The key components of slipform paving

Charging conveyor / Conveyor auger

The concrete needs to be conveyed to a hopper above the paving mould when paving in offset application. Different hydraulically driven systems are available to carry out this job, depending on the machine model.

The conveyor auger mixes the concrete thoroughly during transport and is capable of conveying the concrete at an incline of up to 45°. Its large diameter offers ample capacity to ensure that the paving mould is supplied with concrete continuously also during truck changes.

The charging conveyor is subject to extremely low wear and tear and can be mounted at any given inclination angle. Its conveying speed can be adjusted continuously, which permits the quantity of concrete to be adapted to both the size of the profile's cross-section and the slipform paver's advance speed.

Depending on the location of access roads and the position of the conveying system and paving mould, a cross-feeding auger may be required for transporting the concrete to the hopper at the paving mould.

Spreading plough / Spreading auger

There are two possible methods of distributing the concrete when paving concrete slabs.

Small slipform paver models are equipped with a spreading auger. It spreads the concrete ahead of the front metering screed behind which the concrete profile is formed.

Larger machine models are equipped with a spreading plough which moves back and forth in front of the paving mould, distributing the concrete across the entire working width.

Offset slipform / Paving mould

The slipform is mounted at the side of the paver when working in offset application. This method is used, for example, for producing kerbstones or traffic parapets. The slipform - which is also called a paving mould - can be changed quickly and easily, and can have almost any given shape.

Flexible systems enable the slipform suspension to be repositioned on the other side of the machine in a few swift moves.

The paving mould is mounted between the paver's crawler tracks when working in inset application. A typical inset application is the paving of concrete slabs.

Concrete vibrators

Consolidation in concrete paving is effected by means of vibrating the air from the semi-liquid concrete material. Specially shaped vibrators are immersed in the concrete for this purpose, and are then made to vibrate at high frequency. This causes the air bubbles to dissipate, enabling them to escape from the concrete.

The vibrators are mounted so as to prevent vibrations from being transmitted to the paver itself. They are available as straight or elbow-type vibrators and are driven electrically or hydraulically.

Finishing beam and super smoother

Finishing beam and super smoother produce a perfect surface finish when paving large concrete surfaces.

The finishing beam is moved back and forth perpendicular to the machine's direction of travel, removing all irregularities in the concrete surface. It is used mostly when inserting dowel bars in single-layer concrete pavements but is equally suitable for other concrete paving applications.

The super smoother carries out a combined longitudinal and transverse movement that levels out all remaining irregularities in the upper area of the concrete slurry. The surface produced in this way offers excellent riding qualities.

Machine frame

Wirtgen slipform pavers are of modular design, enabling them to be flexibly adapted to the individual requirements of specific concrete paving projects.

The basic module of all slipform pavers is a telescoping main frame which can be extended to the desired paving width by means of extension elements.

Crawler tracks

Depending on the machine model, 2, 3 or 4 crawler tracks can be mounted either directly on the machine frame or on bolster beams.

The crawler tracks are suspended on lifting cylinders which are hydraulically height-adjustable individually. This design offers maximum flexibility for positioning the crawler tracks, enabling extremely high, wide or cantilevering concrete slabs or profiles to be paved.