AccuGrade® Compaction - Kelly Tractor

Compaction Measurement SystemThe Compaction Measurement system measures compaction to optimize machineproductivity and improve job quality.By alerting the operator to the presenceof these anomalies, the contractor hasthe opportunity to investigate and,if necessary, fix the questionable areas,increasing the uniformity of thecompacted materials. This results inoverall job site savings in time and cost,eliminating potential rework. It alsoimproves the quality of the work, aswell as the life cycle of the subgrade,base and sub-base that support thepaved surface.AccuGrade Compaction, with itsGPS mapping and measurement systemcan provide Quality Control/QualityAssurance documentation on a one-toonebasis, which can eliminate the needfor test rollers and decrease the numberof manual tests.Depth Measurement. The CompactionMeasurement system measures deepinto the soil – typically 1 to 2 m(40 to 80 in) down, depending on soilcharacteristics and machine operation.This provides a better overall pictureof soil stiffness than other compactionmeasurement devices, such as anuclear density gauge or lightweightdeflectometer, which measure to adepth of typically about 305 mm(12 in). Depth of measurement validatesyour compaction work and ensures thatthe entire lift meets stiffness requirements.Compaction Measurement System.The Compaction Measurement systemmeasures stiffness, or the ability of amaterial to resist deformation under aload, rather than density, or the weightof a material per volume. A controllerpackage collects data from anaccelerometer, which measures drummovement. The controller packageconverts the measurements into stiffnessvalues, called Cat ® Compaction Values,or CCVs.The Compaction Measurement systemhelps the operator determine when theproper level of compaction has beenachieved, but it can provide otherbenefits as well. The CompactionMeasurement system can help theoperator identify potential problems inthe construction materials, such as hardspots, soft spots or moisture-relatedproblems beneath the surface.The Compaction Measurement systemincludes an accelerometer and acontroller package.• Accelerometer – The accelerometermeasures drum movement. The datacollected is sent to the controllers,where it will be converted tostiffness values.• Controller Package – The CompactionMeasurement system uses a controllerpackage to convert data collectedfrom the accelerometer to stiffnessvalues, which are then sent to thegraphic display unit.4