EXPERT ADVICE
ASPHALT ROLLER OSCILLATION ’ S ROLE
How does it fit into the paving business ?
F or many asphalt paving companies , the old Big Joe Turner tune made famous by Bill Haley & His Comets in the 1950 ’ s could be updated to more aptly reflect current compaction roller practices . Bear this out ... if “ Shake , Rattle and Roll ” can be emblematic of vibratory compactor rollers , then “ Shake , Rattle , Oscillate and Roll ” may be the new tune . Oscillation technology for drum compaction paving rollers was introduced in Germany in 1983 as a solution to over compaction . That ’ s a good 30 years after teens were dancing to Bill Haley at sock hops . Compactors with oscillation drum rollers were initially developed to provide faster , more effective compaction . Tandem rollers with one vibrating drum in the front and an oscillation drum in the rear , achieve at least the same degree of compaction as double vibrating drum rollers , but with fewer passes . “ Oscillating drums are traditionally activated by two exciters which are timed to rotate at exactly 180 degrees by Jeff Winke
offset , which causes the drum to ‘ oscillate ,’ or to rock back and forth ,” said Bert Erdmann ,
product manager for heavy compaction ,
BOMAG Americas , Inc ., Ridgeway , S . C . “ Compactors with oscillating drums are best used where standard vibrating drums are either not beneficial or permitted . Oscillating drums are also more effective than rolling in static mode , without any vibration at all . Oscillating compactors are ideal for finish rolling , joint compaction , and rolling on bridges or near buildings and structures .”
Drum roller oscillation is said to improve compaction results . “ Oscillation is achieved through a rapid forward / backward motion of the drum , which differs from standard vibratory rollers in that the oscillation drum stays in contact with the surface at all times ,” stated Jeremy Dulak , product and marketing manager , CASE Construction Equipment , Racine , Wis . “ Additionally , the dynamic force being applied to the substrate is on an angle — not vertical like you would get with standard vibration . This significantly reduces the potential for over-compaction and provides a smoother finish with fewer passes .” There are productivity advantages to using asphalt compactors with oscillation drum rollers . Vijay Palanisamy , director of product marketing and communications , for Dynapac North America LLC , Fort Mill , S . C . described five : 1 . Able to compact faster and reach better density results closer to buildings , where traditional vibration rollers might affect the structures . 2 . Able to compact faster and reach better density results at bridge decks , where traditional vibration rollers are not permitted in vibration mode . 3 . Can extend the compaction time when working with special asphalt mix designs or in colder climates . 4 . Improves density results especially on longitudinal joints when paving adjacent to existing pavement . 5 . Effective in thin lift paving applications with smaller aggregate sizes . The oscillation roller could help by not crushing the material , which can be an issue with www . callape . com [ 28 ] 1.800.210.5923