Road Making Plants and Machinery

Road Making Plants and Machinery 

In road construction project different machinery is required for different types of jobs. The sequence of

job operations can be as follows:

 1. Clearing the site.

 2. Formation of sub grade—Embankment or cutting.

 3. Spreading of material.

 4. Rolling or compaction.

 5. Surfacing.

 

Machinery used for clearing the site. For site clearance generally following machinery can be used:

  (a) Dozer—bull dozer, angle dozer, tree dozer, etc. 

  (b) Rooter or Ripper.

  (c) Tractor.

  (d) Scraper.

 Formation of sub grade.  For this purpose earth digging equipment is also used as drag line, shovel, etc.

For preparing the sub grade generally following machinery is used:

   (a) Tractor

   (b) Dozer

   (c) Grader

   (d) Shovel

   (e) Drag line

   (f) Clam shell

   (g) Trucks

   (h) Rollers

   ( i )Plough  etc.

Manufacturing and spreading of Material. For this operation generally following equipment is

required:

    (a) Crushers

    (b) Trucks

    (c) Aggregate distributors

4. Surfacing. Surfacing generally consists of the following types:

     (a) Bituminous surfacing

     (b) Concrete surfacing

     For bituminous surfacing following equipment is required:

     (i) Bitumen boiler

     (ii) Bitumen sprayer

     (iii) Aggregate spreader

     (iv) Bitumen mix spreading machine

     (v) Grouting, machine

     (vi) Rollers.

Concrete surfacing needs equipment as follows:

(i)                  Central batching and mixing plant

(ii)                concrete mixers

(iii)               Concrete pavers

(iv)              Concrete sprayer

(v)                 Concrete vibrators etc.

Benefits of Good System of Roads

• Roads are essential for the economic development of a country. For speedy transportation of commodities a good network of roads is essential.

• Road mileage has nowadays become a symbol of prosperity and advancement of a country.

• During emergencies such as accidents, the injured person can be rushed immediately to a hospital through a good system of roads. In such cases only a sufferer can understand the value of good system of roads.

• A good network of roads enables villagers to transport their commodities to the market speedily and easily.

• A good system of roads helps in the growth of trade and other economic activities all over the country.

• During floods and droughts, the basic commodities can be efficiently rushed from the other parts of the country through a good system of roads.

• A good system of roads serves as a feeder line for other modes of transport and thus helps indirectly in their development.

• For the efficient functioning of the country’s defence force, a good system  of roads plays a vital role.

Asphalt Road

Asphalt

It is natural by-product of distillation of crude petroleum. In fact it is a substance containing high

percentage of bitumen and some inert mineral substances. Actually bitumen is the basic constituent of asphalt.

Thus the main difference between bitumen and asphalt is as follows:

When crude petroleum is fractionally distilled in refineries the product is called "bitumen" while the

natural distilled product is known as asphalt. It is blackish-brown is colour, non- inflammable, but burns with a

smoky flame at 250°C temperature.

According to the source, asphalt can be defined as:

(a) Natural or lake asphalt (b) Rock asphalt

(a) Lake asphalt. It is a natural asphalt, found in lakes; It contains about 40 to 70% bitumen and about

30% water, lime, clay and sand etc. lake asphalt is refined by boiling it in tanks. In this process the

water evaporates, and the impurities float to the surface and are removed. It is the best material for

road construction.

(b) Rock asphalt The asphalt occurring within porous rock structure such as sand stone or lime stone is

known as rock asphalt and quarried and refined. It contains abut 20% bitumen and rest stone. 

   

Asphalt plant in operation

compaction of road 

Equipments

Asphalt-Thermo-Container

           

                                                                                                                

REQUIREMENT OF HIGHWAY DRAINAGE SYSTEM

The drainage system of highway should fulfill the following requirements:
1. The surface water from the carriage way and shoulders should be drained off effectively and as soon as possible without allowing it to percolate to the sub-grade.

2. The surface water from the adjoining land should not be allowed to enter the roadway.

3. The side drains should have sufficient capacity and longitudinal slope to discharge maximum surface water collected in the region.

4. The flow of surface water along the slopes or across the road should not be allowed to erode them or form ruts.

5. The seeping water or seepage and other sources of under ground water such as capillary rise water etc., should be drained off at the earliest by sub surface drainage system otherwise it will reduce the bearing power of the sub-grade