadsonline.com.au

43

NORTHERN COMMUTERS RIDE EASY TO PERTH PRECAST CONCRETE TEEROFF BEAMS AND COLUMN SHELLS MANUFACTURED BY NATIONAL PRECAST MEMBER DELTA CORPORATION PLAY A BIG PART IN IMPROVING ROAD SAFETY IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

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elivered by Great Northern Connect, a joint venture between Laing O’Rourke and BGC Contractors, stage two of the State’s Northlink road program includes the first section of the Perth to Darwin National Highway.

Stage two delivers almost 20 kilometres of highway with four interchanges, 14 road bridges and three footbridges.

It also removes two of Western Australia’s most dangerous intersections, the Tonkin and Reid Highway intersection and the intersection at Beechboro and Gnangara Roads. It is expected northern commuters will benefit from reduced congestion and a free-flowing link into Perth.

Delta Corporation was awarded the supply contract for 151 TeeRoff beams for the project’s bridges. The contract also included 200 precast concrete column shells for the bridge abutments.

Delta Corporation’s General Manager Jason Walsh says that the design complexity of the bridges made the detailing of the beams some of the most challenging since the company started manufacturing TeeRoff beams in 2002.

“Both the design and layout of each bridge is unique, which has required each beam to be a different size and configuration. As well, Stage two of the Northlink road program aims to improve services for regional traffic movements.

the beams have a continuity joint at mid span over the supporting columns,” he says.

According to Mr Walsh, the continuity detail at the beam ends required a complicated recess with various cast in fittings to enable the beams to become spliced on site.

Beam sizes ranged in length from 17.0 metres to 43.0 metres, with depths from 1.0 metres to 2.1 metres and widths between 3.2 metres and 4.8 metres. Weights ranged from 63.0 tonnes to 181.0 tonnes each.

Due to the bridge formation, beams have acute end skews and top flange edges radiused on plan. Stressing strands between 74 and 114 no. 15.2 diameter were used in each beam.

Most beams required the strands to extend through the shutters past the beam ends, with an onion end applied after demoulding.

Manufacture of the beams under factorycontrolled conditions commenced in February 2018 and was completed by mid November 2018. Only two moulds were used for the production of all beams.

Specifications for durability control were one of the most stringent encountered to date and strict temperature controls were needed during the pour and steam curing.

To ensure concrete stayed under 350°C

Staged approach for better access to Perth’s north-east Stage one (Guildford Road to Reid Highway) of the project was completed in early 2018. Stage two (Reid Highway to Ellenbrook) has been recently completed and Stage three (Ellenbrook to Muchea) is well underway.

Stage three (Ellenbrook to Muchea) of the $1.12 billion project is due for completion at the end of 2019. during the pour and below 750°C while curing, Delta produced its own concrete with state-of-the-art computerised batching plants.

Quality control was also onerous, as Main Roads WA required a third party to carry out inspections and authorise hold points between specified stages of production. Reporting had to comply with Great Northern Connect Quality Management System.

Mr Walsh is proud that given the complexities of the project, Delta was able to complete delivery to meet the contractor’s delivery requirements.

WA Transport Minister Dean Nalder is also positive, stating that stage two will improve services for regional traffic movements to commercial and industrial areas such as Malaga, Kewdale, Perth Airport and Perth CBD.

Project: NorthLink Stage Two Location: Western Australia Precast manufacturer: Delta Corporation Client: Main Roads WA Contractor: Great Northern Connect

44

APR/MAY2019 2016 ROADS AUGUST

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45

GOOD

VIBRATIONS AUSTRALIAN ROAD RESEARCH BOARD PRINCIPAL PROFESSIONAL JEFFREY LEE TALKS TO ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE ABOUT THE EFFICIENCY POTENTIAL OF INTELLIGENT COMPACTION.

A

the National Asset Centre of Excellence Implementation of Intelligent Compaction Project, says he wants to see wider Australian uptake of the technology.

“IC is not blue sky research. It is completely accessible now,” he says.

“My main objective is to get industry, asset managers and road authorities to buy in and use it.”

Vibratory rollers operate on the principal of dynamic force created by the weight of the roller and rotating masses in the roller drum. The vibratory rollers consolidate the soil and asphalt layer after each subsequent roller pass, and if done effectively, enhance the engineering properties and longevity of the civil engineering material.

“Efficient compaction requires optimum density to be achieved as quickly as possible, using the minimum number of passes,” Dr. Lee says.

“Current compaction procedures often result in non-uniform material densities, which is a major issue for early pavement failure.”

Dr. Lee says IC circumvents this issue by tracking every movement the roller makes and constantly reading the in-situ stiffness levels.

“Constantly tracking in-situ stiffness leads to improved construction quality control, efficiency, uniformity and as a result, a reduction in construction and maintenance costs,” he adds.

Dr. Lee will be Dr. Lee will be presenting at ARRB’s Smart Pavements Now Masterclass. presenting the

rtificial intelligence is affecting almost every area of the civil construction and transport industry. Whether it’s building information modelling, smart highways or connected trucks, automation is unescapable.

An associated technology of the machine learning movement is intelligent compaction (IC), despite the fact that it was invented decades ago.

According to Dr. Jeffrey Lee, Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) Principal Professional, IC was developed 40 years ago in Europe, and has been widely used in the United States for 15 years.

“A few contractors have been experimenting with IC technology in Australia, but it hasn’t gone mainstream yet,” he says.

IC refers to the compaction of road materials using a vibrating roller equipped with an integrated measurement system and survey-grade precision GPS unit.

When used specifically for asphalt compaction, infrared temperature sensors are also enabled.

Dr. Lee, who serves as project leader for

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ROADS AUGUST 2019

benefits of IC on day one of ARRB’s Smart Pavements Now Masterclass, held 18-20 September, in Melbourne.

“I’ll be explaining how IC could be introduced into the Australian market for general earthwork and asphalt paving,” he says. Additionally, Dr. Lee will walk attendees through demonstrations of IC data collection in the United States, using the Veta software developed by the Transtec Group in Texas.

“This technology is readily available, so there is really no reason not to use it – I want to demystify the process and minimise hurdles to access,” Dr. Lee says.

