Generally, almost any construction related project ranging from roads to tall buildings would require soil compaction somewhere along the lineCompaction of a surface is a critical step towards building or placing anything that is significantly heavy on top of itCompaction using roller compactors are in essence about stabilising surfaces before anything is built on them in order to ensure the structural integrity of the structure being built on these surfaces.

However, compacting soil optimally is not as simple as most of us perceive them to be, most people are prone to thinking that it is only about driving a heavy drum over a surface to compress the surface, and this perception is not even close to what is actually neededFirstly, for different types of soil configuration different compaction methods should be applied and it is due to this reason that there are different types of roller hire by heavy machine rental companies.

Depending on the soil type of content, contractors must choose between vibratory rollers, combi rollers, impact force compactors or steel drum rollers in order to achieve a suitable level of compaction before projects are able to move along.

The process of compaction using roller compactors that are generally taken for hire by contractors is in essence to enhance the surface integrity or stiffness of the ground by removing access water deposits and air pocketsThe process ‘compresses out’ any moveable elements that potentially cause ‘cave-ins’ within the soil that would destabilise any structure built on top of themDifferent types of material or ground ‘make-up’ require different compaction approaches which in turn require different types of roller compactors.

The latest generation of compactors come complete with special compaction monitors that are capable of detecting or measuring compaction levels accurately which improves productivity significantly by reducing the number of passes by a roller significantly which saves time and money and keeps within set budgetsCompaction monitors in essence eliminates unnecessary passes as these monitors will tell operators when the desired level of compaction pre-determined by engineers has been achieved.

The most common roller compactors that contractors take for hire are light compactors which are practical for a wide variety of compaction jobsFrom landscaping jobs to building trunk road, light compactors are effective due to their smaller size and speed and coupled with the fact that these roller compactors are less expensive to hire, they are the ‘go to’ compactors for most project managers.

Other types of roller compactors that are also quite popular with project managers managing smaller projects include compactors known as rammers or tampers that compact surfaces using impact forceThese types of compactors are perfect for ground type that is cohesive and consist of mostly clay and silt.

The last category is the large double drum rollers that are generally used for large scale projectsThe size of these compactors allows large swaths of land to be compacted quickly and effectively.