Advances in technology in concrete paving equipment can have a dramatic impact on the productive capabilities of a machine.
Walsh Construction Co., a Chicago area general contracting, construction management and design-build firm, found this out recently while slipforming a new runway at the O'Hare International Airport. In a single day, it slipformed 7,728 cu. yds. of concrete with its GOMACO equipment over a 12.5-hour shift.
A two-track GHP-2800 paver slipformed the new runway 21 in. thick and 25 ft. wide. Production averaged 618 cu. yds. per hour under the watchful eyes of project superintendents Mike Osika and Dennis Entwistle.
Two on-site batch plants worked continuously to keep ahead of the paving spread. Thirty-nine end-dump trucks carried the concrete to the paving site. The trucks dumped their loads into two 9500 placers and a PS-2600 placer/spreader working in front of the paver. Concrete was placed over dowel baskets and cans for runway lighting.
Both the PS-2600 placer/spreader and GHP-2800 paver were equipped with the Leica PaveSmart 3D system, which provides fully automatic grade and steer control using 3D sensor technology, eliminating the need for stringline on the project. The string-free site prevented a lot of hassles associated with the concrete trucks continually driving through the site, laborers at work in front of and behind the paver and various other personnel continually coming and going.
