AMMANN ACM PRIME PLANT TACKLES KEY ROAD PROJECT IN BRAZIL

Categories: Asphalt Plants

EPC Construções, headquartered in Brazil’s national capital of Brasilia, has been active in the heavy construction industry for 15 years. It specialises in infrastructure modernisation and has experience building and reconstructing more than 50 airports.

Tackling so many ambitious projects requires the proper equipment – including an Ammann ACM 140 Prime Asphalt-Mixing Plant.

The Prime recently completed the rehabilitation of SC401, the busiest state highway in Santa Catarina in the country’s southern region. The road is a major connecting point and crucial to commerce.

The SC401 work offered it share of challenges. The road’s high traffic volume necessitated that work be done at night. More than 60,000 tons of asphalt mix had to be placed during the project – and of course there could be no sacrifice in quality, either.

The ACM 140 Prime produced 120 tonnes per hour, though it has a greater capacity. A conventional asphalt mix was placed on top of milled sections. The wearing course required a special rubber-based mix, and the ACM 140 Prime easily adjusted to the new recipe.

“The ACM 140 Prime is the best choice for a mobile plant,” said Ing. Gilberto Gamero João, Contract Manager at ECP Construções. “We installed the plant ourselves – close to the construction site to increase daily production and reduce transportation costs.”

The close proximity also helped ensure a steady flow of mix.

The plant was moved to Brasilia after the project was completed and will soon be put back to work. “It is a super-mobile plant in terms of disassembly and assembly,” said Gamero.

The value of the asphalt plant goes beyond mobility. Both management and operators praised the as1 Control System, the brains of the plant, which helps improve quality while reducing material usage and fuel consumption. “The as1 can give accurate statistics and store information for more than a year,” said Gustavo Reis, Resident Engineer.