“As with any new technology, contractors have to see it working on projects similar to theirs to believe it can work.”

A key feature of IC enabled rollers is the on-board computer display, which Dr. Lee says facilitates efficiency by providing realtime feedback to operators on the stiffness of material and required number of passes.

“When compacting, operators have traditionally had to estimate how many passes are required to complete the job, which can led to over-compaction,” Dr. Lee says.

According to Dr. Lee, real-time feedback eliminates this problem and allows operators to work with an informed perspective.

“The feedback can then be used to premap the conditions of existing asphalt layers before placing the next compaction lift, which streamlines the whole process,” Dr. Lee says.

“Plus, everything is stored in the cloud, so if there are issues with work a couple of years post construction, the stakeholder can go back and examine all the relevant data.”

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PROTECTING ROADSIDE

WORKERS JOE FIALA’S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE INSPIRED HIM TO HELP REDUCE THE ROAD TOLL WITH BEST PRACTICE SAFETY EQUIPMENT FOR ROADSIDE WORKS AS HE JOINS TMA HIRE AS GENERAL MANAGER.

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oe Fiala realised he had chosen the right job at TMA Hire after a speaker at a conference highlighted how best practice safety measures can go a long way to preventing tragedy.

Just prior to joining TMA Hire, Mr. Fiala listened to a father talk about the loss of his daughter in a roadside accident. For Mr. Fiala, the heartfelt speech served as a stern reminder of the importance of roadside construction industry due diligence.

“The daughter had pulled over to the side of the road after her car had broken down.

A tow truck had arrived on site but another truck travelling on the road lost control. I truly believe if a truck-mounted attenuator had been there, it might have saved her life,” Mr. Fiala says.

It was at this point that Mr. Fiala was inspired to work towards a safer future as General Manager of TMA Hire, a company that provides safe worksites to the construction and road maintenance industry.

“I knew it was right to join the road safety industry and it motivated me to promote road safety by providing secure equipment to the roads and civil construction industry,” Mr. Fiala says.

His experience as a contractor helps to form an understanding of onsite requirements.

“I think my experience puts me in a good position to lead the company and ensure we are meeting clients’ needs. My

Worker safety is TMA Hire’s prime objective.

roadside work experience has set me up well to understand industry requirements,” Mr. Fiala says.

He has previously managed road maintenance contracts and has over 25 years’ experience in the road and civil construction industry.

Mr. Fiala hopes to continue TMA Hire’s personal relationships with clients, and to adhere to their safety requirements on road worksites.

TMA Hire supplies a range of safety equipment, built to Australian Standards, to protect short-term and long-term road maintenance or construction work.

It offers truck-mounted attenuators, variable message sign boards, trailer mounted arrow boards, portable traffic lights and lighting towers.

Safety of workers is the company’s prime objective, collaborating with contractors and subcontractors to ensure optimum site safety.

In Victoria it has been mandated by VicRoads that any construction work on a road with a speed limit over 80 kilometres requires a truck-mounted attenuator.

Mr. Fiala says certain councils are starting to take this safety measure on board too.

TMA Hire provides trained and highly skilled staff to drive truckmounted attenuators and set up other safety requirements on site.

“Our workers are inducted first onto the truck mounted attenuators to understand where to place them and when to move around. They are also inducted onto each specific worksite. They are given a site tour and they plan to ensure the trucks and other equipment are being used for the best outcomes,” Mr. Fiala says.

Mr. Fiala says TMA Hire has the expertise that contractors need on site and he wants to continue the important work the company provides for the industry.

As he looks to the future, Mr. Fiala intends to further extend TMA’s offerings and grow its relationships.

“We are expanding interstate, so we aren’t restricted to Victoria. As we expand I want to continue one-on-one client relationships and ensure we always have a good understanding of exactly what needs to be delivered.” roadsonline.com.au

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A DIGITAL FUTURE DIGITAL ENGINEERING IS A COMPLEX TERM TO DEFINE. ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE SITS DOWN WITH DAVE BODY, SENIOR INDUSTRY STRATEGY MANAGER AT BENTLEY SYSTEMS, TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TERM AND HOW IT AFFECTS INDUSTRY.

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hen googling the definition for “digital engineering”, Dave Body, Senior Industry Strategy Manager – Civil Infrastructure ANZ at Bentley Systems, found 212 million results.

“One definition that resonates is from Transport for New South Wales. By building our assets twice, first virtually and then physically, digital engineering has the power to provide valuable insights, create efficiencies and deliver cost savings to every decision made,” Mr. Body says.

Digital engineering allows companies to create a data model digitally, which represents an asset or objects within an asset, and provides the ability to store information or linked data on each aspect of that asset.

3D models are the most common and comprehensive form of digital engineering, but Mr. Body says it is actually the data behind the model that open the window to opportunity for the industry.

“The data that are associated with the model really does provide a tier for digital engineering,” he says.

With digital engineering, users are able to define spatial and geospatial information as the information associated will create an accurate 3D representation of a project. They can also access and input information on many different parts of a project, such as the concrete that needs to be poured, how much is needed and exactly where it’s needed.

Digital engineering is still quite a new concept for the industry.

“I think in Australia we are in a twilight zone. We’re moving away from the old Digital engineering enables users to define spatial and geospatial information.

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traditional workflows, processes and technology and we understand we need to shift to this new digital engineering paradigm. However, as an industry we are yet to fully embrace this and are stuck between the old and the new. As such, there is a real opportunity now for industry to make this change now,” Mr. Body says.

He says the industry is starting to talk about other aspects too, such as building information modelling (BIM) and digital twins, which are relatively new terms for the industry.

“At Bentley, we define a digital twin as a digital representation of a physical asset, process or system, as well as the engineering information that allows us to understand and model its performance,” Mr. Body says.

He says, at the end of the day, engineering consultants now understand it is essential to design and create an accurate representation of the asset that is to be constructed in the design process.

The opportunity to create detailed 3D models in design houses creates many benefits in the overall project life cycle.

“A major advantage is the information put into a digital engineering model can be leveraged downstream not only for construction purposes, but for maintenance and operations too,” Mr. Body says.

