The Speed of Mechanical Installation

By Alva D. Logsdon

Mechanical installation of pave stones is an efficient method that is gaining popularity for large paving jobs. The process is more efficient, as a machine is used to pick up large sections of interlocking concrete pave stones that are then placed directly onto screeded sand. With fewer employees installing more paving stones, the rate of productivity increases significantly.

With a mechanical paver-laying machine, the crews were able to install 2,000-3,000-square-feet-per-day.

?EUR??,,????'??Like all pave stone installation jobs, the key to reaping the long term benefits of a paving stone job lies in the successful installation processes,?EUR??,,????'?? said Joey Guedea of Pavestone Company in?????EUR??,,?EUR Dallas. ?EUR??,,????'??This includes job planning, layout, excavating and compacting the soil subgrade, spreading and compacting the aggregate base, constructing edge restraints, spreading and screeding bedding sand and then the placement of pavers. In addition to proper site preparation, there are some pave stone shapes that lend themselves more naturally to a mechanical installation. The installation pattern options include cross-joint bond, herringbone and running bond, however, it?EUR??,,????'???s important to include your manufacturer in the design process to assure the availability of a mold in the pattern sought.?EUR??,,????'??

Concrete interlocking pave stones are designed with space bars on the sides of the pavers. The spacer bars maintain a minimum joint width between the pavers, allowing sand to fill the joints and do not impact the mechanical installation process. Some pave stones are designed to encourage the infiltration of stormwater runoff. Many of these ecological friendly stones can be mechanically placed, which is a tremendous paving feature when large urban development projects face stormwater runoff challenges.

Pavers are packaged on pallets by the manufacturer in a predetermined laying pattern. The equipment operator activates a clamp that lifts a layer of pavers from the pallet and then guides the placement onto bedding sand.

Pave stones are delivered to the job site on pallets that can be moved around the site by forklifts. They are packaged on the pallets by the manufacturer in the predetermined laying pattern. The mechanized equipment operator activates a clamp that lifts a layer of paving stones from the pallet and then guides the placement to bedding sand. When the stone layer is picked up the clamp creates a lateral pressure, creating an interlock of the stones. The layer is then aligned to the section previously installed. The stones are lowered until they almost touch the top of the bedding sand and then they are released from the clamp. Each stone layer on a pallet is approximately a square yard, allowing the operator to pick up and install about a square yard at a time.

All mechanical jobs will require some degree of manual installation; the amount is determined by the job site and installation pattern selected. For example, if the job site has tight areas that cannot be accessed by the mechanical installation machine or the layer is larger than the section to be paved, manual installation will be needed. These areas may include light fixtures, utility structures and drainage inlets.

Also, some patterns may need to be offset by a course or two when placed. This also requires the initial area to be placed manually. The hand-laid areas establish an offset for the coursing and the direction of the subsequent machine installed layers. Some herringbone patterns require an offset, and some special designs for mechanical installation may need to be offset to stagger the layers. Some herringbone patterns will also require half stones to complete the installation. Herringbone installation patterns are popular, as they provide a high degree of interlock.

Cross bond and running bond patterns generally do not require an offset area to be laid by hand. However, if laying stones runner bond end-to-end, some openings will be created and can be filled by hand with the placement of half stones.

General Contractor Forman: Ron Smith
GC Firm: Manhattan Construction, Dallas, Texas
Property Owner: City of Dallas
Installation Contractor: Ray Smith
IC Firm: Arlington Pavers, Arlington, Texas
Concrete Paving Stone Manufacturer: Pavestone Company
Sales Manager: Joey Guedea Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas

Mechanical installation requires less physical exertion, thereby reducing fatigue and job related injuries.

The timesaving advantages for the contractor, designer and project owner make it an attractive option for most large concrete paving stone projects. Additional technical installation information can be obtained by contacting the nearest Pavestone Company manufacturing branch.

References for this article include excerpts used with permission from the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute, and the Dallas Convention Center statistics posted on the Dallas City Hall website.

Expansion Project Utilizes Mechanical Pave Stone Installation

The Dallas Convention Center, owned by the city, recently completed a major expansion project of the largest convention facility in Texas, has 523,726 square feet of contiguous same level exhibit space, divisible to five separate halls. Directly below it on Level II is an additional 225,000 square feet of exhibit space. The exterior is now easier to access due to the incorporation of a transportation center for the busses, taxis and the DART light commuter rail. The expansion included 65,000 sq. ft. of concrete pave stones. Hosting more than 3.5 million annual visitors, it was critical that the completion of the expansion project be timely so as not to interfere with scheduled events.

?EUR??,,????'??Holland Stone, a rectangular paver in 6 cm and 8 cm was specified by the architect,?EUR??,,????'?? said Guedea. ?EUR??,,????'??The decision was made to install the pave stones mechanically to decrease the amount of time for installation. Another timesaving feature factored into specifying concrete pave stones is that no mortar is required. Without the mandatory cure time of alternative paving methods, the installation is accelerated. The crews were trained on location with the mechanical paver laying machine and were able to install 2,000 to 3,000 square-feet-per-day in the herringbone pattern.?EUR??,,????'??