Are you planning to buy a compactor machine? A compactor is a device used to compact material, such as waste and sand particles, to reduce its size. With the availability of various brands, it will be challenging to get the right brand from the market.
Do not rush without reading this article. We will help you find your dream compactor machine.
Compaction aids in the reduction of permeability, settlement, seepage, and other issues. It also generally increases shear strength, bearing capacity, and stability against structural failure. The soil mass’s density rises since compaction forces air out of the void spaces. It is good to consider the soil type and the compactor machine to choose the best compactor type.
Type of soil
The type of soil you’re trying to compact significantly impacts choosing the correct compaction equipment for soil compaction construction. The devices are of four types:
- Rock fill and granular soils
- coarse-grained
- Fine-grained
- Clay soil
Rock fill and granular soils
It is necessary to compact materials containing large stones, such as rock fill, in several thick layers. Less than half or two-thirds of the layer thickness should be the largest diameter of the stones. Heavy vibrating rollers weighing 10 to 15 tons provide enough compaction to compact rock fill in layers up to 1–2 m thick.
Organic soils are unsuitable for compaction and construction, so you should avoid them in the future.
Fine-grained
Silt and clay are the two subcategories of fine-grained soils that fall under the cohesive classification. When moist, clay and silt have a smooth feel and are water-retentive. You can also use heavy rubber-tired rollers to compact these soil types.
Coarse-grained
coarse-grained soils are granular and divided into two subcategories. Sand and gravel soils can be compacted efficiently and affordable using vibrating rollers and plate compactors. Vibrating rollers and plate compactors can efficiently compact layers ranging from 5 to 1. 5 m (20 – 60 in). You can use light vibrating rollers and plate compactors if the layer thickness is small.
The soil can be compacted effectively to the ground when vibrators are inserted into sand and gravel soils and saturated with water.
Clay soils
The soil’s shear strength and, consequently, the amount of water present both significantly impact the outcomes of clay compaction. Clay with low to medium strength can typically be compacted effectively using static smooth-wheel, grid-or pad-type rollers, and rubber-tired rollers. Also utilized are sheep foot rollers because they let the soil’s topmost layer dry.
Having understood the soil types as another factor to consider apart from compactor machine prices in Kenya, you should consider the compact type.
Let me take you through the types of compactors.
Rollers (both walk-behind and ride-on)
You can use these rollers to compact cohesive soil and asphalt.
Asphalt, minor patchwork, building roads, commercial-grade projects, and installing public utilities are some of the functions you can use walk-behind equipment can do. Using a ride-on roller is possible for foundation work, more significant (8-15 ton) finishing jobs, and asphalt surface sealing.
Their functions are static and vibration.
Rammers
They are excellent for cohesive and semi-cohesive soils. Rammers can vibrate, impact, and knead. The rammers also have a powerful force of impact. Most rammers have a frequency range of 450 to 800 blows per minute (bpm).
Vibrational impact rammers, which have the highest bpm, can also be employed on granular and mixtures of soils. For them to work efficiently, rammers are inclined forward to allow forward movement as the device jumps.
Vibratory Plate Compactor
Vibratory plate compactors can compact soil types in constrained spaces. They compress vibration in either a forward or reverse direction. An operator can position the compactor over areas requiring more passes by accelerating the reversible plate with the touch of a finger. This plate compactor is widely known as the most versatile. It can be utilized for deep compaction, retaining walls, trenches, and confined spaces.
After knowing the soil types and the variety of compactors available, you can buy your compactor machine.
