UHP Water Cutter
Chip sealing – traditionally used to maintain roads
The Vehicle
UHP water cutting equipment is available from a range of suppliers who have developed the technology over many years. However a search of suppliers of UHP equipment with experience in using this technology for bitumen removal was unsuccessful so Fulton Hogan developed this specialist equipment.
The Fulton Hogan Water Cutter comprises the truck mounted UHP pump, water supply and vacuum recovery system and an independently operated umbilical deckblaster that directs the very high velocity water jets at the road surface. The Water Cutter's cutting head has a physical cut width of 560mm and has an operating water pressure of 36,000 psi (2500 bar). These very high pressures produce energy intensive jets of water from holes on a rotating spraybar. The final design of the spraybar was determined by a combination of theoretical design and field investigations. The water leaves holes in the spraybar at approximately 1750 kph (one and a half times the speed of sound). Jets produce the required cutting action with very small volumes of water. Macrotexture is restored to the surface of the road.Although these water jets are energy intensive and effective at removing the excess bitumen from the road surface, this energy dissipates very quickly and does not have a detrimental effect on the bitumen that anchors the aggregate in place.
UHP Water Cutting should not to be confused with water blasting. This method of road maintenance can harm road surfaces because it uses large volumes of water which can cause chipseal to break-up. Water-blasting also creates large amounts of water/bitumen slurry waste that requires disposal.
