Rehabilitation of an airport runway
Vögele Pavers Work Through the Night at Indonesia’s Largest Airport
Impressive performance by two SUPER 1880 L pavers: Maximum efficiency, productivity and quality were essential factors in ensuring the success of a project for the rehabilitation of a 3.6 km long and 60 m wide runway at Jakarta Airport.
The Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport is Indonesia’s largest airport. The number of passengers and aircraft movements has been increasing dynamically for years, prompting continuous modernization and expansion of the infrastructure. Most recently, one of the three runways was due for rehabilitation. This task was all the more challenging given that work could only be carried out at night, when no planes were taking off or landing on the runway. Reliable and powerful machine technology was therefore crucial for the paving work on the runway with a length of 3.6 km and a width of 60 m. Two Vögele SUPER 1880 L pavers were chosen for the job. They paved four new layers ‘hot-to-hot’, each with a width of 8.0 m .
Their shift began at 11 p.m. sharp: During each six-hour night shift, all work on the airport construction site needed to run smoothly to ensure that the tight completion deadline would be met.
Removal and Renewal of All Four Layers
Aviation areas that have to withstand the forces of long-haul aircraft weighing several tonnes are subjected to the highest loads of all. The heaviest loads are borne by runways used for takeoffs and landings: They have to bear additional thrust and braking forces that are many times higher than the actual weight of the aircraft. That is why they need to be rehabilitated on a regular basis. The project at Jakarta Airport involved the removal of all four asphalt layers of runway 07L over a length of 3.6 km and a width of 60 m before repaving it. The composition was as follows:
Stringent Paving Quality Requirements
The paving quality specifications were particularly stringent for this project. At international airports, paving requirements are based on the strict regulations of two aviation authorities, namely the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). They define a variety of parameters ranging from mix quality, tensile strength, and surface quality to paving precision. Equally strict specifications apply to the formation of joints.
One Section per Night Shift: Runway Rehabilitation During Standard Operating Procedures
The rehabilitation of the runway at Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport was undertaken without any disruption of standard airport operating procedures. During each of the night shifts from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., one section – a narrow strip perpendicular to the runway – had to be rehabilitated and subsequently approved and released for air traffic the following morning. Each of these sections was completely rehabilitated, that is, including all four asphalt layers.
Thanks to their large material hopper, high laydown rate, powerful performance, and robustness, the Vögele SUPER 1880 L pavers were the ideal choice for the job.
Perfectly Coordinated Paving Crews and Reliable Equipment Played a Decisive Role
In addition to the stringent quality specifications, the completion deadline was also tight, given that the paving team could only work from 11 p.m. at night to 5 a.m. the next morning. Correspondingly, construction site logistics and paving performance needed to meet exacting requirements. Care had to be taken to ensure that sufficient mix was supplied and that it was of the required quality. Airport construction sites like the one in Jakarta therefore require experienced and well-coordinated crews and processes. This also applies to the machine technology used. For the paving work, the contractors, PT Roadmixindo Raya, relied on two SUPER 1880 L pavers from Vögele. Thanks to their large material hopper, excellent laydown rate, powerful performance, and robustness, the Universal Class pavers were the ideal choice for the job. They paved “hot to hot” at a width of 8.0 m each – a paving method that ensures particularly dense and stable bonding of the individual courses and provides long-term protection against the penetration of water.
The Large Material Hopper Enables Uninterrupted Paving
Maximum productivity was also a crucial factor on the airport construction site: “To make the best use of the working hours, the processes had to run smoothly. This was the only way we could keep to the schedule,” says Tadjus Tamsil, Director at PT Roadmixindo Raya. One of the key features of the two Vögele tracked pavers, in his view, is the large material hopper with a capacity of 15 t. Its considerable length and low material feed height enabled each truck to easily dock with the SUPER 1880 L and quickly offload its mix. “This meant that the trucks were able to quickly transfer their loads of mix, enabling us to maintain a high pave speed and work continuously without interruption.” Andrew Davian, Project Manager at PT Roadmixindo Raya, adds: “The fact that the SUPER 1880 L also made it easy to meet the required criteria for surface quality and paving precision was a huge help for the paving crew during the demanding work through the night.”
“Thanks to the large material hopper, the trucks were able to quickly transfer their load of mix, enabling us to maintain a high pave speed and work continuously without interruption.”
Tadjus Tamsil, Director of PT Roadmixindo Raya
Paving at a width of 8.0 m each: The AB 500 extending screed ensured that the Vögele pavers achieved the required quality and precision.
High Pre-Compaction and Surface Quality
The AB 500 TV extending screeds also played an important role in ensuring the high paving quality. The AB 500 has a basic width of 2.55 m and can be hydraulically extended to a width of 5.00 m. With bolt-on extensions, it can pave widths of up to 8.5 m. “Maximum quality and surface precision are particularly critical on a project like here at the airport. The combination of the AB 500, the tamper, and vibration compaction enable us to achieve outstanding pre-compaction and, consequently, a very high-quality result,” says David Gouw Tama Priatna, Director at PT Roadmixindo Raya. In addition, the extending screed reached the specified temperature quickly and evenly thanks to the electric screed heating system. This consistently heats all components that come into contact with the asphalt mix and ensures a particularly homogeneous surface structure.
ErgoBasic for Simple and Intuitive Operating
The intuitive ErgoBasic operating concept ensured faultless and precise results in Jakarta. It was developed on the basis of the proven ErgoPlus operating system from Vögele, with the aim of being just as quick, precise and intuitive – but slimmed down to the most important paving functions. To complement the ErgoBasic operating system, Vögele has also developed a system for automatic grade and slope control, namely Niveltronic Basic. This system is fully integrated into the machine control system and is therefore ideally matched to the features and functions of the SUPER 1880 L. “ErgoBasic is a major asset of the Vögele paver. The operating concept enables quick and simple control and makes it easier for the paving team to achieve precise results,” says Faisol Fuad, likewise Director at PT Roadmixindo Raya.
