New trends and applications are making it into the construction market faster than ever in history. Shrinking margins, difficulties in infrastructure funding, increased expectations on road safety and quality are just a few reasons causing these changes.

How do you keep up with all these trends? Which ones are worthwhile to watch and which ones are essential to stay competitive?

This blog post covers the most relevant trends.

Material Mixes and new Technologies

Traditional hot mix asphalt and concrete have worked well in the past building a solid infrastructure. So why are new material mixes and technologies even needed?

The worldwide increasing demand of roads that need repair, high oil prices, pressure on public infrastructure budgets, environmental concerns and expectations from the public towards save and smooth roads have raised interest in different materials.

What are the various asphalt mixes and what can they offer?

• Warm-mix asphalt with higher additives like shingles can significantly save money.
• Noise-reducing asphalt provides higher comfort for the driving public and notably increases the standard of living for local residents. This is often a better alternative than noise walls. Stone-matrix asphalt (SMA) and Open-Graded Friction Course (OGFC) mixes are great examples for noise-reducing asphalt.
• Green asphalt is environmentally friendly by using reclaimed asphalt, and is seen as a cost-effective alternative to traditional asphalt.
• Perpetual pavement has the advantage of providing a smoother and less maintenance intensive road, The combination of a flexible base layer followed by multiple layers of durable asphalt, makes cracking less likely to occur extending the lifespan of the road.

A more futuristic approach in terms of new technologies are solar roads , built out of solar cells. Besides the fact that solar roads are able to generate electricity, the founder claims a longer lifetime of its panels, than traditional asphalt roads. Cost, durability and overall feasibility are still open points for discussion, making solar roads not so much an alternative option today but maybe in the future.

Compaction/Intelligent Compaction

Compaction systems come in form of pass counting systems and intelligent compaction systems. What is the difference and what works better?

Pass Counting Systems determine the number of required passes and show the operator the number of passes rolled in each lane. Temperature sensors monitor the temperature of the top layer for optimum compaction.

Intelligent Compaction Systems include acelerometer sensors, measuring stiffness values. These stiffness values are used to make conclusions about the density of the mat. Intelligent compaction systems offer higher accuracy by using RTK as the GPS solution.

Other approaches include cooling models that also measure the core temperature of the layers beneath the top layer. For more details please refer also to the Quick Facts Guide about Intelligent Compaction and the White Paper ‘Towards Intelligent Compaction’.

3D Paving

3D Paving is a topic where opinions divide quite frequently. According to a poll in the MOBA Community, 72% responded that 3D paving will have a great future for general road construction. That is, however, quite contrary to the facts that the majority of 3D paving jobs is still done at airports and not regularly for general road construction.Challenges mentioned include the complexity of the design, surveyor work, and the influences of additional factors that have an impact on the quality of a road. For example, paving speed, quality of material and asphalt temperature. These factors cannot be controlled by a 3D system.

Common agreement seems to be that 3D applications are best used for the base work, and maybe for the first 2 to 3 asphalt layers. The final layer is still best done by using an averaging beam with sonic sensors, preferable with multi-sonic sensors. Hybrid systems and combinations are definitely a trend to watch closely and get familiar with for jobs that not only need highest possible accuracy.

Cloud Applications

Cloud computing gives users access to a specific system by using a web browser, independently where users are located and what devices (e.g. PC, cell phone) they are using. Cloud computing in the construction industry is utilized for different applications.

Examples of applications include:

• machine and maintenance information like idle time, fuel consumption, maintenance reminders.
• automatic data transfer, online data sharing and communication in real-time, externally with surveyors and internally with the back-office.

Cloud application software is offered by third parties like Project Footage or Infrakit but also by machine control suppliers like Trimble and Topcon with the Connected Site and Magnet Enterprise solution*. The list of providers is huge, the variety of offerings is endless and it is not easy to figure out what fit is best for a person's needs. The blog post by Randy Noland ‘The cloud’s implications for 3D machine control’ provides here a thorough explanation of different cloud computing types, and also includes a list of vendors* for further information.

This trend is not new but still evolving through added offerings and features. Cloud applications are a great opportunity to streamline processes and to increase productivity. Therefore, a trend to take a closer look at.

(*The mentioned vendors display by no means any preference nor is it a complete list of vendors available in the market.)

Telematics

Telematics in basic terms is a two-way conversation over wifi and cell phones. They go hand in hand with cloud applications and are often interconnected. Telematics in the construction industry have been around for a while in form of machine tracking and diagnostic tools, training, project management, data sync with office and cloud-based collaboration.

When considering the potential of cost- and time-savings through usage of telematics solutions, it should be a wide-spread application. However, that is not the case. One of the main problems in the past was the inability to manage mixed fleets over one screen. Finally, that problem has been solved with the new AEM/AEMP standard. As mentioned under ‘cloud applications’, telematics can significantly increase your bottom line and improve your company’s processes. A trend you don’t want to miss.

Infrared Sensors measuring Segregation

Monitoring asphalt temperature in real-time during paving streamlines the paving process and more importantly increases the lifespan of a road significantly. Why? Inadequate temperatures and cold spots in asphalt material lead to asphalt segregation with the result of premature failures of roads.

There are several options available in the market to measure segregation. These are infrared cameras, infrared sensor bars/ scanners and infrared thermometers. See the attached infographic Getting Rid of Segregation once and for all for more details. All systems offer different features and price tags. The most advanced system in the market is the PAVE-IR scanner. Attached is a video explaining how the scanner works.

What’s the takeaway? Being in control of the paving process and measuring asphalt temperatures are important factors for a quality road short- and longterm. A trend highly recommended to look at.

What is your opinion on these trends?

In the next blog post we will cover the trends Google Glass for Construction, Controlling Asphalt Temperature during Transport and Asphalt Layer Thickness Measurement.