Pave-IR [RU] – Thermal profiling in Russia

by tklebachBlog, Crane & Lifter, Road ConstructionPosted on Comments are Disabled

Pave-IR [RU] - Thermal profiling in Russia

Today I am proud to show some impressions of Thermal Profiling from Russia.
Here we are in Tatarstan, in Kazan to be more precise. One of the fastest growing places in Russia when we talk about road construction.

Prepared for the night job

Scanning in progress

One more time people were impressed by the helpful things you can get out of the data the system provides. Real data was analysed in a workshop one day later with all people involved. This is how things will work out on the long run. People that are interested in looking at new technologies to further improve processes.

Thermal training

Thanks to Vasily and his team at Korrus as well as the great crew in Kazan for this!

Big Sonic Ski Installation in Jakarta

by thenkesBlog, Crane & Lifter, Road ConstructionPosted on Comments are Disabled

Big Sonic Ski Installation in Jakarta

BSS Installation in Jakarta with Vantage Commerce at night

MOBA had it's first Big Sonic Ski installation in Indonesia, Jakarta. The jobsite was located in central Jakarta and the work was performed at night time.
The challenge of the project was that the surface lacked the sufficient amount of smoothness. Hence the contractor decided to try and reach the desired smoothness with the MOBA Big Sonic Ski.
It is the first time the Indonesian crew works with a sophisticated machine control system for the paving works. The feedback was very good.
The operator just needed a couple of tips and a short introduction to the MOBA Matic system. Both Operator and project manger were impressed by the Efficiency and ease of use of the Big Sonic Ski.

As you can see on the picture below, we had a big crowd watching the installation process as well as the actual paving process.

Thank you All for your support!

After the project, we might be able to supply a direct comparison of two lanes -one with the support of MOBA Big Sonic Ski and one without.
I keep you up-to-date.
We would like to thank, both the contractor and our dealer Vantage Commerce for their trust and positive feedback of our MOBA products.

!Let’s pave Indonesien streets more smooth - also in the future!

Digital trends changing the construction industry

by thenkesBlog, Crane & Lifter, Road ConstructionPosted on Comments are Disabled

Digital trends changing the construction industry

Industry 4.0 – nowadays that is not only a description of a digital future, but also of today’s industry. It describes the interconnection and cooperation between humans, machines, tools, logistics, and products. This also applies to the construction industry and describes the cross-linking and meshing of machinery, vehicles, and devices, so that not only single steps, but the whole working chain and the whole construction site can be planned and realized digitally. The benefits are reducing cost, raising efficiency and precision, as well as facilitating everyday work.

1. Fleet Management

Fleet management for example is already present in many companies and on many sites. That means the positions of machines are known at all times and their operation can be planned precisely and coordinated so that machine operation times can be optimized. Also facts like routes, fuel consumption, or error codes can be checked with one click on the computer from any digital device. This also allows remote support and diagnostics.
All this is helpful for different purposes. For example, schedulers need the current position to organize transport, operation, and workload of machine fleets on different sites. Construction companies also use data for exacting payoff and other calculations. Also service intervals, like operation hours, can be precisely planned using digital information.

2. Cross-linked Machinery

Cross-linked machinery is already contributing to more efficiency, higher productivity, and savings on modern job sites. The latest trend is to use drones for surveying the job site and sending the data to a server. This data is used to build a three-dimensional digital terrain model (DTM). With the help of a DTM for example excavators can work exactly according to the plans.
Also first pilot projects for autonomous job sites have been started. For example: Caterpillar started its system “Command for Hauling” in 2012; an operator-free system for dumpers. In this project, until 2020, 45 dumpers are planned to be working autonomously and can respond to calls to the shovel, move into position, and haul to dump points without an operator on board.
Nevertheless, construction machinery manufacturers deny that operators shall be disposed of in the near future. They want digital solutions to help and support the operator and to enable him to achieve better results. One theme is supporting operators by augmented reality solutions, which means virtually expanded surrounding information. But also partly automated solutions will be playing a big role on future job sites.

