Flights from Oslo and Tromsø are the most important link to Norway's Svalbard islands, which lie north of the Arctic Circle. Aircraft take off and land on the world’s most northerly runway located near the largest settlement on the group of islands, the town of Longyearbyen. Due to the extreme Arctic climate, the runway now needed rehabilitating.

SUPER 1900-2 rehabilitates the world’s most northerly runway

The runway, which was built in 1974 and last repaired in 1989, is exposed to extreme stress due to the harsh climate on Svalbard and widely fluctuating temperatures ranging from -40° C in winter to sometimes +20° C in summer. The ground on Svalbard thaws to a depth of no more than one metre during the summer season, permanent frost prevailing the rest of the year. This had resulted in severe deterioration of the runway’s pavement in both longitudinal and transverse directions, necessitating rehabilitation. The contract for this prestigious task was awarded to the Norwegian branch of Messrs. Lemminkäinen, one of Scandinavia’s largest construction companies.

Short window of time in the Arctic summer

Construction operations were subject to enormous pressure of time, since only a short window of time is available during the Arctic summer. July is the best month for building on Svalbard, since it never gets dark and the average temperature is +7° C compared to -20° C encountered in February. The opportunity was used not only to rehabilitate the runway, but also to carry out widening (from 55m to over 60m) and extension (from 2,323m to 2,483m).

The Svalbard Islands

Svalbard lies farther north than Siberia, Canada and the greater part of Greenland. The group of islands belonging to Norway is the last bastion of civilization before the North Pole. The islands have an area of 61,000 square kilometres, 60% of which are covered by glaciers. Frost prevails almost all the time, only the top metre of ground thaws in summer.

One of the biggest islands of the group is Spitsbergen, which is also the location of the largest settlement, the town of Longyearbyen with its 1,900 inhabitants. The runway near Longyearbyen is the most northerly in the world. There are flights to Oslo and Tromsø. Roads to connect the settlements on Svalbard do not exist, the means of transport are motor and dog sleds or boats. The largely untouched islands are home to reindeers, Arctic foxes and even polar bears.

Reliable machinery required

So, contractor Lemminkäinen had to be perfectly prepared and needed to be absolutely sure of everything running optimally on site. This is why Lemminkäinen opted for the WIRTGEN Norway Sales and Service Company when it came to selecting machinery and service. Rune Gulli, Manager of WIRTGEN Norway AS, presented a convincing concept based on a maximum of operational reliability and performance. In order to guarantee the best possible quality and the highest technological standard, modern and well-proven WIRTGEN Group machinery was used. The equipment pool included two WIRTGEN milling machines of the types W 1000 CBA and W 35 DC, four HAMM DV 90 VO rollers and a SUPER 1900-2 paver of VÖGELE’s latest generation. WIRTGEN Norway was also responsible for operational reliability. Spare parts were on hand at all times, ready for any eventuality. Above all, however, the paving team could rely on the assistance of Eddie Engebretsen, a highly experienced service engineer from WIRTGEN Norway. He was on site throughout the project.

A perfectly compacted pavement was crucial

Two paving teams moved onto the job site for 2-shift operation almost around the clock. First of all, the WIRTGEN milling machines pared down irregularities up to 20cm high that had formed in the runway. The W 1000 CBA milling machine smoothened the surface whereas the smaller W 35 DC machine milled out the ducts for lighting installations. This way, a good base was created for asphalt paving. The SUPER 1900-2 placed 30,000 tonnes of a particularly elastic material, in fact a mix consisting of asphaltic concrete (0/16) with polymer modified bitumen (type B 300). This mix is capable of withstanding the enormous temperature fluctuations without cracking. The material was placed in 15 strips each 4m wide. After paving, the joints between strips were filled with B 300 bitumen, too, for perfect watertightness. This had been specified by the client as under the given climatic conditions, penetration of water into the pavement must be avoided by all means. For final compaction, to which great importance was attached as well, HAMM rollers were applied.

The paving team easily got to grips with the new SUPER 1900-2

Contractor Lemminkäinen’s SUPER 1900-2 had been used for the first time on this job site. The paving team was enthusiastic about the machine from the very outset. The men were full of praise for the new ErgoPlus operating concept and the AB 500-2 Extending Screed. The AB 500-2 offers a number of useful features that pay off in practical operation. Particularly in the frozen north, the heating time of an electric screed is always an issue. Thanks to perfect thermal insulation, the new AB 500-2 heats up much faster than its predecessor, shortening the heating period by some 30%. The people from Lemminkäinen also were happy with the screed heating monitoring unit. This new feature keeps the paving team currently informed about each single heating rod’s operating status, so that any kind of failure is instantly detected. An enhanced feature worth mentioning, too, is the improved floating behaviour of the screed due to a larger depth of the sole plate, which results in a smaller screed planing angle.

