Intelligent compaction goes global

Alexander Greschner reveals how innovative compaction technologies are being introduced into the Middle East to develop and improve quality control.

Today, the Ammann Group one of the leading suppliers for asphalt plants and road building equipment worldwide. Founded in 1869, when Jakob Ammann set up his own workshop in Switzerland, the pioneering spirit motivated the company's first owner to keep on expanding his customer base as well as his range of products. The core business of Ammann is the development, production and distribution of compaction equipment. For owners and operators of such equipment the main challenge is quality control.

Over the past few years a number of compaction measuring devices have been introduced. Mostly based on relative measuring, such systems show the relative increase of the compaction result between two passes with a percentage value. These devices display the actual result as a kb value that correlates with basic physical measuring as the gyratory plate test and the Proctor sample test, which indicates the load bearing capacity of the compacted material.

The next technological step was to feed the measured value into the machine control system and achieve an automatic adjustment of the vibration parameters: amplitude and frequency. With the Ammann Compaction Expert (ACE) Ammann introduced just such a 'Compaction Automat' that has proved to be the most efficient automatic compaction measuring and control system in the global market.

Intelligent compaction

Introduced in the European, North American and Asia-Pacific markets, ACE offers maximum efficiency and quality control for compaction jobs on soil and asphalt materials. In 2009, Ammann introduced the first 'intelligent compaction machines' into the Egyptian market. With this introduction, a new generation of compaction technology is launched in the Middle East market.

The ACE measurement system indicates the material stiffness, which correlates with the achieved compaction quality during the compacting process. This value is then used to regulate and adjust the compaction parameters – amplitude and frequency – automatically to ensure an exact achievement of the targeted compaction result. Avoiding excessive compaction passes also prevents the over-compaction or destruction of the material.

Quality monitoring

With the expanding utilisation of satellite positioning systems, additional benefits will be generated for operators and quality control. Combined with a GPS application the complete compaction process and results are visualised to the operator in real-time. This visualization is seen on an industrial PC screen that displays all relevant quality information to the operator in simple coloured graphs detailing compaction results and the number of passes, for example. This indication gives a high level of process quality, self-control and operator guidance, generating time savings of up to 40 percent compared to conventional compaction equipment.

ACE and ACEPLUS can be equipped on vibratory tandem rollers for asphalt application and on single drum compactors with smooth or pad foot drums for soil compaction. Ammann is also introducing ACE devices on reversible plate compactors and its Rammax trench roller products. On these hand-guided compactors the system displays the increase of compaction to the operator and also indicates when the maximum compaction is achieved.

These products are introduced currently to job-sites as well as the laboratory and testing departments of contracting businesses because they represent a highly mobile measuring device, beside being a production machine on the job.

With ACE being one of numerous innovative technologies engineered by Ammann, it underlines the company's ambition to be one of the leading suppliers for compaction equipment and asphalt technologies.

Intelligent compaction: A definition

An intelligent compaction device will:

1. Measure an absolute (not relative) compaction value of the material during the compaction process
2. Control and adjust automatically the compaction parameters (amplitude and frequency) according to the measured values
3. Generate a complete documentation of the process and results

Alexander Greschner is Director of Marketing and Sales for Business Area Machines and has been with the Ammann Group since 1997. Previous to his current position, Greschner was active in the Strategic Marketing and Developments of Ammann and responsible for the start-up of Ammann in the US.