Dynapac has launched the F-300 C/S AM 300 Twin-Layer Paver, which is able to place two courses of pavement in a single pass.
The machine offers 60 to 70 % more resistance against pavement deformation, extends paving seasons without harming pavement quality and reduces the amount of asphalt required, according to Dynapac.
The base machine of the Compact Asphalt Paver. The F300C/S, which has a standard paving width of 3.5m has been designed and modified for carrying the AM 300 module.
The F300C/S AM 300 twin-paver comprises two hoppers, a 25-tonne capacity upper hopper on the module for the top (wearing) course hot mix and a 45-tonne capacity lower hopper containing the binder course material. Both courses of pavement are placed simultaneously .
The paver also includes two screeds fed by the two hoppers. The first screed has the ability to place the binder course directly over the freshly placed binder, compacting it to a density of 92%.
The screeds can be adjusted to reduce or increase compaction as required. For its US trial, at the National Center of Asphalt Technology (NCAT), a permeable mix formulated by the State of Georgia’s Department of Transport to reduce water accumulation, lessening the dangers of hydroplaning and truck back spray, was used.
The permeable mix pavement was placed at the assigned test section of the NCAT test track and sponsored by research funding from the Georgia Department of Transport. The “hot on hot” mix consisted of an open graded mix for both the binder and wearing course. The top (wearing) course consisted of 90mm-thick material and the binder course was 127mm-thick material. The clearable void content of the mix lay between 22 and 26%. According to George Platt, vice president, Dynapac Paving and Milling, the company was proud to be part of the demonstration. “The performance of the F300 C/S AM300 surpassed even our own expectations and we are looking forward to implementing this innovative technology,” he said.
The NCAT will continue to evaluate this new pavement technology over the next two years. The test site is expected to be subjected to numerous tests and evaluated accordingly.