This is the heading

3. IT Competencies

The nature of the jobs themselves will probably change a lot as operators will start to need a lot more competencies in IT. The simple driving and operating of machines will not be the main aspects any more, but the operation of guidance and control systems will get more and more important. Also service and maintenance will change a lot. Intelligent data analyses can indicate incidents before they lead to costly machine downtimes. Predictive maintenance will display when tools need to be changed because of wear and tear. So maintenance can be planned, timed, and coordinated to the job site. This is possible as sensors record oscillations of tools and this information is plugged into special algorithms to detect wear of tools over time. So companies can react before the machine breaks down, preventing downtime.
3D Printing will also change the markets. Spare parts could be made without long idle time. And just-in-time production also means the reduction of stocks and their costs. This is however, still in the fledgling stages and there will be probably brand new themes and methods that have yet to be imagined.

MCA 500 in Thailand

by tklebachBlog, Crane & Lifter, Road ConstructionPosted on Comments are Disabled

MCA 500 in Thailand

The corresponding project is located in the eastern part of Thailand, Chon Buri and is part of the Eastern Economic Corridor Investment plan. The earthworks concern the establishment of a future highway to connect Bangkok with Pattaya. Pattaya is one the most important tourist destination of Thailand and is the center of Chon Buri. The total length of the current construction project is about 10 km.

MCA 500 is used to determine the correct density of the base course. MCA 500 increases the effectiveness of the machine and process as well as overall compaction quality. The system saves on time, personnel, costs and machine wear. MCA 500 as a robust yet inexpensive system that fits any brand of compactor around the world.

The project includes the use of different brands of compactors – however no problem for MOBA as MOBA is adaptable to any compactor no matter the maker or model. Quick and simple installation. Below you may see the only MOBA sensor that you need to install for earthworks – the MOBA accelertation sensor. It monitors frequency and amplitude and with that generates a compaction value – the ICV (Intelligent Compaction Value).

Nevertheless, certain projects demand a little more than that. MOBA is proud to be one of the few players of the market that offer a sophisticated and high accurcy hang on system for compactors: The MCA 3000 offers full documentation and clearly structured visualization of the compaction progress in real time. The MCA 3000 saves all data as quality verification and sends data wireless to the office/server. One of the main features of MCA 3000 is that it allows communication between multiple rollers.

Please find more information following this link:

https://moba-automation.com/machine-applications/compactors/mca-3000/

Thank you for reading

MOBA GS506 Double Laser Leveling System

by tklebachBlog, Crane & Lifter, Road ConstructionPosted on Comments are Disabled

MOBA GS506 Double Laser Leveling System

End-user: Shandong Juancheng Highway Bureau Tongda Luqiao Engineering Company

Site address:Heze Shandong

In response to the transformation of national shanty towns and old urban areas, Shandong Juancheng Highway Bureau Tongda Luqiao Engineering Company improved the old subgrade construction mode and introduced MOBA GS506 double laser leveling system during the construction process. And become the leader of digital construction.

The length of the experimental section is 100 meters, the transverse gradient is 1.5%, and the longitudinal gradient is 0.219%. The grader driver actually only has 3 months’ driving experience and completely meet the construction requirements with the use of GS506 leveling system.

From 2D to 3D – a Grader recieves an effective upgrade

by thenkesBlog, Crane & Lifter, Road ConstructionPosted on Comments are Disabled

From 2D to 3D – a Grader recieves an effective upgrade

The end customer GW & BR Crameri Pty Ltd. has been in operation since June 1988. The company operates as an independent company, specializing in earthmoving and bitumen sealing specialist in rural Victoria, Australia.

GW & BR Crameri came to the MCE LASERS DEMO DAYS in 2014

(https://mobacommunity.com/m/events/view/MCE-Demodays-in-Australia) and saw the benefit in the MOBA GS.506 Grader solution. The customer immediately placed an order and used the system since.

In 2018 the company was awarded a rural contract that required GPS technology, as the MOBA GS.506 is fully upgradeable the company added necessary items to the Grader (MOBA 3D matic) and within short time they were working off the surveyor supplied model.

Machine operator Scott Crameri says:

“He can’t believe how accurate the system is, the whole system and workflow is seamless and works great”

Please find detailed info for both systems by clicking the link below.
http://moba-automation.com/machine-applications/motor-graders/

MCA 3000 on Dam Renovation in England

by tklebachBlog, Crane & Lifter, Road ConstructionPosted on Comments are Disabled

MCA 3000 on Dam Renovation in England

Many years after construction, the old dam in Holmfirth, United Kingdom, must be renewed. The old structure was getting weak, and new regulations requested a redesign and the reinforcement of the dam. Approximately 23 new layers, 30 cm thick, of new material, had to be placed and compacted, homogeneous in shortest possible time to max. density. The mix of gravel and loam was placed with a track type dumper and spread with an excavator. To ensure that water does not penetrate the construction, a trench, made of gravel, ensures the proper accumulation of the surface water into a newly designed drainage system.

