GOMACO World Index --- GOMACO World 46.1 - July 2018

Explosive Production at a Former Munitions Factory

 

3300

The property now known as the Cranbury Brick Yard, in Cranbury, New Jersey, has been transformed over the last few years. Its transformation includes over 60,000 feet (18,288 m) of new concrete curb, along with dolly pads for setting semi-trailer landing gear on. It’s all part of the new Cranbury Logistics Center with three large warehouses and a major storage hub for shipments arriving into the port of Newark, New Jersey.

The project has been built by Diamond Materials, based out of Wilmington, Delaware. The company specializes in both warehouse construction and airport paving projects. This project tested their mettle from the very beginning. The Diamond Materials’ crew is experienced pouring concrete, but not slipforming concrete with a curb and gutter machine. They chose the new GOMACO 3300 multi-application slipform paver for their curb and gutter and other concrete paving projects.

The Brick Yard has had a long and sometimes violent history. From 1930 to 1954 the property was a manufacturing facility for signal flares, fireworks, and insect repellent. During and after World War II, it was under control of the U.S. Army and Navy as a military munitions factory producing grenade fuses and six pound (2.7 kg) napalm bombs. Tragedy struck the plant on July 21, 1954, when an accidental explosion killed two workers, injured others, and sent live munitions flying across the entire site. Less than 10 days later, the New Jersey Department of Labor shut down the site.

It remained closed for over 50 years until its geographical location was just too valuable for the property to remain empty. It sits along State Highway 130 and the New Jersey Turnpike, Exit 8, and is only a 30 minute drive from the port of Newark in northern New Jersey. Exit 8A of the New Jersey Turnpike, only five miles (8 km) away, is one of the most strategic locations in the United States for companies to locate storage hubs for their supply network.

The Cranbury Brick Yard would transform from an overgrown swamp full of trees and unexploded munitions into a 2,800,000 square foot (260,120 m2) warehouse distribution park. It includes three large warehouses on the property. Building #1 is 1,400,000 square feet (130,060 m2), Building #2 is 950,000 square feet (88,255 m2), and Building #3 is the smallest at 200,000 square feet (18,580 m2). The project also includes 63,000 feet (19,202 m) of two different types of stand-up curb, as well as seven to 10 foot (2.1 to 3 m) wide dolly pads.

We do a lot of curb and gutter, but we also do a lot of dolly pad paving in parking lot areas,” Richard Pierson, Jr., President of Diamond Materials, said. “The 3300 was the most economical for us changing from a curb machine to a slipform paving machine. It saves us time having the hydraulic functions the machine is equipped with to be able to put that paving packing underneath the 3300.

The other things that attracted us to the paver were the slew drives for steering, how all the tracks turn simultaneously, and the smart cylinder technology.”

 

 

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Diamond Materials is using Topcon mmGPS for 3D machine guidance. The 3D machine control eliminates stringline and opens up the job-site allowing them to pave anywhere they need to be on the project at any time with the GOMACO 3300.

 

 

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The operator has the perfect view of this gorgeous large radius just slipformed by the 3300. He had only been operating the paver for less than two weeks when this photo was taken.

 

 

The slew drives on the tracks and GOMACO’s proprietary G+® control system allows the 3300’s Extreme Steering to be accomplished. The 3300’s two front legs are mounted on parallelogram-style pivot arms and the rear leg has power slide for positioning. Their smart leg positioning is accomplished with smart cylinders, along with Smart Track Rotation to provide the G+ control system with the exact location and position of the tracks and reference to their straight ahead line.

Another unique feature on the 3300 is the Smart Telescoping Mold mounting system with reference to G+ for repeatable mold offset. It has the GOMACO Hook-and-Go mold mounting system to quickly and efficiently change from one mold profile to the next. The trimmerhead and mold sideshift and vertically-adjust to clear obstacles which allows the 3300 to pave right up to them.

Diamond Materials and their 3300 were slipforming two different heights of stand-up curb along the side of the new roadways running throughout the Brick Yard and the parking areas for the semi-trucks and trailers. The largest of the two curbs is 24 inches (610 mm) tall, with a 14 inch (356) wide base and 12 inch (305 mm) top cap. The other profile stands 18 inches (457 mm) tall, with a seven inch (178 mm) wide base and six inch wide (152 mm) top cap.

We’ll have a six inch (152 mm) face on the 18 inch (457 mm) curb for all of the truck and vehicular traffic coming in and out of the parking lots and routes throughout the industrial park,” Pierson explained. “The 24 inch (610 mm) curb is sizable, and more like a barrier curb than anything else. It has a 12 inch (305 mm) face and that goes in where the trailer parking areas are located.”

The 3300 is equipped with a Topcon mmGPS system eliminating the need for stringline and opening up the 180 acre (72.8 ha) project to other construction vehicles on site. It also allows Diamond Materials to pave wherever they need to pave on any given day. The 3300 features a fast 131 feet per minute (40 mpm) auxiliary variable track speed for moving across the large job site.

 

 

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The 3300 features the GOMACO-exclusive G+ control system in a control console that slides from side-to-side of the operator’s console. Mounted above the console is the Topcon mmGPS touch screen control box.

 

 

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Diamond Materials’ 3300 is equipped with 15 foot (4.6 m) charging auger. The safety guard on the auger is available with a manually-activated vibrator to clear the concrete.

 

 

It moves well and on this job we have 180 acres (72.8 ha) here, so on any given day we might be on one end or the other,” Pierson said. “The maneuverability is amazing, especially with the slew drives and turning these tight radii. The tightest radius we’ve poured so far has been four feet (1.2 m). It’s amazing how the 3300 will flow around the radius and do what it does.”

Curb production with the 3300 is impressive compared to Diamond Materials’ handforming numbers.

It would take three crews and 18 laborers to get the production we’re getting now with that machine,” Pierson said. “We’re cutting the crew down to six laborers and getting the production done that much faster, which allows us to get in, fine grade, pave, and maintain a tighter schedule. The 3300 allows us to control our own destiny and control our own schedule, which is very important to the clients, the owners, and the demands we’re held against to get these projects done on time.”

The 3300 has also opened up other slipforming opportunities. Diamond Materials has used the slipform paver on a variety of different projects, including dolly pads and ramp paving. One of their first major paving projects was a turnpike on-ramp by Middletown, Delaware. The on-ramp was part of the Biddle’s Corner Toll Plaza on Highway 1. They are paving a 1.8 mile (2.9 km) segment as their portion of the nearly 14 mile (22.5 km) long project. That segment includes an eight foot (2.4 m) wide and 12 inch (305 mm) thick on-ramp.

The 3300 paver was equipped with a mold mounting kit to undermount the sectional mold. The paver was turned into the transverse position with the G+ control system set to pave in the transverse left configuration. Concrete was placed directly onto grade in front of the 3300 as paving took place. Behind the paver very little finishing work was required, only a burlap drag along with a bull float finish.

“We’re very impressed with the machine,” Pierson said. “It’s a great product and it helps us do our job easier and faster.”

 

 

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Diamond Materials slipformed ramp at the Biddle’s Corner Toll Plaza on Highway 1 near Middletown, Delaware. The 3300 with Topcon 3D machine guidance was paving in the transverse left configuration and the new ramp was eight feet (2.4 m) wide and 12 inches (305 mm) thick.

 

 

 

 

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