Dirt Simple Paving – From String Lines to Complete 3D Machine Control Solution

Author: Richard Davies

Worldwide, the number of journeys taken by air has increased exponentially over the past 70 years. According to Flight 24, in a single day over 230,000 commercial flights flying across the sky. A recent study byE. Mazareanuestimates the number of passengers travelling on scheduled flights to be over 4.72 billion in 2020; it is around 137 per cent higher than in 2004.

特别是阿拉伯联合酋长国（阿联酋）正迅速成为航空旅行的重要枢纽，阿布扎比和迪拜国际机场都争夺不断增长的联系市场。支持此操作规模所需的基础架构水平是很大的。至关重要的是，它的构造是最高标准的，并且在需要维护时任何停机时间都受到限制。

位于阿联酋的建筑公司Al NISR是飞机场建设和支持基础设施的世界领导者。该公司正在经历快速增长，并认为在争夺复杂合同时，对技术进行投资至关重要，尤其是那些涉及跑道或围裙铺路的合同。该公司以前曾在阿布扎比国际机场，阿尔·马克托姆国际机场，沙迦国际机场，艾尔·贝滕行政机场，艾尔·富查伊拉国际机场以及阿联酋的许多军事空军基地上参与阿联酋的主要项目。

从传统的弦线方法到完成3D铺路解决方案

When paving infrastructure as important as runways and airfield aprons, Al Nisr aims to lay a runway to a tolerance of 5 millimetres, meaning 5 mm or less variation in the thickness, the height of the surface. Traditionally, they had utilised string line methodology to achieve this accuracy in their paving work, using manually laid out strings staked into the ground to guide the thickness and level of the asphalt being laid. This string line methodology can impact the level of accuracy and productivity, as highlighted by Al Nisr’s general manager, Eng., Orwa Alward Zaidan:

“我们使用的是弦线 - 这限制了可能丢弃材料的卡车数量。有时人们会碰到弦线，这会导致问题。混凝土在晚上放置，现场的调查是在早晨进行的，因此，如果弦乐在晚上被击中，则将项目延迟到第二天早晨。弦有时也不准确并且可以体验下垂 - 这可能会对表面的准确性产生负面影响。使用字符串，我们最初只能一次铺平300m的长度。”

凭借几个重要的项目，例如阿布扎比的阿提哈德航空公司（Atihad Airways）经营的新机场和军事机场，Al NISR投资了Leica图标铺路混凝土machine control system fromLeica Geosystems， 部分bob体育报道，提高其工作效率和准确性。该公司已经意识到Leica Geosystems易于使用的解决方案，因为他们的一位工程师在英国使用了该系统，并且对性能印象深刻，并理解它代表了3D沥青铺路的完整解决方案。此外，AL NISR先前还使用了Leica Geosystems的各种调查解决方案，包括Leica TS9和TPS1200bob apple， 随着Leica Viva GS14GNSS smart antennas. They were always happy with the usability and reliability of this survey equipment, so it made sense to invest in Leica Geosystems’ machine control solutions.

Achieving high-accuracy with stringless paving

Machine control systems save time and costs for a variety of heavy construction applications and are used in paving applications to avoid dependency on string lines, making work easier for operators and contractors, while reducing costs. Stringless concrete paving also increases the consistency and quality of the finished surface.

The Leica iCON pave concrete system purchased by Al Nisr consists of the rugged, shock and waterproofLeica MCP80control panel,Leica iCR80或者TS16bob apple总站，两个Leica MPR122360°棱镜进行指导，所有这些都支持Leica MC1software, the all-in-one software platform for machine control. When using the system, the operators from Al Nir found the graphical interface intuitive and uncluttered, allowing them to focus on the job at hand and complete work quickly with the desired precision.Leica Conxis a cloud-based solution and web interface allowing customers to visualise and validate localised reference models, survey data and constructed data, with powerful analysis tools for monitoring and reporting site productivity. Al Nisr found this feature particularly helpful, as it allowed their chief surveyor to accurately visualise progress on site from the comfort of his office.

在开始铺路工作之前，使用Leica GeoSystems的Leica GS14 GNSS智能天线和总站解决方案进行了调查。Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3Dsoftware was used to make a model of the site, before converting into an XML file and then simply uploading it directly to the pavers.徕卡iCONstruct Field Simulatorwas used to ensure everything was correct before work began. Once sections of paving were completed, as-built checks were carried out again using Leica Geosystems GNSS equipment, along withLeica NA2automatic levels.

Thanks to the easy integration and interoperability of the various software and hardware solutions the Hexagon portfolio offers, Al Nisr was able to move from traditional workflows toward a more connected, digitised construction site.

On-going on-site support and training from Leica Geosystems

The installation of the system was supported locally by dedicated machine control staff from Leica Geosystems and their local distribution partner, GECO Engineering. Al Nisr staff needed training – Leica Geosystems staff visited and sat with the engineers and all other staff involved with the project, to ensure they were comfortable with the system. On-going support was also provided during the project.

Laying runways and aprons using GOMACO GHP2800 and GP2400 pavers, the system has provided a wide variety of benefits to Al Nisr, efficiency being the main one. Originally, a paver had a run of 300 meters linear per night but now can do 900 m linear per night or nearly 2000 cubic metres per night. In addition, with this technology, the role of surveyors is now easier and safer. Pave patterns and models developed in the office can directly be uploaded to the pavers without having to knock in any pins for string lines. Thanks to the increased visibility offered by ConX, all stakeholders can now look at the project and say, with confidence, that it will be completed significantly faster than before.

首席测量师Arshad Mahmood使用机器控制的好处很明显：

“Everything is nice, we really like the system! In UAE, this system helps us to lead the market – we can now look at a project and say it can be completed in a much shorter time. I would say that we see up to three times more productivity than when we use a regular system”.

Overperforming expected deadlines with machine control

初步计算表明,阿布扎比airfield project could take up to 12 months, yet utilising machine control from Leica Geosystems, it took six months. With large infrastructure projects such as airfields, contractors want to complete well within deadline as this allows them to avoid significant financial punishments, and move onto other jobs.

Leveraging the wide-range products and brands of Hexagon’s heavy construction portfolio, Al Nisr is proud to be the pioneer of machine control for airfields in the United Arab Emirates. The approach increases the company’s performance, improves its reputation, and helps the business win more work.