Page 22 - TTMNSummer2025
P. 22

Transportation
        Page 22                                                                                                Electronic Edition: www.teachingtodaymn.com


                                        Heavy Machines for Road Construction

            Heavy  machines  are  required  in  different  large  projects   lots, and other places. Besides, it can also do minor compac-  be used to excavate, haul, demolish, remove brush, or dredge
        to make the job safer and easier. Road construction is a spe-  tion before a roller starts working. The paving process starts   the river. Sometimes, an excavator can also be applied in the
        cialized area of construction that is highly technical, requiring   with a dump truck moving the asphalt into the paver’s hopper.   forestry industry with certain attachments. Excavators can be
        various  specialized  equipment.  Whether  it’s  building  a  new   Then, the conveyor delivers the asphalt to the dispersion auger   divided into three types by their sizes, including mini excava-
        road, or rehabilitating an old road, using the right machine is   to distribute the asphalt to a heated screed. The screed flattens   tors, medium excavators, and large excavators.
        important. Here are nine common types of machines for road   and spreads the asphalt across the road, creating an initially
        construction.                                   compact surface of the road. Moreover, after the basic compac-  7.  Forklifts
                                                        tion, a roller will be used for further compaction.
        1.  Asphalt Plant
                                                        4.  Cold Planers











                                                                                                                            (Image source: heavyequipmentcollege.com)
                                                                                                           Forklifts, also named fork truck, is a type of construction
                                                                                       (Image source: cat.com)
                                                                                                       equipment designed to move objects short distances at a con-
                                                           Cold  planers,  or  milling  machines,  are  a  type  of  heavy
                                 (Image source: theasphaltpro.com)                                     struction site. Before using a forklift, make sure the volume of
            An asphalt plant is a plant designed to create asphalt con-  equipment designed for milling the road surface. A cold planer   the objects is right for your forklift. There are several types of
        crete, also called blacktop, and other forms of coated roadstone   utilizes  a  big  rotating  drum  with  many  carbide-tipped  road   forklifts – counterweight, side loaders, pallet jack, and ware-
        applied in road construction. Asphalt concrete consists of several   milling teeth on it to grind and remove the pavement. As the   house forklifts.
        aggregates, sand, and a kind of filler, such as stone dust. Firstly,   drum rotates and cuts the pavement surface, the paved asphalt
        mix them in the correct proportions, and then heat them. At last,   is delivered by a conveyor belt to another truck moving in front  8.  Motor Graders
        the mixture will be coated with a binder, usually bitumen based.  of the cold planer. There are several advantages of using a cold
                                                        planer, including recycling asphalt, repairing existing damage,
        2.  Truck Crane                                 building rumble strips, etc.
                                                        5.  Drum Rollers






                                                                                                                                       (Image source: cat.com)
                                                                                                           Motor graders, also known as road graders or maintainers,
                                                                                                       are another commonly used machine at worksites, especially
                                                                                                       at a road construction site. A motor grader is mainly designed
                                                                                                       to flatten surfaces. For projects requiring versatility, a motor
                                                                                                       grader is more suitable than a bulldozer. With a long horizontal
                                                                                                       cutting blade or cutting edge, a motor grader can cut and level
                                    (Image source: zoomlion.com)                   (Image source: crescorent.com)  the soil surface. Besides, motor graders are also suitable for
                                                           Drum rollers, also called road rollers or compact rollers, are   snow removal. The carbide-tipped bits mounted on the cutting
            A truck crane is a frequently used machine for road construc-
        tion, featuring compact and movable. A crane is mounted on the   important machines for road construction. They are designed to   edge are replaceable.
        back of a heavy truck to do the lifting job on the road construction   flatten and smooth road surfaces effectively in construction sites.
        site. A truck crane consists of the lifting component and the carrier.   There  are  several  types  of  rollers,  including  pneumatic  rollers,  9.  Wheel Loaders
        A turntable joins the two together, enabling the lifting to move   sheepsfoot rollers, smooth wheeled rollers, vibratory rollers, etc.
        backward and forwards. As we mentioned before, since a truck   Different rollers are used to compress different materials.
        crane is small, it requires very little mounting space.  6.  Excavators
        3.  Asphalt Pavers






                                                                                                                                       (Image source: cat.com)
                                                                                                           As the name implies, a wheel loader is used to load or move
                                                                                                       materials  onto  dumper  trucks  at  construction  sites.  Unlike  a
                                                                                                       track loader, a wheel loader has durable wheels, making it more
                                                                                                       convenient to drive around at worksites. A wheel loader has
                                                                                       (Image source: cat.com)
                                                           Excavators  are  one  of  the  most  well-known  heavy   a relatively short moving arm and a very large front-mounted
                                                        machines for construction. You will find an excavator at almost   bucket which is used to move materials such as dirt and rocks.
                                        (Image source: cat.com)
                                                        any construction site as it is a very dispensable large machine   DISCLAIMER: Above pictures are not for commercial use.
            An  asphalt  paver,  also  known  as  a  road  paver  finisher,   for various projects. It is mainly used to dig or excavate rocks
        asphalt  finisher,  or  road  paving  machine,  is  designed  to  lay   and  earth  and  load  them  onto  dumper  trucks. An  excavator   https://konecarbide.com/9-common-machines-for-road-con-
        asphalt  concrete  on the  surface of roads, bridges, parking   consists of a cabin, a long arm, and a bucket. The bucket can   struction
   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27