A Vogele paver of the “Dash 5” has generation resurfaced a section of a major Swiss highway using a new generation screed that produces far less noise then conventional screeds as it finished a section of the road where noise remediation was the demand of the job.
According to the Wirtgen Group, which owns Vogele, the contractor of the project executed on the A6 highways near Bern used the Vogele SUPER 1900-5i in combination with the AB 500 TV Extending Screed in several part-sections, paving a noise-absorbing surface course over a total length of 6km and a width of 20m.
According to the contractors, traffic jams are the order of the day on the road, and to improve traffic flow and mitigate noise and environmental pollution in this densely populated area, the road was being upgraded to a so-called smart motorway.
This permits vehicles to use the hard shoulder as a running lane as well at peak times, the aim being to create additional capacity and to reduce noise levels at the same time. The appointed partnership made up of construction companies Frutiger AG and Marti AG implemented numerous measures to achieve this aim, among them extending noise barriers, renovating bridges and resurfacing hard shoulders. Part of the project was also to pave a noise-reducing asphalt surface course on every lane of this section, which extends to approximately 6km.
Low-noise operations with noise-reduced machinery and a short time window were demanded in order to minimise nuisance to local residents and motorway users during the construction period; traffic flow also had to be maintained in both directions.
Quiet, efficient Vogele paver
The contractors decided to use one of the latest-generation Vögele pavers, the SUPER 1900-5i, in combination with the AB 500 TV Extending Screed. Despite its powerful 6-cylinder engine which, even in ECO mode, still delivers 163kW at 1,700 rpm, the paver facilitates quiet operation with low fuel consumption.
To achieve this, Vögele has, among other things, optimised the EcoPlus low-emissions package to ensure that the “Dash 5” machine works even more quietly than its predecessor. The latest-generation screed also makes less noise. What‘s more, the further-developed ErgoPlus 5 operating concept has provided fresh assistance and automatic functions, new convenience features and optimised material management to deliver rapid, high-quality paving on the A6.
The Highway Class paver paved the 3cm-thick surface course in several part-sections, each 3.2m wide. Matthias Baumann, Road Construction Manager at Frutiger AG, said: “The stringent quality requirements meant it was important for us to pave efficiently with minimal interruptions. In that respect, the ability to adapt pave speed conveniently, the large material hopper with a capacity of 14 tonnes and the material management of the SUPER 1900-5i were all convincing features.”
Vögele has overhauled the material handling control system compared to that of the “Dash 3” generation: the auger and conveyors now communicate with one another, ensuring that material feed is even more consistent and accurately coordinated. This avoids load peaks, saves fuel and enables an optimum head of material in front of the screed allowing uninterrupted paving.
The new AB 500 TV Extending Screed also delivered high quality and economy: higher-output heating rods mean the paver is now ready for operation even more quickly. Hydraulic tamper stroke adjustment is another particularly time-saving, practical feature:
Paver operator Steffen Horn explained: “Instead of adjusting each cam individually by hand, the operator uses the Dual Power Shift Tamper function to set the appropriate tamper stroke of 2mm simply at the touch of a button. This achives optimum compaction.”
Smart operation
The paving team believes the ErgoPlus 5 operating concept is a further benefit: compared to the “Dash 3” variant, the paver operator’s console has an improved overview, greater convenience and ergonomics – and an optional touch display. Vogele has simplified the operation of individual functions, improved the design, reduced height to increase legroom and integrated drinks holders and additional storage options – for a smartphone, for example.
“As we were paving in several part-sections, the ‘Save’ function in AutoSet Plus was very useful,” said Horn. It allows paving programmes to be saved and then called back up for the next part-section at the touch of a button. Process automation not only prevents faults, it also speeds up paving.
As the paving team also used the paver under bridges, in tunnels and at night, operators furthermore made use of the new Light Package Plus: the LED beamers are integrated in the hardtop of the SUPER 1900-5i and illuminate full pave width in the area of both paver and screed. This means not having to transport or fit additional lamps or light balloons.
“Lighting at the touch of a button makes work on precisely this sort of job-site much safer and more efficient,” explained Baumann. “We were able to use the lighting without any extra effort and in specific situations, for example in the case of poor visibility under bridges or in tunnels.”
The technical developments and features of the Vogele paver made a key contribution to the success of its deployment: taken together, the quiet, powerful drive, optimised material management, assistance/automatic functions and new lighting concept significantly increased noise mitigation, economy and safety on the job-site.