HOT-MIX MAGAZINE 36 VOLUME 10, NUMBER 2

The straight scoop

on milling parabolic curves:
If youre going to stay on
a slope that steep,
then youre going to need
the training wheels.
surface area consists of parabolic
curves. And the precise shape of
those specially designed curves
needed to be maintained during
the milling process so that the
paving contractor could correctly
resurface the track. It was not an
easy job.
The high-speed test track is a
kidney-shaped track, explained
Jim Tinkey, an estimator with L&L
Construction, the company that
handled the milling portion of the
test-track resurfacing project. L&L
Construction is headquartered
near Lansing, Michigan. The test
J
OBS COME IN ALL FORMS,
but every once in a while, a job
comes along that seems to
take on a particularly interesting
shape. In the case of a milling job
that L&L Construction Company,
Inc. recently tackled, that partic-
ularly interesting shape turned
out to be a parabolic curve.
Before resurfacing the high-speed
test track at Ford Motor Companys
proving grounds in Dearborn,
Michigan, two inches (5.1 cm) of
asphalt pavement needed to be
removed from about 61,000 sq.
yds. (55,778 m
2
) of track. On a
normal stretch of highway, milling
that amount would be a fairly
straightforward task. But in this
case, about half of the test tracks
track varies in widths and degrees
of bank all the way around. And it
has five parabolic areas, with the
steepest slope being 22. Thats a
pretty good bank!
What made this job particularly
challenging was the steep slope of
the curves, as well as the need to
preserve their shape. Maneuvering
a conventionally equipped milling
machine along these steep banks
without letting it tip over would
be impossible. In order to main-
tain the machines stability while
executing precision cuts would
require both special expertise and
special equipment.
So, L&L Construction called upon
experience its personnel gained
when the company milled the
HOT-MIX MAGAZINE 37 VOLUME 10, NUMBER 2
FOR MORE INFORMATION
about Roadtec equipment, call your Roadtec Regional Sales Manager:
800-272-7100
Fax: 423-265-7521 E-mail: sales@roadtec.com
Michigan International Speedway
a number of years ago. That track
had an 18 slope, said Tinkey. We
used a Roadtec RX-50 to mill the
high-bank portions. Then we did
the flats and straightaways with a
standard milling machine. This
year, we decided to do much the
same thing at the test track on the
Ford proving grounds.
With an equipment fleet that
includes three Roadtec RX-900
cold planers, L&L Construction
was well prepared to mill the flat
portions of the high-speed test
track. But in order to mill those
unique parabolic curves, L&L
Construction looked to Roadtec
for a very specialized piece of
equipment: a cold planer built to
specone that could handle this
unusual and demanding task.
L&L Construction began by obtain-
ing a Roadtec RX-500 cold planer
that would be modified by Roadtec
engineers specifically for this job.
The key modification was the
addition of outriggerswhich the
crew quickly nicknamed training
wheels. The outriggers lend the
necessary stability and support
when the machine is working on a
steep slope. A 2-ft. (0.6-m) cutter
head allowed precise cuts to be
made in small increments.
Roadtec used the same outriggers
that we had on the RX-50 when
we did the Michigan International
Speedway years ago, explained
Tinkey. They had to be modified
to fit the newer RX-500 that we
used. They also had to modify the
frame a little, as well as the cutter
housing for the drum in order to
offset the 2-ft. (0.6-m) drum and
the loader conveyor. Modifications
were also made to the water and
fuel systems so they would func-
tion properly when the machine
was operating on that steep slope.
There was quite a bit of work they
had to do before they turned over
the machine to us.
The 600-hp Roadtec RX-500 cold
planer L&L Construction used on
this project also had four tracks to
give it added stability. There was
also a variable cutter head that
that was adjustable to 2, 3, or 4 ft.
(0.6, 0.9, or 1.2 m).
Because of the precision and care
that was required for the job, L&L
Construction initially anticipated it
would require about 11 days to
complete the milling. The actual
results surprised them.
With that Roadtec RX-500, it
took only six days of operation to
complete about 36,000 sq. yds.
(32,918 m
2
), said Tinkey. I was
very impressed. That thing was
moving right along!
Despite the strange slope that the
Roadtec cold planer worked on,
Tinkey said the equipment with-
stood the extra pressure. The
cutter head held up surprisingly
well, especially considering the
physics of the job, he said. It
showed minimal wear on the end
rings, which had been a concern
because of the natural slide that
you geteven with those custom
outriggers in place. Because of
that natural sliding effect, the end
rings on the cutter assembly take
quite a beating as the machine
tries to torque itself down.
While the Roadtec RX-500 cold
planer was working on the steep
parabolic curves, L&L Construc-
tions Roadtec RX-900 cold planer
was completing the flat portions
of the track. And in almost half
the time the contractors had
anticipated, the milling portion of
the project was completed.
The Roadtec equipment functioned
exceptionally well, said Tinkey.
And because of the equipments
performance, it put all of the con-
tractors ahead of schedule.
This is the second major milling
job on a steep slope that L&L
Construction has successfully
completed. Because of their expe-
rience on this type of project,
Tinkey said he anticipates more
jobs like this to arise in the future.
The concept of high-bank milling
will probably become more and
more popular, especially for the
NASCAR tracks, said Tinkey.
He added that having the special-
ized Roadtec equipment is a key
part of being able to tackle this
kind of project. There is no way
a standard cold planer could have
handled this job, he said. MLM
The Roadtec RX-500 that L&L Construction used to mill the parabolic curves
on the Ford Motor Companys test track had to be specially engineered and
modified for the task. The outriggersnicknamed training wheels by the
crewrequired modifications to the frame. The fuel and water systems also
had to be modified in order to work properly on the steep slopes.
In order to maintain the parabolic curves of the tracks surface, the Roadtec
RX-500 used a 2-ft. (0.6-m) drum-and-cutter assembly.