Compliance Testing

Replacing Technicians With Technology Solutions

Materials technicians are increasingly scarce and expensive. The testing that is required can often be hazardous and the quality of testing undertaken with traditional methods is variable.

HDS offers a number of technologies to contractors in order to help them deliver better quality road construction, but using our unique position as an accredited test house and intelligent construction technology supplier, we are able to operate our systems in place of the traditional materials technician.

This approach to materials testing delivers a safer work environment at a reduced cost to contractors. Testing via HDS technology can be used to deliver higher quality roads whilst producing data that is instrumental in the management of assets during their lifecycle.

Conventional Testing Problems

  • Risk from fast moving traffic with minimal protection

  • Working alone in poorly lit conditions

  • Outdated and unsafe working practices

  • Soggy paperwork

Technician Replacement Technology

HDS technology can be used to improve all aspects of the asphalt transportation, paving, compaction, and testing processes. However, HDS is a fully certified materials testing house, and we push to help improve site safety by automating materials testing compliance functions and removing technicians from site.

Using the HDS automated quality assurance (AQA) system as a replacement for traditional technician-based compliance testing leads to benefits including:

  • >25% cost savings on employment of technicians
  • Improved health & safety by removing people from site
  • Higher reliability and speed of reporting
  • Opportunities to include quality assurance data in asset management processes

eLoad

The eLoad system captures conveyance note data at the point material leaves the batching plant and transmits it to site. Site operatives can visualise material on the way to site and can therefore regulate the speed of paving, helping to reduce thermal segregation. However, ticketing data is then transferred, at the point of material discharge, into laying record data.

All material is tracked and given a geo-location, enabling a clear record of material deposition that can be uploaded into GIS and asset management systems. Environmental information is captured locally to ensure proper conditions are met during the paving process.

eTec

eTec functions to take material delivery temperatures. The HDS system used infra-red temperature sensors to capture asphalt temperature at the augurs when the material has been pulled through the paving machine and mixed. Research has demonstrated this to be the optimal point of taking delivery temperatures and is more representative than spot checking with a temperature probe in the paver hopper. An accurate GPS system tracks the movement of the paver to show where material temperatures are taken, and the data is combined with eLoad data to form a full laying record.

Optirx display

Rollers

HDS roller technology consists of an infra-red temperature sensor underneath the roller cabin, continuously recording the temperature of material under compaction. This replaces the materials technician requirement for taking rolling temperatures. High-accuracy GPS systems are used to track roller passes, ensuring that roller drivers are able to hit the required number of passes to achieve compaction. Both temperature and roller pass data are fed back to roller drivers in real time.

Surface Profile

HDS use a laser-based system to replicate testing usually carried out with the rolling straight edge, SHW 702.5.

The single point red laser measures surface profile at traffic speed, removing the requirement for having materials technicians pushing heavy equipment along newly laid road surfaces in dangerous circumstances.

UKAS schedule available here.

texture depth ukas

Surface Macrotexture

The HDS surface texture laser system is a direct replacement for the volumetric patch test. It is not Sensor Measured Texture Depth (SMTD) or Mean Profile Depth (MPD), it is a replacement for what is commonly referred to as the sand patch test, or glass beads test, BS-EN 13036-1.

As with the laser straight edge, the HDS laser texture meter is a vehicle-mounted system that removes the requirement to put materials technicians in danger, and makes a significant improvement in both the quality and volume of texture data.

UKAS schedule available here.