Construction equipment

A Drum Compactor
1. grading ['gred]

2. earthmoving -
3. fine grading -
4. subgrade - ,
5. compaction
6. drum [drm] ,
7. compactor [km'pkt] ,

8. loose soil -
9. pour [p] ,
10.front
11.rear [r]
12.fine concrete -
13.void [vd] ,

The construction of road and highways basically consists of 3 phases, rough grading (or
earthmoving), fine grading (which includes sub-grade preparation), and surfacing, which can
include gravel, concrete, asphalt, or any combination of the three. Compaction is also a major
element of all road and highway construction. Sufficient compaction of gravel and asphalt will
ensure maximum life of the road structure. Paving using concrete or asphalt has evolved

significantly over the years, and todays machines can produce large quantities of paved surfaces
in record time.
A drum compactor is a heavy construction machine that compacts soil, asphalt, or concrete to
create a level surface. These machines are manufactured in a variety of forms for specific
industries. Common forms of drum compactor machines can include a single or double drum, and
may be vibrating or static.
One of the most common compactor types uses a single drum. The heavy, cylinder-shaped drum
is attached to the front of a machine driven by an operator. This type of drum compactor is
generally used for compressing loose soil for road construction or compacting newly poured
concrete for a level surface. Sizes of this machine can vary from relatively small, enabling it to
work in confined job sites, to extremely large, increasing productivity on a massive construction
project.
Double drum compactor machines offer even more compaction power. The machine has a front
and rear drum combination to ensure that the surface is densely packed beneath its weight. Job
sites with extremely loose soil may use this machine type, but many applications for the double
drum involve fine concrete surface compaction of the type used to construct roadways. Extra
compaction from the dual drums decreases voids in the wet concrete for a long-lasting road
formation.