Compiled by Tina Grady Barbaccia

EDITOR’S PICK

Kentucky Transportation Center

Lower bridge repair costs

The Kentucky Transportation Center has developed CatStrong CRP-X, carbon fiber reinforced polymer rod panels that are bonded to existing reinforced and deficient pre-stressed concrete bridge structural members to increase their capacity. Production uses small-diameter carbon fiber rods set on a fiberglass mesh to form a sheet ranging from CRP-70 to CRP-195. A CatStrong CRP-80 panel can resist more than 80,000 pounds of tensile force per 1-foot-wide section and weighs only 2.9 ounces per square foot, according to its maker. That square foot provides a strength equivalent to a square foot of A36 steel that is 0.12 inches thick and weighs 4.85 pounds. Visit www.betterroads.com/info.

EDITOR’S PICK

VSS Macropaver

Nonstop, seamless slurry transfer

The VSS Macropaver Slurry Transfer Vehicle (STV) can be run continuously without creating seams, and works with any brand of truck-mounted slurry machine. It can load aggregate at 8 tons-per-minute and both water and emulsion at 200 gallons-per-minute, and the STV allows the paver to work uninterrupted while applying slurry or microsurfacing. Emulsion and water are fed into the STV via a hose from the conveyor-equipped nurse unit tank using separate hydraulically driven 3-inch self-priming centrifugal pumps. The STV also can be used as a loader on stockpile sites or on jobsites, eliminating the need for a front end loader, emulsion and water storage tankers. For a video from the APWA 2012 show go to http://tinyurl.com/VSS-Macropaver.

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Bergkamp

Flameless Pothole Patcher gets InPave

At the APWA 2012 Show Bergkamp rolled out its InPave System as an option on its Flameless Pothole Patcher to better monitor and manage pothole patching performance. (For a video of the InPave System, go to http://youtu.be/V31Q__0q-Gg.) Multiple data reporting sensors are strategically placed on the patcher that monitor production, performance and the locations of the patcher and crew. As potholes are repaired, the data is automatically gathered by the InPave System and transmitted back to the office. Data includes quantity of potholes repaired; location, time and material used for each repair; and material levels and temperatures. Visit www.betterroads.com/info.

Doosan

Portable air compressor safety videos

Doosan Portable Power has produced two new videos that highlight basic operations and an important daily checklist for portable air compressors. The checklist video highlights proper personal protective equipment (PPE) for operators, and illustrates several important pre-operational checks — including filters, fluids, fuel and oil levels, etc. — that should be completed every day before operation. For the video, go to

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_frKxa_gOa4&feature=plcp

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Deere

Operator friendly artic

John Deere’s 460E articulated truck is the largest of Deere’s E Series ADTs. The 46-ton 460E features a Deere PowerTech 13.5L IT4 engine with 481 net horsepower. A purpose-built ZF transmission includes a high-capacity retarder, eight forward and four reverse gears. New axles include on-the-fly differential locks and outboard planetaries, and each axle is independently pressure lubed and filtered. The axles use internal wet disc brakes with independent cooling circuits. When ground conditions get soft and difficult, the system canl automatically control the axle differential locks as well as the inter-axle differential lock, all while the truck is still moving. A newly designed stay-tight oscillation joint, high-suspension travel on all axles, and balanced weight distribution provide agility. An onboard weighing system allows operators to view the weight and the number of loads carried.

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Doosan

Reman program for air compressors

The ProCyon from Altus Positioning Systems integrates the Psion WORKABOUT PRO handheld computer with Altus’ APS-3 RTK GNSS receiver for a powerful GIS data-acquisition platform. The ProCyon system delivers 1-centimeter RTK accuracy using an external antenna, integrated camera and quad-band GSM modem. Hardware expansion slots make the addition of new modules fast and easy, as well as a range of available add-ons, including fingerprint scanners and the largest selection of RFID readers on any handheld device. The ProCyon Windows Mobile operating system accommodates ESRI ArcPad and ArcGIS applications. Both programs utilize NMEA messages that are standard outputs from the integrated GNSS receiver in the ProCyon.