Wirtgen Group machines rehabilitate runway in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur International Airport is one of the world’s 30 largest airports. The airport operator decided that a complete rehabilitation of runway 1 and its associated taxiways would be necessary to assure the long-term safety of flight operations at the airport. For this, the lead contractor, Nippon Road, relied on an effective fleet of machines from the Wirtgen Group. The Wirtgen cold milling machines and Vögele pavers removed and repaved a total of 44,000 m³ of asphalt.

High performance is the name of the game

High-performance, heavy-duty machines are essential when working on large-scale airport projects like this. Nippon Road Co., Ltd., the road construction contractor, has been carrying out demanding work of this kind for many years. Ir Wan Zainuddin Wan Omar, general manager of Nippon Road and also KUL project manager, reports: ‘I always insist on maximum machine productivity, reliable service, and uncompromising quality – and that’s exactly what Wirtgen consistently delivers.’

Due to the company’s positive experience in the past, they once again opted for innovative cold milling machines from Wirtgen, pavers from Vögele and rollers from Hamm for this project. The enormous task of removing the asphalt from the runway was carried out by a fleet of Wirtgen milling machines designed for high performance and incorporating both proven and cutting-edge technologies. Several large milling machines with 2.0 m milling width – two W 195s, one W 205 and two W 1900s – and a W 1000 compact milling machine with a milling width of 1.0 m were deployed. With a total installed power of around 3,000 hp (2,200 kW), the machines then faced up to the challenge of milling an area around 4,000 m long and 60 m wide.

Cold milling machines ideally equipped for the job

All of the machine types deployed here are distinguished by high engine power, outstanding milling performance and a flexibility that allows them to work efficiently and effectively in almost any milling scenario. When fitted with a two-meter standard milling drum, each of the W 195 and W 205 large milling machines can remove material to an impressive depth of 33 cm.

The milling drum speed on these models can be set to 104, 116 or 129 rpm directly from the operator’s platform , which means that the ideal settings can be conveniently selected according to requirements for a range of different milling depths and speeds. This either reduces fuel consumption and pick wear or contributes to performance maximisation. In view of the different milling depths required, this proved to be a particularly valuable advantage on the project in Malaysia. At the same time, the machines had to contend with an extremely resistant milling material consisting of porous mastic asphalt (PMA), and that meant that considerable force would be required for milling off such hard layers. Choosing exactly the right round-shank pick is essential for ensuring high cutting performance and long service life of the picks. Nippon Road and the Wirtgen Group sales and service organization in Malaysia agreed on the use of genuine Wirtgen carbide-tipped round-shank picks on the project due to their exceptional cutting performance.

‘We know from years of experience that Wirtgen cold milling machines are extremely productive and versatile machines. Our new W 195 and W 205 machines are particularly impressive thanks to their tremendous engine power, rapid advance rates and exceptional milling performance’, reports Ir Wan Zainuddin. ‘In addition, the W 195 is suitable for all typical milling applications in the two-meter class and, thanks to its low diesel fuel and pick consumption, is a particularly cost-effective machine.

Always the best milled surface with LEVEL PRO PLUS

The main objective, aside from high-performance removal of the entire old surface, was to precisely maintain the prescribed milling depth. Too ensure this, and as levelling is one of the Wirtgen’s key technologies, the W 195 and W 205 come fitted with the intuitive LEVEL PRO PLUS levelling system as standard equipment. Developed in-house by Wirtgen, the LEVEL PRO PLUS high-tech levelling system is fully integrated into the machine’s control system and continuously compares the momentary milling depth with the preselected target value.

Successful completion of the milling work

The front loading of milled material by all cold milling machines deployed on this project assured optimum logistics throughout the entire milling process: Continuous loading of the queuing trucks in quick succession ensured an uninterrupted milling workflow. To ensure minimal environmental impact, the milled asphalt material was subsequently reused on a nearby road construction project.

After the successful completion of all scheduled milling tasks, including surface cleaning, Ir Wan Zainuddin was pleased to confirm that: ‘Once again, we have seen that we can depend on the reliability of Wirtgen cold milling machines.’

Vögele wheeled pavers renew the asphalt pavement

The paving of the 4,000 m by 60 m runway began parallel to the ongoing milling work with the Vögele pavers following the milling pattern. This meant that an asphalt pavement with a thickness of 25 cm had to be laid in Segment 1, the central section of the runway. Further out, in Segment 2, the work of the pavers was limited to the replacement of the 7.5 cm surface layer.

Two SUPER 1803-3 wheeled pavers with AB 600 TV extending screeds were deployed for this task. In view of the long distances typically encountered on airport construction sites, wheeled pavers come into their own with the important advantage of rapid deployment under their own power. Their 6x4 or 6x6 all-wheel drive concepts enable top speeds of up to 20 km/h. Their powerful, separate hydraulic drives for each of the wheels simultaneously ensure maximum traction when paving.

Thanks to its Pivot Steer steering brake function, even the largest Vögele wheeled paver, the SUPER 1803-3, is extremely manoeuvrable. This function is also appreciated by the paver operators from Nippon Road, especially when they have to move their machines from one part of the site to another.

Big MultiPlex Ski assures high standards of evenness

In the paving of the second layer of PMA 28, the paving team from Nippon Road combined the advantages of the Niveltronic Plus automatic levelling system with the proven accuracy of Vögele’s Big MultiPlex Ski sensor system. This is called for only in situations where absolute longitudinal evenness is essential. In its standard configuration, the laterally-mounted 5-13 m beam is fitted with three multi-cell sonic sensors – or with up to five if required. This enables the Big MultiPlex Ski to simultaneously sample reference values at a series of separate measuring points. The automatic levelling system calculates mean values from the data of the entire sampled area and uses them for the compensation of even the longest surface irregularities.

Leading screed technologies from Vögele

A decisive role in quality assurance was also played by the Vögele AB 600 TV extending screed with tamper bar and vibrators. In combination with the SUPER 1803-3, it enables paving widths of up to 8 m and, thanks to the tamper bar, also delivers high levels of pre-compaction. This simplifies and speeds up compaction and lays the foundation for long-term use of the runway.

Aside from this, electric screed heating from Vögele ensures an even surface texture. The state-of-the art heating system brings all components up to the ideal working temperature, which in turn effectively prevents material adhering to the screed.

SUPER pavers with simple handling

During paving on the project in Kuala Lumpur, the team particularly appreciated the simple and intuitive handling concept of the pavers. The SUPER 1803-3 pavers are equipped with ErgoPlus 3, a particularly well-designed and practice-oriented operating concept. One example of this is the logical grouping of the machine functions on the paver operator’s console. All settings can be displayed on a non-reflective colour screen that remains bright and clearly legible even in poor light. At the same time, the ergonomic design of the operating platform, the operator’s console and the screed operating console makes machine operation particularly comfortable, which is an enormous advantage on large-scale construction sites like at the airport in Kuala Lumpur.

The fleet of Wirtgen Group machines ultimately enabled Nippon Road to deliver first-class results and hand runway 1 back to the operator of Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Ready for take off!

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