Tor Runar Halvorsen, head of contractor Lemminkäinen’s paving team, has been familiar with VÖGELE machines for many years. He is enthusiastic about the new SUPER 1900-2 featuring the ErgoPlus operating concept: “It’s a modern machine offering the very best in terms of quality and operating ease. The new self-explanatory ErgoPlus operating consoles are excellent. We were instructed by VÖGELE service people while the screed was heating up. Everything was clear within a good 15 minutes and we were ready to start.”

Big MultiPlex Ski provides for excellent evenness

To make sure that the new runway will be absolutely level, the SUPER 1900-2 came with the Big MultiPlex Ski for grade control. It was the first time for the paving team to work with the system recommended by Eddie Engebretsen, Sales Manager at WIRTGEN Norway. The Big Multiplex Ski is capable of levelling out long irregularities in the base with high perfection. For this job, the Big Multiplex Ski was attached to the screed arm and fitted with 3 sonic grade sensors. The rear sensor was swung in, so as to include the freshly paved layer in the calculations and check it for correctess at the same time. The two front sensors scanned the milled base. Even though unexperienced with the system, contractor Lemminkäinen’s team easily got to grips with it from the very beginning. Installing the system on the paver was completed within 30 minutes. All in all, the paving team was much impressed by the Big MultiPlex Ski, mainly because of its absolutely easy handling.

Big MultiPlex Ski

The Big MultiPlex Ski is ideally suited to levelling out long irregularities in the base. Installation on the job site is easy, and so is its handling.

The Big MultiPlex Ski is based on the well-proven technology of the VÖGELE sonic grade sensor. Fitted with 3 such sensors tapping the base at points lying far apart from each other, the new systems translates the advantages offered by a single sensor onto a greater length. Each of the 3 sonic sensors comes with 5 sensing cells picking up actual values simultaneously over a length of 28cm. From these 5 values, however, only 3 are used to calculate an average, in fact those showing the smallest deviation from the value specified. The virtual reference is finally calculated from the 3 averages.

Advantages of the VÖGELE Big MultiPlex Ski

• Long irregularities in the base are perfectly levelled out
• Up to 3 sonic grade sensors pick up actual values in non-contacting operation
• A reliable virtual reference is calculated, obstacles are filtered out
• Large measuring range from 200 to 650mm
• Can be used on almost any base
• Freshly paved layer can be included into the calculations and checked for correctness at the same time
• Easy handling
• Can be attached to either the screed arm or the screed’s end plate
• Designed for use also on curved sections
• The Big MultiPlex Ski is recognized automatically as a grade sensor by NIVELTRONIC® Plus

Service-friendliness pays off

Gunnar Unstad, Job Site Manager from contractor Lemminkäinen (on the right in the photo), praised the good co-operation with WIRTGEN Norway and the assistance by Rune Gulli, its Managing Director: “Everything was perfectly organized, from the choice of machinery through to excellent on-site service, even in such a remote place as Svalbard.”

VÖGELE pavers traditionally are of particularly service-friendly design. This aspect has been improved further in the new generation “dash 2” machines. All service points are easily accessible via amply dimensioned hinged panels. Especially when operating on remote sites such as the one on Svalbard, this is a feature of invaluable importance. Rune Gulli, Managing Director of WIRTGEN Norway, said: “The VÖGELE service concept is unrivalled. Service-friendliness is an important point for many customers. The paving team from Lemminkäinen, for example, is in the field all week long, far away from any service base. So the team has to manage on its own. This, however, is no problem at all thanks to the excellent VÖGELE service concept. As everything on the machines is clearly arranged, it’s easy to follow even telephone instructions and SUPER pavers can be kept operational at all times.”

For further Informationen please contact:

JOSEPH VÖGELE AG

Roland Schug / Martin Hilken

Neckarauer Str. 168 - 228

68146 Mannheim

Germany

Telephone: +49 (0) 621 8105 232

Fax: +49 (0) 621 8105 469

Email: Roland.Schug@voegele-ag.de

Email: Martin.Hilken@voegele-ag.de

Internet: www.voegele-ag.de