Price of Experience
Like opening a can of soup, running a roller — whether it’s Roller A or B — is really quite simple. An operator basically needs a fair amount of common sense and the willingness to step up and drive. The problem comes in knowing when to stop driving. While an experienced operator might have a good feeling for when the correct level of compaction has been achieved, an inexperienced operator won’t have the same knowledge.

Both under-compacting and over-compacting a surface will cause problems, which makes knowing when to stop of utmost importance. While too few passes will fail to fill air voids and make for an unstable surface, too many passes will break the material down until it becomes damaged. The idea that if five passes are good, 10 will be better, will only cause the operator to waste time and fuel while potentially damaging the surface material.

With intelligent compaction, the soil or asphalt stiffness is measured with each pass. When optimum density is achieved, the roller automatically redirects the drum’s energy output and a display in the cab will indicate that the job is done. This allows for success with a less-experienced operator at the controls while also keeping costs down. Even seasoned operators can appreciate the machine, which eliminates guesswork when dealing with ever-changing soil and asphalt conditions.

Guarantee It
Knowing the point at which compaction has been achieved can benefit the contractor long after the job is complete. Increasingly in recent years, contractors are being asked to guarantee their work. If a project fails, the contractor must spend additional time and money to redo a section of the job.

An intelligent compaction system can also help contractors before the work on a project has even started. Rollers equipped with intelligent compaction are often used as proof rollers on paving projects, running over the area to be paved. The roller’s compaction measurement system will indicate any problem spots that need to be investigated. Whether there are weak spots or an area where the material isn’t uniform or if there’s a problem deeper into the subgrade, the system will alert the contractor to the problem. These areas could conceivably fail several years later if they weren’t identified.

Once the job begins, the system continues to ensure the work can be guaranteed. The microprocessor measures the compactive effort and density achieved against the specific job requirements. A map of the entire work surface’s density can be printed for verification — both to know the immediate progress of the work being done and to download the finished results to save for later. This documentation will prove that the contractor did the job correctly. In the meantime, the document provides the contractor with a peace of mind that the job was done to specifications.

Power is Time, Time is MoneyAnother benefit with some intelligent compaction rollers is the additional force packed into the roller’s drum. Higher amplitude and greater centrifugal force allow these rollers to achieve compaction more quickly, or to compact thicker lifts in the same amount of time.

Some rollers equipped with intelligent compaction produce as much as 40 percent more centrifugal force than a comparable roller without the technology. For example,  if a standard roller is designed to compact a 12-inch lift, an intelligent compaction roller could conceivably compact a 15- or 18-inch lift in the same amount of time, depending on the material type and moisture content. Or, if it takes a standard roller five passes to achieve compaction on a 12-inch lift, an intelligent compaction roller may be able to do the same in two or three passes. Either way you add it up, time - and money - is saved.