An example Mr. Body demonstrated was a road design project, specifically focused on the pavement objective. With an asphalt pavement, a digital engineering model can help users to understand where the asphalt was sourced from, its thickness, the temperature it was laid and even more.

“If a road authority needs information about a pavement during its design or construction, or any time in the product delivery lifecycle, they can understand exactly how it was constructed from the digital engineering model,” he said. “For instance, if they start getting failure on the pavement, they can link it back to perhaps a construction method, or a specific temperature or where it was sourced from. The customer can then identify other parts of the road network that may have the same set of data.”

This allows for investigation of where future failure may occur in the near term with the data capture at the start and throughout the project. That data are then captured at the start, and through the project lifecycle can be utilised.

Each discipline involved in the design of a project has the possibility to update a digital engineering model on a regular basis.

“If there is one constant in the design of a project that would be change. With digital engineering the design can always be modified and updated before it is issued for construction. All of the data could then link back to the 3D model of the object or asset that is being constructed,” Mr. Body says.

According to Mr. Body, a McKinsey construction report looking at productivity growth in comparison to the digitisation index in the construction industry saw the industry’s productivity grow less during 2005 and 2014. Out of 13 major industries, construction was at the bottom of the digitisation index.

Bentley, in listening to the needs of the industry, created and recently brought to

TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

Dave Body, Senior Industry Strategy Manager Civil Infrastructure ANZ at Bentley Systems.

market a software called iTwin Services.

“It’s really a datacentric view of digital engineering and that workflow. It could be a 3D reality model of that particular existing asset. The iTwin Services then allows us to align that information and align the data,” Mr. Body says.

Traditionally, at the design phase, there will be various disciplines working on a major project, and each will add data to certain packages. When the data leave the authoring application, it is sometimes hard to leverage and can be described as “dark data”.

“With iTwin Services, we have found a way to align any data from Bentley-based products, or any other applications, so the

integrity of the data is kept, which was authored in the original application. We can then move the data forward without any loss of data or loss of geometric correctness, so accuracy is continuously maintained,” Mr. Body says.

Bentley with iTwin Services connects the data from the authoring applications into a cloud service, called iModelHub. At every stage of a project, iModelHub is updated with and maintains a time-based ledger.

“It allows us to form project status reviews, which are continuously available, and customers are able to roll backwards or forwards to any requested project state on that change ledger in iModelHub. We can use that for visualisation purposes and for analysing any changes that occur on a project timeline status. These are all contained in the 3D model,” Mr. Body says.

“So, what Bentley has done within the iTwin Services is it provides access to this data within the change ledger on the iModelHub by an open device provider, which we call iModel.js for JavaScript,” he says. “This essentially makes information on iModelHub accessible to anyone.”

Mr. Body says Bentley products are ready

at the right time for the industry. He says overall there has been a slow uptake but now the industry is beginning to see requirements from some governments, so the time is right to introduce these technologies.

“From a guidance point of view, Transport for NSW has its digital engineering framework. The Queensland Government is moving toward a BIM related set of principles and will expect all major government construction projects with an estimated capital cost of $50 million or more, to adopt these principles. Other state authorities are set to follow and therefore, government guidance is starting to impose itself on industry and we are starting to see this manifest through employer information requirements,” Mr. Body says.

He believes the construction industry is going through a huge growth period currently and a lack of resources is a wellknown issue.

“I think the amount and volume of work currently on the books, combined with the lack of available resources, the traditional ‘business as usual’ approach to large civil infrastructure projects is just not going to cut it anymore.”

GET THE RIGHT GEAR FOR THE JOB Since first opening the doors, family owned and operated Sloanebuilt Trailers have focused on building the highest quality rigid bodies and trailers for a range of industries.

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174 -178 Hartley Road

Tel. 02 4647 4800

Smeaton Grange NSW 2567

E. info@sloanebuilt.com.au

With a range of over 100 trailer designs for you to customise, there’s never been a better time to speak with one of our Sloanebuilt Specialists to get the trusted and proven strength, durability, and reliability of a Sloanebuilt Trailer on your team.

The Sloanebuilt range boasts a wide variety of trailers to suit an abundance of industries including asphalt, construction, demolition, excavation, and quarry.

KEEPING BITUMEN

MOVING

BYFORD EQUIPMENT HAS CENTRALISED ITS BITUMEN TANKER MANUFACTURING AND SERVICE CENTRE IN MELBOURNE TO CLOSELY LINK TO BITUMEN SUPPLIERS AND INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY.

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ince 1975, Byford Equipment has manufactured milk tankers to safely service the dairy industry.

Byford Equipment milk tankers were originally designed with regional road requirements and longer trip times in mind.

Through the years the company has expanded its services and is now using key principles from its milk tankers to create bitumen tankers.

Its latest development in the bitumen industry is Byford’s new manufacturing and repair facility in Derrimut, Melbourne.

The new manager of Byford Equipment’s Melbourne facility, Peter Bedwell, says Byford offers the complete service package for all internal and external repairs of bitumen tankers.

Mr. Bedwell says the Melbourne facility is increasing its focus on customer service to ensure tankers are manufactured to client needs and repairs are available at all times.

“Byford can make tankers to suit regional or metropolitan requirements. In some regional areas, certain tankers are prohibited as the roads aren’t rated for heavier vehicles. We have very specific PBS configurations to suit

regional road requirements,” Mr. Bedwell says.

He says the Victorian Government has invested $115 million into infrastructure in country areas, making Byford’s regionally suited tankers a safe and reliable choice.

“We have used an overlay of technology as the requirements between the dairy and bitumen transport industries are similar.

This ensures customers can transport higher volumes of bitumen efficiently in outer country areas,” Mr. Bedwell says.

A key consideration for the location of the Melbourne facility in Derrimut was customer accessibility.

“The Melbourne facility is in the heart of where many bitumen suppliers are based.

This means contractors come to this area to obtain bitumen regardless, and we wanted to be in a convenient location for repairs and service,” Mr. Bedwell says.

Byford Equipment’s Melbourne service centre also has 24-hour yard service to cater to customers around the clock.

“If a customer needs the tanker off their site, no matter the time, they can bring it to our facility and we will have someone on hand early in the morning to facilitate repairs,” Mr. Bedwell says.