For the main compaction a BW 213 DH was used.

Technical Data:
Operating Weight: 12 700 kg
Axle load Drum: 7400 kg
Static Linear Load: 34,7 kg/cm
Drum With: 2130 mm
Frequency: 30 / 36 Hz
Amplitude: 2 / 1 mm
Centrifugal Force: 300 / 225 kN

Compaction execution

To achieve the max. compaction and efficiency, the high amplitude with high compaction force were in use. The layers must be compacted with at least two passes in the specified adjustments for the roller. The full width of the dam is compacted in two tracks. The compaction finished at 1m from the dam shoulder to avoid dangerous situations with the roller. Barriers, positioned in the forefront of compaction prevent the operator being close to the soft shoulder.
After compaction is finished, control measurements with a nuclear gauge were taken. One control point on each track, positions are carried out by random sampling.

Imagine, two samples on an area of about 250m²?

To improve the informational value of the measurements with the gauge, the contractor decided using area coverage measurements with MCA 3000. During the compaction process, all movements of the roller and the compaction values have been shown on display and stored on the unit with a time stamp and position for further evaluations.

The values on the left side from the operator’s screen, where the relative values are displayed, the operator sees that the target value (13) is achieved (green) and mostly over the target (red). On the right side of the screen, the compaction progress is shown. Here the operator can see that the compaction progress has stopped (green and magenta). In this case, no further compaction with the current roller is possible.
For further analysis with Compaction Project Manager, the data have been transferred on to a PC

The screenshot below from the PC-analysis shows a very homogeneous compaction result.

  • OCheckpoints defined using the mapped results in the post-processing software on the PC.
The cross-check between the IC values collected with MCA3000 and the results measured with the nuclear gauge allow the setup of the target IC-values for this site. Following this procedure, a significant increase in data reliability is secured. The same amount of manual checks provides a much higher validity of the measurements now.

Findings:

Higher data density for compaction values, measurements were taken where it is most significant, higher security in achieving the required density and reduction of compaction efforts by stopping compaction when target values are reached. Time for compaction reduced, increased productivity and reduced time for completion.

Insulation of the MRW

by thaBlog, Crane & LifterPosted on Comments are Disabled

Insulation of the MRW
100% testing - because safe is safe

Whether the MRW 1000 Limit, MRW 4-20mA or MRW CAN – all variants also have an insulated version. The insulated versions are always used in instances where live cables or lamps are used. Additional manufacturing steps and special components ensure that no electrical current can damage the load cell. The load cell meets the criteria of the DIN/VDE standard 0682-742 and is suitable for working on live parts up to AC 1000 Volt and DC 1500 Volt. The manufacturing process is largely identical to that of a non-insulated MRW. However, an additional insulation test is carried out after completion of the MRW.
MOBA plays it safe and tests every manufactured MRW 100% for its insulation properties.
For this purpose, the load cell is subjected to an insulation test. In this insulation test, one test pole is connected to the aluminium body of the MRW and the second test pole is connected to the wires of the connecting cable. The MRW is then charged with an increased test voltage of 3.5KV. The test voltage thus corresponds to more than triple the specified value in order to rule out any errors.
The test is passed if the MRW has not passed a voltage breakdown within a defined period of time.
The distinguishing feature of an insulated MRW design is the blue triangular sticker. A non-insulated version of the MRW is shown on the right for comparison.
To be able to carry out the test safely, MOBA uses an in-house developed insulation test stand. The test can only be started when the hood is closed, thus ensuring that no person can touch the load cell during the test. Due to the high voltage, touching the MRW could result in life-threatening injuries.

The Priority of Kazakh Policy is Road Construction​

by thenkesBlog, Crane & Lifter, Road ConstructionPosted on Comments are Disabled
The Priority of Kazakh Policy is Road Construction

Anyone who travels in Kazakhstan needs a SUV in many regions. The government spent a lot of money for the rehabilitation in recent years. But still one third of the roads are worn and have a lot of road holes ore are only made from gravel or mud. Most of the local or regional roads are rough. The national roads are in a better shape and the road network is growing with the current project.

