A wheel loader is used to move a pile of material from the ground and load it onto a dump truck. PHOTO | FILE
Road construction is a highly technical venture that requires meticulous planning and the deployment of a variety of specialized roads equipment.
Quite often, making a road involves blasting of rocks, deep excavations, and other difficult tasks that require a wide range of construction vehicles.
Here are seven powerful road construction equipment:
1.) Motor Grader
Commonly referred to as road grader or maintainer, motor grader is an equipment used to create flat surfaces for asphalt to be placed on
Common models consist of three axles, with the engine and cab above the rear axles at the back end of the vehicle and a third axle at the front of the vehicle – with a blade in between.
Depending on the frame arrangements, motor graders are classified into two: rigid frame motor grader, and articulated frame motor grader.
Rigid frame motor graders consist of a single axle and are unable to turn right or left about a point on the axle. On the other hand, articulated frame motor graders, are fitted with a hinge in between the front and the rear axle – enabling them to operate in small spaces.
A motor grader. PHOTO | FILE
2.) Asphalt Plant
An asphalt plant is an important road construction machinery used for the manufacture of asphalt concrete and other forms of coated road-stone used in road construction projects.
The plant combines mineral aggregates, sand and a filler – in correct proportions, heats the mixture and then coats it with a binder.
It then keeps the product heated to avoid setting before the product is laid down in layers.
An asphalt mixing plant. PHOTO | FILE
3.) Asphalt Paver
Also known as asphalt finisher, paver finisher, or paving machinery, asphalt paver is a roads equipment used to lay asphalt on the surface of a road, parking lot, bridge, or other such facilities and to do some minor compaction before a roller takes over.
The asphalt is added from a dump truck into the paver’s hopper. The conveyor then moves the asphalt from the hopper to the auger, which places a heap of asphalt in front of a screed. The screed then spreads the asphalt across the road and provides initial compaction.
An asphalt paver. PHOTO | FILE
4.) Road Roller Machine
Also known as roller-compactor, a road roller is one of the most important road construction machines. As such, a road roller is a common feature on road construction sites.
A roller is basically a compactor type engineering vehicle that is mainly used to press down soil, gravel, concrete, or asphalt in the construction of highways and foundations.
Rollers can be rubber tire rollers, double-drum asphalt rollers or combination rollers and the type of roller used is determined by the mixture used in a road project.
There are various types of rollers used in compaction works with the choice depending on the job and material to be compressed. They include smooth wheeled roller, vibratory roller, sheepsfoot roller, and pneumatic tyred roller.
A road roller machine. PHOTO | FILE
5.) Excavator
Also referred to as diggers, excavators are heavy construction equipment used for excavating earth and rocks and loading them onto dump trucks.
Excavators have a boom, bucket and cab on a rotating platform above an undercarriage with wheels or tracks. They can handle a wide range of work by changing the front attachment.
A crawler excavator. PHOTO | FILE
6.) Wheel Loader
A wheel loader, also known as front loader, skip loader or bucket loader, is a type of tractor used to move a pile of material from the ground and load it onto a truck or into a pit.
It consists of a front-mounted square wide bucket joined to the end of two arms used to scoop up materials from the ground without spreading it out.
A wheel loader. PHOTO | FILE
7.) Truck Crane
Truck cranes are important road construction machines. These cranes are usually mounted on the back of a lorry to assist with lifting requirements within a road construction site.
They consist of the carrier (called the lower) and lifting component (called the upper), which are joined through a turntable allowing the lifting component to swing from side to side.
Truck cranes are usually compact, fold up, and require negligible mounting space.
A truck crane. PHOTO | FILE
Bonus.) Forklift
Also known as fork truck, a forklift is an industrial vehicle with an attached platform that can be lowered to pick an object on or below the ground and raised to move the object.
A forklift truck. PHOTO | FILE
A forklift was initially used to move objects in factories but the design has been modified over the years to increase its uses as an important road construction equipment.
