Different Types Of Rollers And Which Ones Are Best Used For Construction Projects

As we all know that construction projects require a lot of effort. Creating a strong base is important for a successful construction project! Rollers are a type of construction plant used for compacting materials such as soil, gravel, sand, road surfaces and so on. The material can be compacted by vibration, impact loading, kneading, and direct pressure. The best tool which is helpful for construction work is a roller. The reason to choose the right roller is important and is a must!

There are several types of rollers that work best for compactions. Today, we give you a deep brief on rollers and the use of them.

Sheepsfoot Roller

These rollers are unique due to the round or rectangular protrusions all over the roller and are also known as “tamping rollers”. Sheepsfoot rollers are used originally for the compaction of cohesive, dense soils such as heavy or silty clays. They are not effective on loose or sandy soils due to the protrusions simply tilling the soil rather than compacting it.

Grid Rollers

Grid rollers have a cylindrical heavy steel roller consisting of an arrangement of steel bars coming together to form a grid-like pattern. The grid may also be ballasted with concrete blocks for additional contact pressure. These rollers are ideal for compacting most coarse-grained soils since they provide little kneading action with high contact pressure.

Vibratory Rollers

Vibratory rollers are equipped with one or two smooth-surfaced steel wheels that send vibrations through the roller. These vibrations are generated by an eccentric shaft rotating inside the wheel, making it an ideal roller for compacting granular base courses that would otherwise be difficult to compact.

Smooth-Wheeled Roller

Smooth-wheel rollers, use smooth steel drum in the front and either one or two wheels on the rear end for compaction. These are either tandem (two-wheel) or three-wheel rollers. Smooth wheel rollers are ideal for gravel, sand, ballast, and surface dressings and are very effective in compacting silty or sandy soils with the fewest passes.

Road roller

A road roller is a compactor-type engineering vehicle that is used to compact soil, gravel, concrete or asphalt in the construction of roads and foundations. They are used in landfills and agriculture, rolling process ensures that foundations are compacted thoroughly so the materials are compact, and do not come loose. Rollers are provided with basic features such as a diesel engine, canopy to protect the driver, drum(s).

Single drum roller

A single drum roller is a heavy-duty piece of machinery. The front has a giant drum while the back has special tires. These tires are sturdier and able to prevent most flats.

Double drum roller

A double drum roller can smooth objects in front of and behind the driver at the same time. The trade-off is that the drums move the roller while flattening items in the surrounding area. For this reason, double drum rollers don’t have the traction of single drum units. You won’t use these vehicles for specialized work. They operate best on flat services or ones with gradual grading.

Rubber-Tyred Roller

These types of rollers move away from the typical wheel drums and instead have several rows of closely spaced pneumatic tires both in front and at the back of the machine. These tires are also staggered to exert compacting pressure across the full width of the machine and used on soft materials and loosely compacted soils. They are found in highway construction, particularly when they start smoothing bitumen on some roadworks.

Tamping Roller

These types of road rollers are unique when it comes to their wheel drums and are studded with lugs that are usually rectangular and arranged in a rather hexagonal pattern. These tamping rollers are also called sheep foot rollers and are normally used in projects that must work with heavy soils such as clay.

When you’re looking to purchase a roller it all comes down to picking the right one for your task, so if you are still unsure which roller is the best for your job, get in touch with PlantAndEquipment.com to buy your next machine.