Better Roads

January 2014

Better Roads Digital Magazine

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HighwayContractor By Tina Grady Barbaccia No Strings Attached How the use of stringless paving technology on the Utah I-15 Corridor Expansion Project saved time and money. W hen placing concrete, staying within the determined lines is absolutely critical to achieving accurate pavement smoothness and thickness in the proper location. But the use of total robotic stations with 3-D modeling enables paving with added accuracy without physical stringlines. This technology, known as stringless paving, is computermodel replacement of stringline guidance using electronic tracking process that controls horizontal and vertical movement of slipform pavers. Conventional concrete-pavement construction uses a physical guidance system with a string or wire – i.e. a stringline – on one or both sides of the paving train of equipment to ensure there is proper pavement thickness and alignment. This method uses both horizontal and vertical control for the equipment to place the necessary pavement thickness in the required location, according to Iowa Department of Transportation and the Iowa Highway Research Board in the National Concrete Pavement Technology Center at Iowa State University's Stringless Portland Cement Concrete Paving Final Report (Project TR-490). The placement and verification of the stringline is time intensive and can limit access to the area in front of the slipform paver because a space is needed on each side of the paving machine to set the survey control line near the paver. Stringless control allows the guidance without the need for a physical stringline. The system, which controls the paver through radio signals, depends on robotic station technology. The paving sequence is completed in a controlled environment. The paver is fed information, which enables operators Better Roads January 2014 13

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