| Reducing asphalt surfacing contractor manual handling by structured material improvements |
Description
MQP had received feedback from contracting customers complaining about difficulty and the physical effort required to hand lay and spread asphalt materials. In order to reduce the manual handling requirement (workability) for these materials, they needed to turn this perception into a measurable and quantifiable figure that could then be improved by design mix changes.
A small working group was set up and using designs supplied by Nynas for a ‘workability meter’ had a device built that allowed them to measure forces required to move their ‘as produced’ materials.
A test protocol was established and through a process of adjustments to mix design and re-testing, workability was
improved. An external site specialist was also contracted to carry out customer site visits to rate the materials in terms of manual handling (effort to lay), quality and to feed back the laying gang’s
perceptions. Over 1,000 samples have been tested and over 250 site visits made. Progress is closely monitored and priorities established for further work.
SEE ADDITIONAL PDF FOR MORE INFORMATION
Benefits
• Achieved improved workability for laying gangs across the
product base
• Improved customer perception of product handling
• The approach is being adopted across the company.
|