For service and repair, Byford Equipment recognises that alongside the customer, it

is their job to ensure vehicles are not a risk to workers or road users.

As bitumen is classified as a Class 9 Dangerous Good, Mr. Bedwell says this increases the importance of regular servicing and compliance checks of tanker fleets.

To service bitumen tankers, Byford Equipment offers decoking, burner tube repairs, internal valve and gasket changes, pump change outs, barrel repairs, mechanical servicing, complete refurbishment and outercasing repairs.

“There is a high-risk component with bitumen tankers. They need to be maintained to a safe operating condition and serviced regularly,” Mr. Bedwell says.

He says due to the seasonal nature of the bitumen industry, when the tankers are in season, they work at full capacity and companies cannot afford to have vehicles off the road.

“The servicing we do in the off season enables companies to hit the ground running in season, and if something does go wrong we are here to help them,” Mr. Bedwell says.

The new location of Byford Equipment’s servicing facility is centrally located next to Western Ring Road and aims to enable clients to save time and productivity in the height of the bitumen transport season.

The new Byford manufacturing facility is in Derrimut Melbourne.

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To continue providing the latest equipment in Australia, John Deere is relaunching its construction and forestry business.

TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

JOHN DEERE

RELAUNCHES

JOHN DEERE IS BRINGING A RANGE OF NEW CONSTRUCTION AND FORESTRY EQUIPMENT TO AUSTRALIA TO INCREASE ITS BROADER EQUIPMENT LINE.

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s a world leader in providing advanced products and services, John Deere is committed to the success of its customers. This encompasses those who cultivate, harvest, transform, enrich and build upon the land to meet the world’s dramatically increasing need for food, fuel, shelter and infrastructure.

To continue providing the latest equipment in Australia, John Deere is relaunching its construction and forestry business.

The company is partnering with dealers RDO Equipment and AFGRI Equipment to help serve construction and forestry professionals throughout the country.

Founded in 1968, RDO Equipment has set a vision and established partnerships for more than 50 years in the equipment industry.

The company sells and supports agriculture, construction, environmental, irrigation, positioning and surveying equipment from leading manufacturers including John Deere, Vermeer and Topcon.

AFGRI Equipment entered the Australian market in 2004 and today has 14 branches throughout Western Australia. The AFGRI Group provide services across the entire grain production and storage cycle, offering financial support and solutions as well as inputs and high-tech equipment through the

John Deere brand supported by a large retail footprint.

The new market focus allows John Deere to provide a broader range of equipment dedicated to support and new technology to keep its customers productive.

Jeff Kraft, Managing Director for Asia Pacific and Africa, says it’s a new day for John Deere construction and forestry in Australia.

“We are bringing new products to market, including excavators and articulated dump trucks. Our new dealer channel is ready to sell and support the full line of John Deere construction equipment and partner with customers to keep them up and running.”

John Deere will leverage its broad lineup of construction equipment for the Australian market including: motor graders, crawler dozers, wheel loaders, backhoe loaders and articulated dump trucks.

Compact excavators and loaders and skid steers will be available later this year. John Deere looks forward to bringing its lineup of E-Series-II excavators to the Australian market next year.

The G-series excavators currently offer 23 different types of machines to suit any construction project.

All of the equipment will be sourced from seven John Deere factories across six countries to better meet customer needs

based on engine tiers and technologies.

John Deere already supplies a range of heavy and compact equipment for construction jobs.

John Deere will continue its focus on its ancillary service, Ultimate Uptime with John Deere WorkSight technology.

The suite of easy-to-use technology solutions aims to optimise machines, uptime and jobsites. It boasts JDLink telematics, machine health, remote diagnostics and programming, payload weighing and fully integrated grade control.

Ultimate Uptime is a customisable, dealerdelivered support solution designed to improve profitability by meeting the unique needs of a customer’s business.

Innovation is one of the core values for John Deere and this technology is a key product created by the company.

“We’re excited to assist customers to embrace the increased efficiencies offered by our technology suites,” Mr. Kraft says.

Andy Tomkins, Customer and Product Support Manager, says the company have invested heavily to support dealers in Australia with in-country parts and specialists on the ground.

“Contractors can expect the same reliability and durability they’ve come to know from the John Deere brand,” he says. roadsonline.com.au

51

NEXT GENERATION

MACHINERY

DYNAPAC IS INTRODUCING THE SIXTH GENERATION OF LARGE DOUBLE DRUM ROLLERS TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY AND SAFETY ON LARGE PROJECTS.

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ncreased government investment in large infrastructure projects across the country is prompting the need for new and innovative equipment.

Within this burgeoning landscape, large double drum rollers are playing a key role in improving efficiencies onsite as they enable operators to cover a larger area, thereby increasing compaction efficiency.

Due to the underlying fundamentals of the compaction process, equipment ultimately travels in reverse as much as it does forward.

This reverse travel is a major safety concern within the asphalt industry and equipment suppliers are working to refine asphalt rollers for the industry.

The challenge for manufacturers is increasing safety while also accommodating new ideas to raise productivity. This need recently prompted Dynapac to create its sixth generation large double drum roller.

While not only improving safety and productivity, Dynapac has sought to enhance operator efficiency, compaction control and visibility.

Chris Parkin, Product Manager for Dynapac Paving Products, says the CC4200VI will allow Dynapac to keep up with ever evolving market demands.

“The new generation six machines set a precedent for the future of Dynapac machines in Australia. It really is about aligning the product with the increasing demand set out

CC5200VI double drum vibratory roller.

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by the market,” Mr. Parkin says.

The Dynapac CC4200VI double drum vibratory roller sits in the 10-tonne machine class. Mr. Parkin says the industry standard for rollers this size is about eight tonnes.

In order to cover more surface area at a quicker rate, the Dynapac CC4200VI double drum vibratory roller offers extra weight and compaction width for increased productivity and efficiency.

“When a customer really needs to get compaction quality over large areas and deep depths, they can use bigger machines with larger rolling widths such as Dynapac’s new double drum roller,” Mr. Parkin says.

Each drum on the Dynapac CC4200VI is 1680 millimetres wide. Mr. Parkin says its width and overall size make the roller suited to larger projects.

“For this size of machine, customers are looking at highways, airports and other major projects,” he says.

