Tag Archives: smooth drum roller

Smooth Drum Roller vs. Padfoot (sheepfoot) roller

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It is said that good roads play a pivotal role towards the development of any economy. You need good roads to move items real fast because when it comes to good service time also plays a crucial role and good roads saves a lot of time if you have to transport things by roads. Imagine what you situation would be if you have to ferry something on an urgent basis and you know that it will take time just because the roads are not in good shape. Well, it will for sure irk you to the bottom. The importance of flat roads is better known by people who drive regularly on roads and when they encounter bad roads during their journey, it agonize them like anything.

Well that was all about good roads but there is something that plays a crucial role in making good roads. It is heavy equipment like smooth drum roller or a Pad foot roller that gives the roads a good shape and makes it a comfortable journey for all of us. Let us start by discussing smooth drum rollers first.

Smooth drum rollers are ideally heavy equipment with a big roller in the front of the machine and 2 tires at the rear. Smooth drum machines are used on roads that have more granular materials laid on it. Smooth drums are used when materials like sand and gravel are paid on the surface of the road. It actually works towards locking the pieces together giving a stronger grip to the road. The performance of the smooth drum roller also depends upon the moisture the soil has as it allows better movement without any friction.

Heavy equipment companies like CASE manufacture quality smooth drum rollers. As a matter of fact, they are known for producing many high quality rollers for different kinds of roads. It is evident that a smooth drum roller or a pad foot roller is not the only solution for all types of roads and therefore CASE has many versions of rollers for the end user.

Moving towards Padfoot roller which is also known as Sheep foot roller is more typically used on roads that have more consistent and solid materials laid on it. Materials such as clays need a Padfoot roller on it. Using any other roller can simply deteriorate the quality of work and lead to more complications. Pad foot roller is used on cohesive soil because the soil has the tendency to stick and slip over each other. This is why a Padfoot roller which has the capacity to shear the soil with its drum and achieve the required compaction is used. It is to be noted that ballasts can be added to augment the weight of the machine which in turn gives better compaction.

The price of both Smooth drum roller and Padfoot roller is well within the reach of any construction company/contractor. They are not overtly priced like many other machines that are used in road building and other construction works.

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Operating a Compaction Roller- Knowing the Basics

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Thinking of joining the construction arena? Or are you already a part of it? Then, you must be aware of the fact that the use of heavy equipment in the construction industry is an integral part of the whole affair. And among the many kinds of heavy equipment that are put to use in the construction site, the compaction roller definitely holds a significant importance.

What Is A Compaction Roller?

The first and the foremost thing that needs to be mentioned in this regard is that the compaction roller, specifically, is part of the road construction industry. You must have noticed those big machines with large wheels riding to and from on a particular stretch of road in an attempt to level and make the soil ready to build a road on it. Yes, you got it right. That is the compaction roller. The compaction roller is of great significance in the arena of road construction as the quality of the compaction of soil will ultimately decide the quality of the road that is being built. Hence, there can be no doubt about the fact that the compaction roller forms an important part of the entire business of road construction.

Compaction Roller- How Does It Work?

Now that we know what a compaction roller is, it would also do good to know about the basic mode of its operation. Let us look at things from the very beginning. The initial process of compaction involves the use of “pad foot drum rollers”. The pads, in this case, ensure that a smaller amount of surface area of the substrate is covered by the roller, thereby, making the compaction attain a greater density. “Pad foot drum rollers” look after the flat portion of the soil for you. But what about the parts that has bumps and hurdles? How are they dealt with? Enter “single smooth drum compactors” which are perfectly suited to cater to the needs of those stretches that have bumps on them, compressing and flattening them to provide a smooth finish to the compaction process. The entire thing is done in association with a motor grader so as to ensure the complete leveling of the surface. It is often seen that a pneumatic tire roller is also employed so as to knead the surface of the road and attain a better finishing touch.

The final stage in the entire compaction affair is the compaction of the road base, which is finished off with the help of a “smooth single drum roller” or the “smooth tandem roller” coupled together with a motor grader. The last but not the least is the putting the layers of asphalt on the compacted stretch to build a durable road. And this is a feat that is achieved by the help of pavers. The asphalt, after the entire procedure, is then compacted further with the help of a “tandem smooth drum” or a /’pneumatic tire roller”. And lo! A road becomes ready for the use of pedestrians and vehicles.