Bulk earthworks, demolitions and civil engineering service provider Icon Group has been awarded a contract to supply its three-sided impact roller to the expansion project at the Beitbridge border post, in Zimbabwe.

The three-sided impact roller will be used to compact in-situ and construct bulk earthworks.

The Impact roller which was being transported from Icon Group’s facility in Krugersdorp, Gauteng, to the border post, was delivered to site last month.

“The project entails the in-situ compaction of ground over about 2 km, as well as any additional layer work that might need to be done at the time,” says Icon Group director Wayne Neary.

“A benefit of using the three-sided impact roller is that it offers greater depth of influence than conventional equipment and makes it possible to satisfactorily compact soil from the surface instead of having to remove the soil and replace it in layers,” he adds.

Further benefits include the increased volume of material that can be processed and compacted, which is substantially more than standard rollers.

Neary explains that an impact unit can compact 2 000 m³/h, as opposed to a standard 10 t or 12 t vibration unit, which can compact at only about 200 m³/h.

“The three-sided roller is ten times faster and, therefore, offers notable savings on plant operations on a project,” he enthuses.

The machine uses gravity and the pull of the tractor unit to move the 15 t impact roller unit forward on every third of a rotation; the drum impacts with a force of 30 kJ/m.

Neary explains that the scope of the success of the project could open doors to work on other aspects of the Beitbridge border post project.

The project includes a major upgrade of the entire border post, including roads, information, communication and technology infrastructure, as well as the construction of a number of social projects to improve the town of Beitbridge’s critical infrastructure.