Special sensors and controllers were used on a huge canal to make sure it ran smoothly
A project team faced a special challenge in equipping an 80tonne asphalt paver for canal renovations. The job was to equip the German Asphalt Liner model 6042, produced by
Water in the 5km long canal in the south of France had to be stopped and then the canal was pumped dry, before the specially constructed machine, designed for the renovation of water canals, and which will be in operation for about 15 years, was used.
A project team from MOBA Mobile Automation's solution to the uniform application of asphalt was a combination of various sensors and controllers for levelling the screed and for steering the machine.
“By using the MOBA system, the asphalt can be precisely applied. This saves materials and time and makes follow-up work un-necessary,” says Reinhard Schmidt, CEO of Allcons Maschinenbau.
Four grade sensors on the legs of the paver detect the height through a cable on the embankment and a cable on the canal floor. Depending on these values, four MPA-100 controllers, connected via CAN bus, control the screed so that the asphalt that is pulled over the entire width of 28m by paddle chains reaches the desired height.
“It is important that this height be maintained, since, considering the huge size of the project, laying one centimetre too much asphalt would mean an enormous additional consumption and, thus, additional costs,” explains Thomas Schlosser, project manager at MOBA Mobile Automation.
Due to the length of the machine, it is important that it is precisely steered to obtain a uniform thickness of the asphalt layer over the entire length of the embankment.
Paver steering is controlled by means of four MPC-50 mounted on the legs.
Two steering sensors are guided via the cable, each sending a steering-angle signal to the respective, opposite controller, via CAN. The sensors make adjustments according to this value, thus ensuring the parallel position of the drives.
All information is displayed for the vehicle operator directly on the MOBA GD-320 operating unit, allowing the machine to be comfortably controlled from the driver’s cab.
“We have had very good experiences with MOBA systems in the past, which is why we chose MOBA here as well,” says Reinhard Schmidt.
MOBA added: “Because all of the components used have already proven themselves thousands of times over in practical use, the short preparation time prior to paver deployment was no problem for MOBA and the system could be installed for test operation on schedule.”
The MOBA components are standard components, but it is the first time, they have been used on such a heavy and big machine.