The new Dynapac CC4200VI double drum roller addresses the issue of reversing machines on site with major operators platform upgrades.

The roller features a 255-degree swivelling seat and control panel that follows the seat, enabling the operator to face forwards at all times.

Mr. Parkin says there is now an industrywide push towards forward-facing machines so operators don’t have to look over their shoulder, an issue which often leads to blind spots and workplace injuries.

“Operators can simply pull the lever and swing their seat around to face the direction required. This means there is no longer a reverse directionn – the operator is always facing the direction of travel, increasing visibility and awareness,” Mr. Parkin says.

In addition to its turning capabilities, the seat is able to move side to side for increased vision over both drums.

“An operator can move the seat all the way over to the asymmetric right hand side for increased visibility over the drum edges. The design of the low profile water tank and frame enable the operators to see an object only

one metre tall, just one metre from the front or rear of the machine. This means visibility is excellent with limited blind spots,” he says.

Other features of the Dynapac CC4200VI roller include an electric steering wheel, which rotates with the seat, and a 520-millimetre offset of the front drum to allow for a tighter turning radius and better compaction ability alongside curbs and obstacles.

“The cabin has an improved operator interface with a large colour touch display allowing easy access to all critical machine data, along with an ergonomic selector dial and push button start function. The main drive controls are identical to previous models, making it easy for operators to transfer from older models straight into this one without issues,” Mr. Parkin says.

The sixth generation of large double drum rollers also offers the option of oscillation compaction. The Dynapac CO4200VI roller comes equipped with one vibrating drum and one oscillating drum, allowing the operator to select the most suitable system for the application on hand.

“Dynapac has really focused on wear resistance and serviceability when designing the oscillating technology in the CO4200VI machine. The drums are built from Hardox 450 steel and access panels built into the drum, making timing belt adjustments and changes a very easy job,” Mr. Parkin says.

Construction Equipment Australia (CEA), the distributor of Dynapac machines to the construction industry in Australia, is also able to cater to customers after their purchase.

“We have branches in each capital city around Australia with factory-trained service teams, allowing us to support customers with any product queries or concerns at all times,” Mr. Parkin says.

He says CEA is excited to introduce the sixth generation Dynapac machines to its customers and the Australian market.

“These machines really set the bar for Dynapac and what they can offer for the Australian market. We really feel the new generation of machines set Dynapac ahead of competitors.”

Sloanebuilt designs and manufactures all its trailers on site.

TAILORED

TRAILERS SLOANEBUILT TRAILERS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER BENNETT HABERBUSCH TALKS TO ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF CUSTOM MADE ASPHALT TRAILERS.

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ansdowne Bridge was built by convicts between 1834 and 1836 and is considered a key example of Australian colonial architecture.

The iconic sandstone arch has the largest span of any surviving masonry bridge in Australia and its size, appearance and durability function as an early example of quality engineering.

Located approximately 1.6 kilometres southeast of Goulburn town centre, the bridge functions as a travelling stock route and carries heavy vehicle traffic throughout the area.

In 2018, mobilisation began on a $18.6 million project to upgrade and replace the Lansdowne bridge, with the aim of bringing the structure into the 21st century.

Works include widening lanes and generating shared pathways across the bridge.

Design and civil infrastructure company Abergeldie was engaged as head contractor, while asphalt paving company AviJohn was subcontracted to carry out all aspects of new road surfacing.

Earlier this year, the project reached a 54

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significant milestone when 30 precast concrete girders weighing up to 23 tonnes each were installed, marking the project’s half-way point.

According to Bennett Haberbusch, Sloanebuilt Trailers Business Development Manager, AviJohn has been running Sloanebuilt trailers to successfully manage these works.

“Sloanebuilt is no stranger to largescale infrastructure works, so we were more than ready to supply AviJohn with quality, asphalt industry-tailored trailers for the Lansdowne project,” Mr. Haberbusch said.

“We design and manufacture all our trailers on site, and have a wealth of specialist knowledge to build trailers and ridged body combinations to suit any payload or job application.”

Mr. Haberbusch said Sloanebuilt engineers split weight and measure each truck, carry out weight distribution calculations and then custom design and build each body to suit the customer’s application.

“We custom designed a rigid tipper and tri-axle dog trailer combo for the AviJohn team, and I’ve only heard positive things

about their performance,” he says.

“All bodies and trailers have an electronic build sheet stored on our computer database, which outlines all dimensions, components and items used in the build – which allows us to ensure uniformity of customer requirements.”

Mr. Haberbusch says all Sloanebuilt trailers are grit blasted, prepared and painted in PPG 2 Pack Paint in the company’s gas-heated spray booth.

“This offers significant longevity and durability for the trailer chassis when working in harsh conditions,” Mr Haberbusch says.

“Body safety props are also a standard fitment on bodies and trailers, which ensures safety as a priority.”

According to Mr. Haberbusch, every Sloanebuilt trailer is manufactured at the company’s New South Wales factory.

“Sloanebuilt has a dedicated repair workshop with the capacity to perform repairs, maintenance and refurbishments on a range of trailers, including a wide variety of other makes and models,” he says.

North-Vic Constructions rebranded as NVC Precast

Same great people, same exceptional service, and same great quality

What’s in a name?

For over 30 years North Vic Constructions (now NVC Precast) has been a provider of products and services focused on the design and construction of bridges and associated infrastructure for the Victorian and New South Wales markets.

Our investment in our precast production processes and facilities over the past 15 years has led precast concrete to now be the most significant part of our business.

NVC Precast offers to our clients, a world class precast facility specialising in all precast and prestressed concrete elements including T-Beams, PSC Planks, L-Beams, PSRC Piles, Headstocks, columns, and many other products for the civil infrastructure market.

Our continued growth and success coupled with our deep industry expertise, customerservice, and production capacity and flexibility now places NVC Precast as one of the leading concrete precaster’s in the market.

WWW.NVCPRECAST.COM.AU | info@nvcprecast.com.au | +61 3 5781-1984

LEADING FROM

THE FRONT

WIRTGEN GROUP OFFERS A RAFT OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES AIMED AT ASSISTING OWNERS AND OPERATORS IN OBTAINING BETTER RETURNS AND FINISHED RESULTS.

