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COVER STORY

Construction companies across the globe are increasingly dowel bar inserter. On the other hand, the machine has to be able
focusing on sustainable development of projects for acquiring to compensate for the enormous amount of additional weight and
certifications apropos to energy efficiency. As these certifications still be capable of high-precision levelling. The TCM 180 texture
need construction industries to reduce their pollution and emission curing machine was also adapted to the working width of 18.75m.
footprint during the overall project lifecycle, manufacturers are in order to apply a dispersion to the concrete surface behind the
shifting their focus towards the development of user-friendly, energy- slipform paver as protection against evaporation.
efficient, and low-emission construction equipment, and asphalt Compacting to specifications is critical for soil, landfill, and paving
pavers are no exception. applications. Caterpillar will be adding a new compact line of
During the construction of an expressway between the major asphalt pavers and screeds to the Paving Products Family. These
Indian city of Vadodara and the global metropolis of Mumbai, standard 8-foot size-class paver and screed combinations include
the WIRTGEN SP 1600 was able to demonstrate its impressive the AP400, AP455, AP500, and AP555 asphalt pavers as well as the
performance potential and set four world records. The major SE47 V and SE47 FM asphalt screeds. They come equipped with
Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway project is part of the 1,350 km Delhi- features that excel in both urban and rural applications and can
Mumbai Expressway linking India’s capital New Delhi and Mumbai. fit the needs of both large and small contractors.
The construction project is part of the country’s National Highways The compact size and small footprint combine with exceptional
Development Project, passes through six states, and, due to its size, maneuverability for more opportunity to pave in confined areas
has been divided into more than 50 individual subprojects awarded such as narrow streets, small parking lots, and other urban-type
by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The NHAI expects applications. Efficient movement from one job site to the next is
an average daily traffic volume of 100,000 PCE (passenger car essential to meeting daily production goals and having the ability
equivalent units). A project of this size calls for maximum concrete to transport on a variety of trailer types helps ensure that daily goals
paving performance, both in terms of output and quality. are being met. With a length of less than 18 ft, 6 in and width of 8
The SP 1600 slipform paver cost-effectively paves concrete surfaces ft, 6 in., these 13 to15 ton size-class machines can be transported
for traffic areas, roadways, industrial areas or surfaces at airports, without special permits. Speed, traction, flotation, and durability are
such as runways or taxiways, with a working width of up to 16 metres all great features of the Cat Mobil-trac undercarriage design utilized
and with unparalleled precision. It can be used, for example, to on the AP455 and AP455 paver. The four-year prorated warranty
pave full-width motorways in a single pass. But sometimes even helps ensure contractors get the life expectancy from their rubber
that isn’t enough. Thus, the team from WIRTGEN’s R&D department track belts.
worked closely with Patel Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. to develop a Cat pavers are equipped with an exclusive eco-mode feature
customised special solution for the company. The machine and, that combines with automatic speed control to reduce fuel
in particular, its concrete unit, was extended to a working width of consumption. In most conditions, the engine can operate at a
18.75 metres. This involved, on the one hand, additional extension lower RPM and still deliver the required power to meet performance
elements for each component, including the extremely complex requirements. Whether paving straight-line, rural-type applications

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