The main road projects of the Strategic Kazakhstan plan “Nurly Zhol” include the new route in the Western European- West China corridor, the Center West corridor, the Center East corridor, and the North -South corridor.

http://kazakhstan2050.com/nurly-zhol/
The overview and the map of all routes, you can find on the web page:
http://www.kazautozhol.kz/index.php/ru/dorogi/rekonstruktsiya
My special thanks to the team that taught me a lot!
From left to right: Me, Julián, the safety technician, Mauricio and Gabriel

Road Corridor Western Europe – West China:

A very big road project from Korgos at the border of China via Almaty, Shymkent, Kyzylorda and Aktobe to Orenburg in Russia has been completed. According to the Ministry of transportation the 2,800km long route is now almost completed and open for traffic on Kazakh territory.
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/video/2013/01/11/video-western-europe-western-china-transit-corridor
Only the 96km long route between Uzynagash and Otar and the 80km long route around Korday will be ready next year in 2019. On the territory of China, the road is already finish since 2011 along a 3,425km long streak.

Road Corridor Center West:

In the center west corridor, you’ll find the route from Astana via Arkalyk, Torgay, Irgis, Shalkar to Kondyagash. There is the connection to the route Aktöbe via Atyran to Astachen in Russia. After the construction of the missing sections, the journey from Astana to Aktobe is now 7 hours faster than before. It is planned to upgrade the route to Category 2 until 2021. The World Bank has approved a loan of just under $ 1 billion for the construction of the routes between Astana and Shalkar on 9 June 2016.

Road Corridor Center East:

In Kazakhstan, there is currently another major project running with an approximately 1,018km long route in the corridor Center East. The existing roads will be upgraded to category 1 and 2 standards by 2020. The traffic of the section between Astana to Pavlodar is more than 10,000 vehicles per day. The longest bridge in Central Asia between Aksu and Pavlodar over the Irtysh was finished after more than three years of construction in December 2016.

Road Corridor North-South:

In this Corridor there are a lot of open road projects. The approximately 1,288 km long route north-south runs from the capital Astana via Karagandy and Balkhash to Almaty. Individual sections are already built. The entire corridor should be completed by 2021 according to government information and correspond to category 1. With a total of 10,000 cars per day, the road is one of Kazakhstan's main transport routes. In perspective, an increase to 15,000 vehicles per day is expected. The EBRD and the World Bank are supporting the extension of the 228 km section from Kurty to Burylbytal. For the route Merke-Burylbaital (266 km, $ 298 million), according to government funding by the Exim Bank of China is provided. The AIIB could also contribute to the expansion. According to their own information, they are considering participating in the four-lane extension of the 660 km stretch from Karagandy to Burylbytal. However, the completion is not announced until the end of 2023.

The first BIG SONIC SKI in Brazil

by tklebachBlog, Crane & Lifter, Road ConstructionPosted on Comments are Disabled

The first BIG SONIC SKI in Brazil

In 2016 the ECOSUL (a road administration company from the south of Brazil) and the SBS ENGENHARIA (a constructor) looked to MOBA to identify some solution for their problem: how to improve the IRI (International Roughness Index), because the SBS ENGENHARIA had executed the paving but the quality was not good enough for the ECOSUL, that have supervised the job.

After some talk was clear that the problem was the paving execution without a levelling system, and the suggestion was to use the BIG SONIC SKI (BSS).

In Brazil is very common the customers don’t believe in technology and sometimes it’s necessary to demonstrate the equipment, and it was made by a test road to prove the efficiency of the system, and of course it was a success!

The IRI has improved by 34% in only one layer (only one pass by the paver machine), and it was an amazing result for the ECOSUL.

After this test the negotiation was made and the SBS ENGENHARIA was the first constructor to buy this system from MOBA do Brasil.

The installation and the operation training were made at the field, and it was very nice to teach and to learn with the operators.

Sometimes we visit this client to see how the system is working.
2016 - BSS working on TEREX VDA 700 paver:

2016 - BSS working on TEREX VDA 700 paver:

2016 - BSS working on TEREX VDA 700 paver:

2017 - The same system on CIBER AF 4000 paver:

2017 - The same system on CIBER AF 4000 paver:

2017 - The same system on CIBER AF 4000 paver:

2018 - BSS comes back to TEREX VDA 700 paver:

2018 - BSS comes back to TEREX VDA 700 paver:

2018 - BSS comes back to TEREX VDA 700 paver:

And it’s working very well! The BIG SONIC SKI is the best choice!