{"data":{"news":{"items":[{"title":"‘Protecting’ Sepang race circuit","date":"2024-05-19 20:16:26","id":5352,"author":"","blurb":"","blurb_image_uid":"https://dxfpracgmlczp.cloudfront.net/2024/05/1716112605260_Mapei-Sepang-2.jpg","blurb_expanded_image_uid":null,"article":"\n\t\n\n\n

Completed in February 1998 and inaugurated in March 1999, the Sepang International Circuit – now known as Petronas Sepang International Circuit – is a popular sports venue in Malaysia and regularly hosts top-level car, motorcycle and cycling events, such as the Formula 1 Grand Prix (F1), MotoGP, Super GT, World Touring Car Cup (WTCR), and Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC).

\n\n

The circuit, designed by renowned architect Hermann Tilke, features 5,543 m, 15 corners and eight straights and two high-speed stretches, with vehicles capable of reaching a speed of more than 300 km/hr during races.

\n\n

Special coating system

\n\n

Last year, Mapei was involved in the preparation work for the Petronas MotoGP Grand Prix of Malaysia 2023. The company provided its Mapecoat TNS Race Track coloured coating system to protect the kerbs and runoff areas around the circuit. This is an acrylic waterborne, rapid film-forming, coloured coating specifically developed for marking asphalt roadways of road racing circuits.

\n\n

The coating ensures that the areas treated remain durable and resistant to slip and maintain their surface roughness over time, including in wet conditions. The mechanical properties of the film, combined with its high resistance to potentially harmful and aggressive chemical agents (oil and fuel), make Mapecoat TNS Race Track an ideal solution for protecting surfaces which are regularly cleaned to ensure the riders’ safety.

\n\n

According to Adrian Tew of LLT Specialists Sdn Bhd, the coating contractor on the project, the major advantages of the Mapecoat TNS Race Track are “its easy application (even inexperienced workers for this product were able to apply it easily) and its fast-curing properties, which helped in this project especially due to the short time frame left for application operations. Malaysia’s hot weather had increased the curing time as well, which made this property much needed at that point of time.

\n\n

“Besides, the product is approved by FIA, the International Automobile Federation, which helped in the specification of the project. Last but not least, Mapecoat TNS Race Track was able to ensure high durability.”

\n\n

He said the main challenges on the job were “the limited time frame, as the project needed to be completed before the MotoGP event that only left us with a time frame of 10 days, and the exposure of the surfaces to weather agents that were beyond our control.”

\n\n

The owner of the project also chose the Mapecoat TNS Race Track because its formulation meets all the certification and safety standards required by FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) and FIM (Fédératon Internationale de Motocyclisme) for products used to mark out the road surface of motor racing circuits.

\n\n

Another reason was rapidity, which guaranteed short application times for the coating and, as a result, shorter preparation times for the circuit. In fact, Mapecoat TNS Race Track technology is based on special components that help the product form a film very quickly so that surfaces may be opened to foot traffic much sooner than those with traditional acrylic systems.

\n\n

What’s more, obtaining the right colour for this application was made possible thanks to the extensive range of colours available and the ColorMap automatic colouring system that allows any colour to be created.

\n\n

Note: Some products mentioned in this article are available in the Singapore market. Please contact the customer service representative at Mapei Far East or visit the company’s website for more information.

\n\n

(The article courtesy of Realta Mapei International 101)

\n\n\n","article_image_uid":"https://dxfpracgmlczp.cloudfront.net/2024/05/1716112611460_Mapei-Sepang-2.jpg","article_expanded_image_uid":null,"article_image_caption":"The Petronas Sepang International Circuit is a popular sports venue in Malaysia, which regularly hosts top-level car, motorcycle and cycling events.","publications":"7","tags":"Malaysia,Mapei,race track,coating","category":"Case Studies"},{"title":"In the fast lane: Vögele machines build race track in the mountains of Japan","date":"2024-01-03 00:24:02","id":5055,"author":"","blurb":"","blurb_image_uid":"https://dxfpracgmlczp.cloudfront.net/2024/01/1704169560592_JV_Job_Report_Japan_Race_Track_001-V2.jpg","blurb_expanded_image_uid":null,"article":"\n\t\n\n\n

A new private racing circuit has recently been built in Japan, located about 70 km from Tokyo and close to the town of Minamiboso. This 3.5-km circuit features steep downhill gradients of up to 16% and uphill gradients of as much as 19%. The longest straights extend for 800 m and there are also chicanes and tight corners with a 14 m radius.

\n\n

To deliver this challenging project, paving contractor Maeda Road Construction Co Ltd deployed four Vögele machines, comprising Super 1800-3i and Super 1803-3i Universal Class pavers and a 1900-2 Highway Class paver to complete the paving, while an MT 3000-3i Offset material feeder was used to transfer asphalt from the truck to the material hoppers of the pavers.

\n\n

The three pavers paved four layers totalling just under 100,000 sq m – an 18-cm non-bonded base course, a 12-cm bonded base course, a 6-cm binder course and a 4-cm surface course. In addition to the racing circuit measuring 36,000 sq m, paving work involved another 60,000 sq m of run-off area, pit lane and service roads. A Super 1900-2 paver was responsible for producing these secondary areas and the base courses.

\n\n

‘Hot to hot’ paving

\n\n

The pavers worked mainly ‘hot to hot’: two machines paved together at a slight offset to produce an asphalt surface without joints, measuring 8 to 12 m across the full width of the carriageway. This ensures that the carriageway provides both high resistance to deformation and a long service life.

\n\n

The different undercarriage concepts also offer a number of benefits. The Super 1800-3i tracked paver is characterised by a high degree of traction and maintains consistent straight-line travel, whilst the Super1803-3i wheeled paver is particularly good at producing corners with a tight radius, as its undercarriage enables the machine to steer sensitively and smoothly. As a result, the paving team used the Super 1803-3i primarily on inside corners.

\n\n

Meanwhile, the Vögele MT 3000-3i Offset material feeder decouples the transfer of material from the truck to the paver to ensure a constant, efficient paving process. Conical augers in the receiving hopper of the material feeder convey the material crosswise to render it thermally homogeneous.

\n\n

Furthermore, the material feeder features effective heating of both conveyor and transfer points, actively counteracting cooling and segregation of the material. Another highlight is that, the ‘Offset’ version of the machine has a height-adjustable conveyor that can pivot 55° to the left and right. The discharge point into the extra material hopper of Super pavers can be as high as 3.6 m, optionally up to 3.9 m. It is controlled ergonomically by a joystick.

\n\n

Despite the extreme grade and slope, the pivoting conveyor meant that on this jobsite, the MT 3000-3i Offset could continuously feed two pavers with material alternately without the need to manoeuvre constantly, thus increasing efficiency and paving quality.

\n\n\n","article_image_uid":"https://dxfpracgmlczp.cloudfront.net/2024/01/1704169569109_JV_Job_Report_Japan_Race_Track_001.jpg","article_expanded_image_uid":null,"article_image_caption":"Three pavers and a material feeder from Vögele carried out the four-layer paving operation to build a new race track close to the town of Minamiboso in Japan.","publications":"7","tags":"Japan,Wirtgen,pavers,road construction,paving equipment,Voegele,road machinery,race track","category":"Case Studies"}],"pageInfo":{"hasNextPage":false,"hasPreviousPage":false,"totalCount":2,"totalPages":0,"currentIndex":0}}}}