Digitalization of the Asphalt Paving Workflow and Process – Its Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

AbstractValue Chains and workflows in asphalt road construction are characterized by the high dynamicity and complexity of the product, production process and environment. On the other hand, there is an extremely small tolerance with regard to the quality to be produced.Defects in road construction – and in particular in the production of the surface layer – are always associated with significant costs in terms of time and money, since the previously constructed product needs to be laboriously removed and repaved. An increase in the degree of automation with the aim of automating asphalt road construction and enhancing its process stability serves to substantially increase the quality of the road surfaces being produced.The result is a significant extension in the sustainability of the road’s service life and a major reduction in construction and redevelopment costs. This, in turn, improves operational efficiency and increases the macroeconomic benefits. This potential can, however, only be fully realized if individual systems are automated and networked based on standards and whether they can exchange information bidirectionally with the digital construction model. This enables quality-assured road construction through a quality assurance system integrated within the manufacturing process.Topcon has developed several software and hardware solutions to address this challenge. Knowledge from projects all over the world done with (all or parts of) these solutions push the development of digitalization – with a focus on user-friendliness, efficiency, and project economics. Our text will address the state of digitalization and highlight future possibilities of the whole paving process focusing on logistics, temperature and 3D paving or milling.KeywordsEvennessLogisticsResurfacingTemperatureQuality