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irtgen Group has been producing road equipment that aims to lead global markets from a technological and design perspective for over five decades. This year marks another step ahead, with a raft of new models set to hit the market.

Roads & Infrastructure speaks to Wirtgen Group representatives and customers about some of the new technologies coming onstream across its suite of brands.

Improving machine performance while maximising fuel efficiency and lowering CO2 emissions and noise is no easy task.

When it comes to nuanced applications such as pavement removal or rehabilitation, Wirtgen Group has been designing and refining cold milling machines to suit the ever-evolving task.

COLD MILLING’S NEXT GENERATION Wirtgen Group has developed the next generation of two-metre cold milling machines – the W200F. The W200F replaces the outgoing W200 series machines and offers a step change in operating technologies targeting ease of operation, job quality and efficiency.

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Specialised road maintenance company Base Course Management recently acquired the W200F. Paul Montgomery of Base Course’s QLD business noted the successful history of the brand.

“Wirtgen is very good at bringing out new innovations and other things companies haven’t thought of. Our relationship with Wirtgen has been fantastic. It started in 1996 and we have been purchasing Wirtgen equipment ever since,” Mr. Montgomery says.

He says a desire to get access to the latest developments with the W200F ensures Base Course Management is able to lead, and pass on the benefits to customers.

Mark Drury, Australian Product Support Manager – Wirtgen, says the operating concept of the new W200F automates some of the complexity of machine operation, enabling the operator to focus on imperative tasks such as machine loading and position and obstacle avoidance.

He says the operator still has the option to take back full manual control of all machine operators if they choose to do so.

“The machine will continue to monitor milling performance while operating in

manual and compare a range of parameters against what could have achieved in automatic mode,” Mr. Drury explains.

“This provides onscreen suggestions to increase performance and efficiency and is a really smart feature that has obvious training benefits for operators – all built into the machine.”

PERFORMANCE TRACKING To improve productivity, Wirtgen Performance Tracker (WPT) has been undergoing preliminary testing in Australia.

WPT actively tracks milling activity parameters such as location, depth and width (eg. for tapers), volume milled, truck loading data and machine data such as fuel and water use.

The data are communicated at the end of each shift via email in a report format that includes satellite mapping images of the works, tabulated summaries of loading, milling runs and machine operation data.

Melbourne-headquartered company Bitumill is participating in the early Australian testing of WPT. Derek Thomas, Profiling Manager Victoria at Bitu-mill, says although it’s very early days

TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT The Wirtgen W380 CRI Cold Recycler.

of the trial, the system shows potential.

“It provides us a lot of information that we previously haven’t had and all to our inbox. With the chain of responsibility requirements, its ability to track and record truck loading is also very important.”

The machines also have many other new features, including a multiple cutting system, which enables a 10-minute drum change, a dual CAN network of key functions to ensure operability, built-in machine control redundancy and assisted diagnostics and troubleshooting.

Mr. Drury says assisted diagnostics is a great time saver and is similar to a photocopier.

“If something goes wrong with the machine, the malfunction will be indicated on the operator’s screen with colour graphics and with text description,” Mr. Drury says.

“Chasing error codes are on the way out. This speeds up the fault finding and correction process and gets the machine running again in quicker time.”

The next new milling model to arrive in Australia will be the W210Fi, the bigger sibling of the W200F. But this won’t be until late 2019 to early 2020, explains Stuart Torpy, General Manager Road Technologies and Managing Director.

“While the W210Fi will have all the above innovations available, it also has a few more to make life easier and less costly for owners,” Mr. Torpy says.

“Both these new models will be available alongside the current W210XP high horsepower range topper, which has been in the Australian market for just over two years and has quickly gained acceptance.”

GOING SUSTAINABLE The challenges to road owners of rehabilitating existing, highly trafficked roads while minimising disruption to the road user are immense. In some respects, traditional techniques are now unworkable due to road access and public or environmental characteristics.

Nevertheless, the ongoing dynamisms of the road asset and social environment are challenging perceptions, and other constraints are forcing more thorough assessments of alternatives. The inclusion of foamed bitumen in rehabilitation treatments is one of those alternatives.

In addition to the two new cold milling machines, Wirtgen has also released its new cold recyclers the W 240 CR and W 380 CR. The Wirtgen CR range aims to support road users by benefiting from the many advantages associated with fully reusing existing pavement materials. The addition of foamed bitumen and/or cement is able to reduce the number of construction material transport movements by up to 90 per cent. Likewise, the pavement designs enabled by the CR range aims to reuse 100 per cent of existing material, use 90 per cent less resources and 30 per cent less binding agent.

While the machines have yet to arrive on the scene in Australia, Mr. Torpy believes it’s just a matter of time.

“I think we’re quickly getting to the point where we’ll be forced to consider and trial these technologies.” Mr. Torpy says.

There are new and increasing pressures starting to be felt from unit costs of work through road user disruption to product

sustainability and lifecycle.

“Ultimately it’s hard to imagine any road owner being able to withstand these forces. It really is not a matter of if, but when,” he says.

He believes a similar philosophy also applies to paving. At this year’s Bauma, Vögele released its Super 3000-3 paver with an 18-metre screed. The machine can effectively pave four lanes in a single pass to wearing course tolerances.

“I dream about seeing a machine like that in Australia, but sadly I think I’ll be long gone before that day arrives. However, wide paving has its place and the opportunities in Australia are immense,” Mr. Torpy says.

Ralf Peter, Australian Product Specialist at Vögele, adds the company has machines operating across Australia that have capability to pave 7.5 to 8.5 metres, but they rarely get over six metres in operation.

“On some jobs, site constraints limit wider paving, but on many jobs, the barriers to paving at these widths are not site related and are surmountable,” Mr. Peter says.

Depending on the job, wider paving has three material advantages over paving the same width in multiple runs. These include no longitudinal joints, meaning better quality and longer lasting pavements.

“We believe jointless paving has the quality edge over paving several run of ‘hot to not’ or ‘hot to cold’ because there are no joints at all,” Mr. Peter says.

Another improvement is higher paving output, meaning shorter time on the job or more asphalt laid and less interruption to traffic and residents.

