Rollers are in high demand

With the region experiencing an infrastructure boom, CMME presses the industry on the best Roller technology available for road, rail and infrastructure construction.

The big economic crunch over the past decade has seen a shift in emphasis from building to infrastructure construction, especially in the emerging markets. Where once the number of tower cranes were an indication of the development of a city or a country, it is now arguably convoys of road construction equipment. And sitting proudly among the asphalt pavers and graders, is the humble roller.
Whether it’s the wealthy Gulf states, Iraq or the sporadically developing Northern Africa countries, building roads (and airports) is the only way into town if the region wants long term prosperity.

Take Erbil in Northern Iraq as an example. The country is desperate to speed on with its rehabilitation programme, but it is struggling to even pay for the cranes needed to breakdown the concrete blast walls that are scattered around its cities. However it is Erbil, not the oil and gas rich cities in the south that is able to attract international corporations such as Scania and Volvo to put down roots. The road links out of the country are bringing in wealth and even help forge solid trade ties with its estranged neighbour Iran.

Sayid Azim Husseini, consul general of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Kurdistan Region’s capital city, Erbil, claims the volume of trade between the two countries is officially $7 billion, but we believe the actual number in general is more than $10 billion, out of which 70 percent is with Kurdistan Region.

Whether it’s the wealthy Gulf states, Iraq or the sporadically developing Northern Africa countries, building roads (and airports) is the only way into town if the region wants long term prosperity.

“What is promising is that our trade and political ties improve on a daily basis, and especially the friendly relationship between the people from both sides is very strong. Approximately 2 million people travel between the two countries annually,” Husseini told the Hawler Newspaper.

Rollers are now being fast tracked into the Middle East. Shantui recently declared that the machine was an “important tool for mountain push to open up foreign markets” and tested its newly launched SR14M Roller with the region in mind.

Chenwen Ji, general manager of the Road Machinery Division, Technology Department Shi Huimin, said the company, which is keen to grab market share in earthmoving equipment here, had project staff working overtime to get it out into the market. This, he said, meant, “greatly reducing the product development cycle to ensure the smooth off the assembly line of new products.”

French company Fayat announced in April that its road building machines – including rollers, as well as paver finishers, planers, stabilisers and light equipment – will go under one global brand, Bomag.
Bomag is one of the best-known brands in the region and has launched one of the most advanced tandem vibratory roller, the Bomag BW138AD-5, which features dual travel levers, a foldable ROPS and larger drum diameter for “enhanced asphalt compaction performance”.

According to Jörg Unger, President of BOMAG, “we think it is more than likely that the market in Western Europe will remain at the previous year’s level. In contrast, the market in Central and East Asia will grow slightly, as will many other non-European markets.

He added: “In the Middle East, Africa and Asia, the market will continue to grow, although the market has not reached the levels before the economic crisis. In China in particular, which is a significant BOMAG market, the company has paved the way for growth by acquiring its dealer BOMA and introducing new products at its plant in Shanghai.”

At the end of last year, Middle East customers were shown an impressive line-up of innovations and technologies at a specially organised launch event. Featuring were its new series of small tandem rollers, the world première of the 4.5t BW 138 AD-5 tandem roller, the new BF 800 finisher, and the BCM-Net, for “online” networking of a construction site by means of WLAN connection between several tandem rollers.

LiuGong Machinery unveiled four new dual-amplitude rollers at INTERMAT 2012 in April. The new line consists of three tandem hydrostatic models – ranging from 2,450 kg to 2,850 kg – and a new 11,300 kg hydrostatic single-drum machine.
LiuGong is fast becoming a global leader in roller design and manufacturing, and these new machines demonstrate how serious they are about the market. The company’s approach is to build highly efficient and reliable machines that are easy to service and own. As a result, LiuGong now ranks as the second largest exporter of rollers from China.

The models 6024, 6026 and 6028 tandems feature a new high-frequency roller technology that delivers high-density compaction and a consistently flat and even surface in the fewest passes possible. With their dual amplitude settings and 63 to 52 Hz vibration frequency range, the machines cover a broad range of material consistencies and applications.
Working widths range from 1,000 mm for the model 6024 to 1,250 mm for the model 6028.

The high-output Kubota diesel engines provide solid, reliable power and hydraulic flow with low fuel consumption. An advanced cooling system provides exceptional control over hydraulic fluid temperature, improving reliability and extending component life. The engines meet some of the toughest standards for noise and emissions and satisfy current EU IIIB requirements.

The tandems feature an advanced new vibration ball-bearing system that maximizes lubrication and prevents fluid leaks for improved drum performance and reliability.
Large capacity water and diesel tanks extend the time between fills. The front-mounted water tank improves machine

balance, and the flow is fully adjustable to match compaction needs. Mud scrapers– mounted on both drums – are fully adjustable and made of tough, damage-resistant polyurethane.

The machine features a unique “no moving parts” vibration exciter that totally eliminates the possibility of a weight change inside the bearings and connecting shafts. It’s a single part system with a flexible eccentric mass, and it means better performance, reliability and reduced service problems.

The rear-mounted Tier III Cummins diesel engine delivers exceptional power and fuel efficiency and low emissions. Since the radiator is at the rear, positioned behind the operator, it stays cooler and is exposed to less dust, for better performance and extended service intervals.

Dynapac’s assault on the region is coming from the north and has been highly active in Turkey, helping to lay the surface of Ataturk Airport plus projects around the city.

The company says the introduction of its fifth generation of single drum vibratory rollers was enthusiastically received at Intermat. Having begun with the larger CA5000, CA6000 and CA6500 models, the company has now presented its mid-size range, CA2500, CA2800, CA3500 and CA4000, and their variants.

The versatile machines represent a minor revolution in terms of serviceability due to their cross-mounted engines. Other time and money saving features are optimized amplitude for superior compaction performance and Active Bouncing Control that prevents damage to the machine and over-compaction.

With static linear loads ranging from 25 – 45 kg/cm, the mid-size CA rollers are ideal for compacting a range of materials, from sand and gravel to rockfill. Amplitude of 1.8 – 2 mm for the CA3500 and CA4000 models allows rockfill to be compacted in 1.25 – 1.5 meter layers. The better depth effect results in higher volume capacity and less passes to reach compaction specifications, thus saving fuel and reducing the cost per compacted cubic meter. Environmental impact is also lower. The Dynapac “Silent Weights” eccentric concept Is an option that enhances compaction performance even further.

The new CA rollers are available with Stage IIIA or IIIB engines. The “best-point” fuel saving system minimizes fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by ensuring that the roller does not consume more power than needed at any time. This, together with higher compaction parameters and other improvements, has resulted in a drastic reduction in fuel consumption compared to the previous generation.