Automated Screed Width Control
The lead contractor used the Edge Detection laser sensor to automatically control the screed width of their Dash 5 paver along a joint edge. This ensured precise, resource-efficient paving and reduced the operators’ workload. Edge Detection is a part of the Vögele AutoTrac automated steering and screed width control system.
Pavement Rehabilitation with Two Mobile Feeders and Two Vögele Road Pavers
The B535 in Baden-Württemberg is an important bypass. Due to surface damage, a 1.6 km section near Heidelberg-Schwetzingen was badly in need of rehabilitation. To enable precise and rapid renewal of the two-lane section, lead contractor Eiffage Infra-Bau SE decided to use staggered hot to hot paving with two mobile feeders and two pavers from Vögele in combination with the Edge Detection edge follower. On the site, the contractor first milled off the damaged asphalt pavement down to the base layer. For the renewal of the 10 cm binder course and the 4 cm surface layer, the contractor used two latest-generation Vögele pavers, a SUPER 1900-5 X and a SUPER 2100-5 X. Two MT 3000-2i Offset mobile feeders ensured an uninterrupted supply of asphalt mix to each of the two pavers.
Hot to Hot Paving with Edge Detection
The paving crew first paved a strip alongside the central safety barrier with the SUPER 1900-5 X. The SUPER 2100-5 X paver equipped with the Edge Detection edge follower, followed behind, parallel to the first paver. The laser sensor was mounted on the left endgate of the AB 600 paving screed and used the joint edge of the first strip as a reference datum for the automatic control of the screed width. In concrete terms, it works like this: the sensor scans the area in front of the endgate within a 70-degree measuring range and detects edges with a rising or falling profile of at least 2 cm. When the screed operator activates the corresponding function, the respective screed extension automatically follows the edge. “This allowed us to lay down the second strip very smoothly, precisely, and quickly,” says paver operator Michael Wenz.
Edge Detection Assists Paver Operators
On several sections of the federal highway, the paving width varied between 8 m and 11.80 m. With a conventional paving process, the screed operator would therefore have had to manually control the extension or retraction of the screed extensions. However, thanks to Edge Detection, the screed width was automatically adjusted to pave exactly the width defined by the detected edge.
This allowed the screed operator to concentrate on other aspects of the job, such as assuring the paving quality. When working on sites alongside moving traffic, automated screed width control also helps prevent safety risks by keeping operators out of hazardous areas.
Another benefit of paving with the Edge Detection sensor: the automated regulation of the screed width meant that exactly the right amount of asphalt mix was used to achieve an ideal joint between the strips laid down by the two pavers. “The reliable edge following by the Edge Detection sensor enables us to avoid paving more than the actual width required. That saves material and cuts our costs,” emphasizes Wenz.
Partener Principal
MATEK Build Smart