Chinese construction equipment manufacturer XCMG reports that it has successfully used unmanned asphalt compactors and pavers on maintaining a section of one of the country’s busiest highways.

The company says it deployed 10 autonomous tandem rollers and two autonomous pavers on a section of the Nanjing-Shanghai Expressway. The autonomous paving equipment was commanded via BeiDou satellite positioning. The “fleet completed the scheduled tasks including driving, steering and rolling compaction,” the company says.

“The unmanned fleet has met all construction and maintenance requirements through the grid format tests of thickness, compaction and friction coefficient.”

XCMG also deployed its continuous asphalt thickness measurement radar technology to the project, which it says measures paved asphalt thickness without traditional core measurements. It says it can reach a depth of 120 millimeters and has a measurement error of 1 millimeter.

“The technology provides an accurate basis for real-time control of the paving thickness and improves paving accuracy and construction quality,” the company says.

The unmanned project follows the company’s deployment last year of autonomous rollers and pavers to build a section of China’s Panzhihua-Dali Highway, also known as the Panda Expressway. A remote monitoring data center submitted instructions to the autonomous machines’ onboard control system.

The technology for the autonomous machinery was developed in a partnership of XCMG, Sichuan Railway Investment Group and Tsinghua University. XCMG is also testing the machinery on other highways in China.

Other OEMs developing autonomous paving equipment

Another Chinese equipment manufacturer, Sany, reported at the beginning of 2021 that it had used an autonomous fleet of two pavers, two single-drum rollers, two tire rollers and one double-drum roller on a concrete paving and compaction project in China.

One of Sany’s robotic rollers used on a road project in China.SanyThe company said it used a mobile base station and control room within a short distance of the equipment for remote-control operation. The machines used parameters programmed in advance for route, paving speed, rolling speed, rolling times and width.

Other equipment manufacturers are also experimenting with autonomous paving equipment and have unveiled prototype machines.

Most recently, Volvo CE rolled out its concept CX01 asphalt compactor that would run by remote control or autonomously. The concept uses a split drum, with each drum able to be operated separately, and a self-balancing control system.

The Volvo CX01 prototype compactor features guarding and emergency stops on each corner.Equipment WorldLast year, BOMAG brought its concept ROBOMAG, a fully autonomous tandem vibratory asphalt compactor, to ConExpo. It uses GPS, LIDAR lasers and positioning sensors to guide its path. It detects objects to avoid collisions. It can also be operated autonomously by manually entering movement patterns, and it can be operated manually by remote control.

At ConExpo, Tim Eisfeld, BOMAG director of marketing and product management, said autonomous paving equipment is still years away from being a viable product, though the technology is here.

“As a manufacturer, we would be ready faster than the market is ready for taking it,” he said.

BOMAG’s concept autonomous tandem vibratory compactor, the ROBOMAG.Equipment World 

 

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Hammerhead Trenchless is now offering the SLX1300 trenchless pipe extractions system for small-diameter steel natural gas services. 

The system replaces coated and bare steel service lines 0.5 to 1.25 inches in diameter up to 100 feet in length. The hydraulically powered SLX1300 produces up to 13.3 tons of pulling force to extract the pipe from the ground while simultaneously pulling HDPE or MDPE pipe into the same location as the existing pipe, mitigating risk to surrounding utilities.

The 4-foot-wide by 4-foot-long unit features an on-board pipe shear the operator uses to cut pipe material as it’s extracted into manageable segments for disposal. The unit can be transported on the back of a standard pickup.

While the SLX1300 is designed for steel pipe, preliminary field testing on additional pipe materials is underway.

Faster, easier HDD tooling connections with Vermeer Ultra X3 drilling system

Dowel pins, rather than splines, join the tooling to the rod for quicker change outs.Vermeer

Vermeer has expanded its horizontal directional drilling tool lineup with the new Ultra X3 Drilling system for utility-size rigs. It uses a non-torqued spline connection and is compatible for a wide range of pilot bit and pullback configurations.

Two knock-out dowel pins allow you to swap tooling quickly, and in certain applications, you can eliminate starter rods and adapters. It also gives you the capability of reaming directly from the transmitter housing.

By eliminating a spline-type connection, the tooling doesn’t have to be threaded on, and there is no need for breakout tongs to make and break the torqued tooling connections. To join the tool to the rod, you simply align the spline on the tooling with the spline on the housing and then secure the two pieces by tapping in the dowel pins.

The system is capable of handling reaming diameters up to 10 inches in most conditions from the transmitter housing. It’s also set up to use a full offering of plate bits and rock tooling like the Vermeer Gauntlet, Lance and single roller cone bits.

The Ultra X3 housing uses a standard API rear connection and also works with quick-connect systems like the Vermeer QuickFire HD connection system. In some applications, the Ultra X3 system can reduce the size of the exit pit since it doesn’t require the housing be removed for most pullbacks and crews can changeover from pilot to pullback in a smaller space.

The Ultra X3 is available in three sizes covering all HDD models rated up to the 40,000-pound drill range.

Direct-attach bumpers for PACCAR medium-duty trucks simplify winch installations

Both of Braden’s new bumper and winch systems are designed in compliance with SAE J706 and will accommodate the PD18 Planetary Recovery Winch.

Braden has introduced new direct bolt-on utility winch bumper options for new PACCAR medium-duty trucks as part of its UBX20 and PD18 utility bumper and planetary recovery winch systems. Available for Kenworth and Peterbilt Aero and Vocational models, the designs allow the bumpers to be attached directly to the chassis with no need for custom mounting brackets or welding.

Both bumper systems are engineered to deliver maximum winch line pull ratings of 20,000 pounds. They are available for Kenworth T480, T380, T280 and T180 models and Peterbilt 548, 537, 536 and 535 trucks.

The UBX20 utility bumper is available with TR20 and PD18 planetary recovery winch models. Featuring a lighter and more aerodynamic design, the UBX20 has a reinforced steel frame with two tow-eyes for maximum pulling capabilities.

Both of Braden’s new bumper and winch systems are designed in compliance with SAE J706 and will accommodate the PD18 Planetary Recovery Winch.

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