What are the Machines Used in Road Construction

Construction of new roads, highways, fly overs, re-carpeting of roads or minor road repairs all come under the common header of road construction. Based of the nature of road construction various machines are used in different combinations to get the work done. Let’s take a look at some of the most commonly used road construction equipments.

1. Motor graders: These are the machines used to create a flat surface to place the asphalt on. Motor graders come in various sizes and configurations to suit the scale of the project and its requirements. Most motor graders have multiple axles with the blade located between the front and rear of the machine where the cabin is mounted.

2. Road roller Machines: Road rollers are basically compactors used to compact material such as soil and dirt. In road construction the rollers are used to press down the asphalt in place after it is laid down after the pad foot drum roller has done its job compacting the base layer to lay the asphalt on. Road making equipment may be static or vibrating ones depending on the requirement of the job at hand. Additionally various types of rollers may be used for various jobs depending on the material in use.

3. Asphalt mixing plants: An asphalt mixing plant is the machine used to produce asphalt and various other types of coated road stone. On a general note these are collectively called black top or asphalt concrete. The plan used various materials in appropriate quantities to produce the required quality and quantity of asphalt. The plant keeps the mixture hot to keep it from setting before it is laid and compacted on the road.

4. Crawler Excavator: These are heavy machines comprising of a boom, stick, bucket and cabin mounted on a rotating platform. Wheels or tracks may be used for movement of the machines. Usually tracks are used since they are softer on the top layer of the soil. These are versatile machines given the kind of jobs they can handle with its various attachments. For most parts they are used for excavating earth and rocks and moving the debris from one place to another.

5. Wheel Loaders: These heavy machines come with a considerably huge bucket mounted at the front of a tractor to pick the debris and transport it to the dump truck. The machines scoops the material in its wide bucket and safely moves it to the desired location in a jiffy. Wheel loaders are also called front loaders and are extensively used in road construction on a regular basis.

6. Truck Cranes: These are sizeable cranes used to move things on the construction site. The crane is usually mounted on the back of a lorry and consists of a carrier component and a lifting component to connected using a turn table. The turntable allows the crane to move from side to side on a pivot on the back of the lorry. The cranes are used to lift material from one place to another on the job sites. These truck cranes are usually seen on larger job sites that have enough space to allow for movement of the crane.