Lowering reversing equipment and vehicle roadsonline.com.au

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movements also means a reduction in the risk of collisions with plants and people.

While some attention needs to be directed to ensuring optimum compaction, paving wide usually means slower advance speeds, so there’s less chance of the paver running away from the rollers.

Mr. Peter adds that the company has the resources to support any customer efforts to assess and undertake wider paving.

“If you can find the job and line up asphalt supply we’ll be more than happy to help you reap the benefits.

“Pave widths of 10 metres and more are routine in Europe and other parts of the world and is far from a new concept.

There’s really no reason why it can’t be done here.”

HIGH RAP CONTENT Benninghoven has been busy transferring their counterflow recycling drum with hot gas generator (HGG) technology to the larger TBA and BA series mixing plants.

The HGG technology enables up to 80 per cent reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) incorporation into asphalt mixes while reducing comparative emissions and total energy use. As regulators continue their focus on energy and emissions, the HGG technology has a head start when it comes to potential future compliance limits.

Greg Astill, General Manager – Mineral Technologies and MD, says Bauma was an incredible event, with Benninghoven standing tall.

“With three plants displaying the latest technology available, it was a clear reflection of Wirtgen’s continued commitment to asphalt production,” he says.

While attending Bauma, a large delegation of Australian and New Zealand customers took advantage of the opportunity to visit one of the new HGG Benninghoven asphalt production plants, along with the new

Complementing the W200F is the mill assist machine control system.

This works to optimise machine outputs to achieve operator selected priorities on cost and performance.

This relieves the machine operator of a tremendous load while improving machine performance, fuel efficiency, pick wear, CO2 emissions and noise.

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Benninghoven factory.

Mr. Astill says feedback from the plant and factory visits has been outstanding and made the effort and extra travel worthwhile.

He adds Benninghoven is not only focused on the larger production plants with class leading emissions and recycled product technology.

“In the smaller ECO plant range there have been a number of innovative updates.

The modular design of the ECO series allows a wide range of flexibility along with simple integration of various high-tech components which can be undertaken at a future date,” Mr. Astill explains.

“This affords plant owners real opportunities to meet changing market demand without the need for major disruption and adaptation costs. In this way, plant owners can then react to future customer and market requirements, particularly when it comes to solutions for asphalt recycling.”

In the ECO series, all of the main components are designed for transportation in standard container dimensions, meaning that they can be moved simply and quickly. This is already occurring in Australia, with an ECO plant being relocating some 1800 kilometres away. On the way, Wirtgen will carry out some minor maintenance, retrofit a RAP system, replace the bitumen storage and update several core features. Mr. Drury says this means ECO is living up to its reputation as a transportable, flexible and valued asset.

TAKING COMPACTION TO CUTTING EDGE Once high RAP content asphalt gets paved, it needs to be compacted. With this in mind, Hamm, Wirtgen Group’s compaction equipment brand, has not been idle, releasing a number of new models.

The HP280 is a new pneumatic tyred

A Wirtgen paver at work to pave a wide stretch of road.

roller in the eight to 28 tonne range. While some common concepts have been brought across from the outgoing GRW280 models, the HP280 gains some new features. These include improvements to the operator’s station with new controls and layout ergonomics and intuitiveness of operation.

A flexible ballasting concept has also been introduced with a rigid, liquid and granular ballast now provided for and improved access to the ballast chambers from the sides of the machine. This permits quick weight changes based on job requirements.

The machine also features an innovative water and additive sprinkling system. In addition to larger water tanks, the HP280 can be optioned with an additive sprinkling system that permits filling of the additive tank with concentrate only. It is then mixed only when required with water to the selected dosing rate. These new features add to the visibility and maintenance accessibility leads that have been carried through from the GRW280 range.

And in a similar fashion, the previous advantages of the DV+ series of tandem pivot steer rollers has been added to with the addition of an oscillating split drum option. This development builds on Hamm’s pioneering efforts in oscillation to offer the benefits of this compaction technology in conjunction with those of split drums.

The patented solution provides users with low ground wave transmission compaction (oscillation) with the ability to compact in tight radial curves or roundabouts.

Stuart Torpy says while these are some of Wirtgen Group’s latest technologies, there are more available and still more being worked on behind closed doors.

“To get to the front is one challenge, but to stay there is another. We are working continuously on improving our products and services to allow businesses to stay at the leading edge,” he says.

ABSOLUTE PAVING PRECISION From resurfacing Singapore’s Formula 1 Grand Prix track, to paving roads, runways and other fine tolerance projects, when you need millimetre precision look to Topcon for your next paving application.

Topcon’s range of survey, milling, paving and compaction solutions will help save time, reduce material waste and deliver precision results, every time.

Let’s discuss your next project: 1300 867 266 | positionpartners.com.au

MEASURED

MOISTURE

GOUGH INDUSTRIAL SOLUTIONS NATIONAL KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER HORST HENDRICH TAKES ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE THROUGH COMPETING APPROACHES TO CONCRETE BATCHING.

T

here are two types of concrete batching plants: dry batching and wet batching. While wet plants are generally considered to produce a higher level of consistency, in Australia, the predominant method of producing concrete is dry batching.

Dry batching involves combining fine and coarse aggregates with cementitious material in a truck-mounted transit mixer, before adding a predetermined amount of water.

Horst Hendrich, National Key Account Manager Gough Industrial Solutions, says each variant of concrete has a specific formula based on its application.

“Water is an important ingredient in the making of concrete, plus the other materials used do not have the decency to remain completely dry,” Mr. Hendrich says.

“Moisture probes are not often used and as a result, determining the moisture content of the aggregates, both fine and course, is never going to result in an accurate reading.”

Mr. Hendrich says once a mixture is dry batched, the agitator is parked under a load bay, with a volume of water added

Wet batching does away with guess work.

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based on an educated guess of existing moisture content.

“The barrel is sped up to 14 to 18 revolutions per minute, before the combined aggregates and cementitious material is dropped into the now speeding bowl,” he says.

“This is the messy part where cement dust fills the air.”

According to Mr. Hendrich, once this process is complete, the agitator makes its way to a slump stand, where the driver spends 10 minutes checking the slump or “wetness” of the concrete.

