(Photo courtesy of the Wirtgen Group)
Wirtgen will be featuring a complete concrete paving train, comprised of a placer/spreader WPS 102i, a slipform paver SP 124i, and a texture curing machine TCM 180i at this year’s World of Concrete show, set for Las Vegas later this month.
The company’s SP 15i and SP 25i machines enable flexible positioning of the slipform paving mould. The SP 15i is equipped with a telescoping extension for the operator’s platform. This affords operators a better overview of the paving results, the concrete feeding system, the transfer hopper, and of the inside of the consolidation compartment of the mould. The multifunctional slipform paver SP 25i can pave a wide range of monolithic profiles up to a height of 6 ft 7 in (2 m) and concrete slabs with a width of up to 12 ft (4 m). Furthermore, the specially developed AutoPilot 2.0 control system enables stringless control of the machine.
The SP 124i is a fully modular, 40-foot class (12-metre class) inset slipform paver that the company says is characterized by the enormous variety of tasks it can fulfill in the construction of wide roads and highways, airport aprons, taxiways, and runways.
The machine frame, which can be hydraulically telescoped lengthwise and mechanically telescoped sideways, enables ideal adaptation of the machine to the needs of any construction site. Four hydraulic swing legs enable easier transportation of the machine and ensure its ability to adapt to all conditions typically encountered on construction sites.
When road surfaces and paths are paved over preplaced reinforcing steel, the concrete can often only be supplied from the side. Placer/spreaders are an ideal choice for this task.
As the leading machine in a paving train, they travel over the pre-placed steel rebar ahead of the slipform paver and the texture curing machine. A truck feeds the concrete from the side, and the placer/spreader then distributes it evenly across the entire working width. The concrete can be placed for working widths ranging from 12 ft to 40 ft (4 m to 12 m) at thicknesses of up to 20 in (500 mm).
Thanks to its fully modular construction concept and standard fitted quick-release hydraulic couplings, the WPS 102i can be just as easily reconfigured as its “little brother,” the WPS 62i. This, says Wirtgen, ensures fast transportation from job to job and maximizes machine utilization rates. The WPS 102i can be precisely controlled by stringline scanning, stringless 3D applications, or by Wirtgen AutoPilot 2.0.
Developed by Wirtgen, AutoPilot 2.0 is a control system for stringless paving that provides an alternative to the conventional method of mechanically scanning a stringline. The system, which precisely controls both the machine’s height and steering, is available for all offset pavers and placer/spreaders.
