Queensland's Department Transport and Main Roads (TMR) and NTRO have recently participated in an assessment of Global Road Maintenance Systems' (GRMSystems) fully automated surfacing truck called MAXIMUS. The trial was conducted close to Brisbane to assess the machine’s capabilities in applying specialist surfacing treatments.
Overview
TMR and NTRO experts observed MAXIMUS’ operation for applying GRMS’ OzGrip surface treatment which has previously achieved Level 3 certification through the Transport and Main Roads (TMR) TIPES Supplement for Coloured and High Friction Surface Treatments (CSTs and HFSTs respectively).
HFSTs are primarily engineered to reduce the risk of loss of control and skidding related incidents at high stress locations.
The observation during the trial focused on the machine's application process and the applied surface material quality and consistency in comparison to the more traditional manual (hand lay) methodology.
Key Observations
- Simultaneous application of binder and aggregate
- Uniformity of surface treatment
- Precision of automated installation process
- Comparison with traditional manual laying techniques
The assessment led to TMR approving interim usage of the MAXIMUS truck for laying OzGrip HFST on TMR projects, while further performance checks are determined and implemented, the results of which will inform the award of full certification and towards the usage of MAXIMUS in deploying other specialist surfacing products on TMR projects.
Stephen Southgate, General Manager of GRMSystems expressed his delight that MAXIMUS can now operate on Queensland’s roads to deploy OzGrip HFST. He said, "Quite simply, OzGrip saves lives at high stress locations, and moving to state of the art, computer-controlled laying of binder and aggregate using the MAXIMUS machine improves efficiency and consistency. We are very proud of our time and investment in MAXIMUS – it is part of the GRMS family – and we hope it sets a benchmark for the industry."
Paul Hillier of NTRO Certification also congratulated GRMS on their development story: “I know Stephen and the GRMS teams have applied many years of experience and knowledge into the current form of MAXIMUS and its operation. We are pleased to have worked with TMR to assess its capabilities, initially in laying OzGrip HFST and we have helped GRMS to fine tune the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Quality Assurance requirements which should augur well for wider applications of the machine.”