“Ask three different people to gauge the slump of concrete and you will have three different results, which determines the ultimate strength of the product,” he says.

According to Mr. Hendrich, for every 10 litres of water added to a cubic metre of concrete, there is a 2.5-megapascal reduction in strength.

“There are many significant and costly effects of too much water, from the inconvenience of streaks, flaking or cracking, to total loss of a slab,” he says.

“Dry batching therefore has few draw backs including environmental dust and noise issues and inconsistent batches of concrete.”

The alternative, wet batching, is used less widely by concrete and pre-mix companies in Australia. Mr. Heinrich says however that the process is steadily gaining traction.

“Wet batching was tried many years ago, perhaps with some apathy – but technology has advanced and we now have more efficient mixer designs, batching systems and software,” Mr. Heinrich says.

“I’m now asked to quote on wet batch plants quite regularly.”

At a wet batch plant, the concrete mixture, including water, is mixed at

one central location.

“Wet batch does away with guess work and inconsistency by removing the slump stand and as a consequence, the possibility

TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

of human error,” Mr. Heinrich says.

“The dangerous dust issue also becomes non-existent, noise is reduced and any issue with batch consistency is solved.”

According to Mr. Heinrich, Italian construction and engineering company Simem is a leader in the wet batch space.

He adds that Gough Industrial Solutions is Simem’s exclusive Australian and New Zealand distributor.

“Wet batch plants are especially useful for large infrastructure and commercial projects, where thousands of cubic metres of concrete can be batched identically,” he says.

“Simem wet batch plants utilise moisture probes at the aggregate gate, so moisture is measured as the aggregates are dosed and

not from the front of the storage stock pile.”

Mr. Heinrich says while Simem plants have multiple mixers, he suggests the MSO Twin Shaft series for general pre-mix or readymix concrete. He adds that Simem mixers have large top openings, which allows combined cementations and aggregates to be fed directly into the mixer.

“Without the rotating blades of an agitator getting in the way, the load time of an MSO mixer is half that of an agitator,” he says.

“It also solves the dust issue. The finer cementitious mix is not displaced as dust by the air being expelled out of the agitator barrel.”

Mr. Heinrich says with a Simem wet batch plant, the mixing time is

measured in seconds.

“The intensity of the mixing action thoroughly blends the ingredients and uniformly coats the aggregate particles with cement paste,” Mr. Heinrich says.

“The plant becomes cleaner, quieter and more efficient and truck utilisation improves significantly with less fuel consumption and quicker turn arounds.”

According to Mr. Heinrich, Gough Industrial Solutions, in conjunction with Simem, can design and deliver wet batch plants in accordance with all relevant Australian Standards.

“Simem has a range of mobile, semimobile and fixed wet batch plants suitable for local supply, commercial, infrastructure and precast projects,” he says.

Eagle 7000 wet batch plant located underground and supplying the Brenner Base Tunnel, the longest rail tunnel in the world.

roadsonline.com.au

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GROWING

GIGAHERTZ

VEGA MANAGING DIRECTOR JOHN LEADBETTER TALKS TO ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE ABOUT THE DEVELOPING HISTORY OF RADAR LEVEL TRANSMITTERS.

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he properties of laid asphalt are dependent on application and climatic conditions.

The asphalt mixture for a sealing project in the Northern Territory, for example, needs a different structural make up to that for strengthening upgrades in central Melbourne.

Mixed asphalt silos therefore have to accommodate significant variability, which when paired with asphalt’s innate viscosity and temperature, means plants require advanced level reading equipment.

VEGA Managing Director John Leadbetter says while radar level technology is relatively new to the asphalt industry, it’s gaining traction for reliability and accuracy.

“Radar level transmitters have been used in the process industry ever since VEGA developed a unit in 1991,” Mr. Leadbetter says.

“Their use in asphalt production is more recent however, only really taking off after the introduction of 80 gigahertz [GHz] units in 2014.”

Since 1991, the German measurement technology company has provided the international market with radar level measuring sensors for material production.

“Initially the units were operated with a 6GHz frequency,” Mr. Leadbetter says.

The original units weighed several kilograms and could only be operated from an alternating current power supply.

According to Mr. Leadbetter, VEGA released the world’s first true loop powered radar level transmitter in 1997, meaning the unit didn’t need to be connected to an alternating current power supply.

Mr. Leadbetter says in doing so, VEGA created a transmitter suitable for a wider range of industry applications.

VEGA continued researching and innovating, releasing a 26GHz transmitter in 1999.

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Radar level transmitters send microwave signals towards the medium of the material from above.

In the second decade of the 2000s, VEGA began looking into the potential of a 80GHz frequency radar transmitter.

“As with all developments, we soon reached a point where the components and physics of the 26GHz technology had been maximised,” Mr. Leadbetter says.

During the testing phase, VEGA carried out a number of real-life customer trials, where Mr. Leadbetter says it was found that the higher frequency delivered superior radar beam focusing.

According to Mr. Leadbetter, this opened radar technology up to applications not previously practical, such as bitumen emulsion.

“Applications that have a relatively low DK level, with a low level of oxygen transmissibility, had not previously been considered suitable for radar level reading,” Mr. Leadbetter says.

“80GHz changed that and really paved the way for widespread radar uptake.”

In addition to high frequency, an effective radar transmitter needs components that provide a high level of dynamic range sensitivity. This is due to

dynamic range sensitivity facilitating the detection of even the smallest pressure signals.

Radar level transmitters typically had a dynamic range of roughly 90 decibels. In 2014 VEGA developed the VEGAPULS 69 for solids in 2014, with a dynamic range of 120 decibels. This was followed up with a unit for liquids in 2015.

“The release of the 80GHz transmitter for liquids increased the capacity of radar measurements for bituminous material, which has traditionally proved challenging given its unpredictable nature,” Mr. Leadbetter says.

For every three-decibel increase, the power of the transmitter doubles.

“An increase of 30 decibels over previous and existing radar frequencies meant the sensitivity level of the VEGA 80GHz was 1000 times higher than previous transmitters,” Mr. Leadbetter says.

“With this increase, VEGA transmitters were now able to measure extremely low DK products such as plastics, which is significant given the rise of recycled material in asphalt.”

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