Most of the time, different types of rollers are used to build roads and make solid foundations for large areas. However, they can also be used in landfills and farming. Most of the time, road rollers are used to press, knead, or shake hard materials. Rolling keeps loosely bound foundation materials from coming loose. There are different Types of Rollers to meet different building needs. We’ll talk about each one below.
- They use their weight and other techniques, like vibration and kneading, to compact the area they are working on. They are commonly used to build roads and compact foundations on large construction sites.
- Most building projects need a strong base. So that air doesn’t get trapped under the surface, the earth must be pressed down.
- For the project to succeed, specialised construction equipment is needed to compress and smooth the earth properly.
Understanding the Different Types of Rollers is important for any building project. To help you choose the right tools.
We’ve listed below the different types of rollers and what rollers are used for.
1. Cylindrical Rollers
A cylindrical roller is a walk-behind roller. These are the most common kind. Because they are light, a person can push them. Every other roller design in this list has a walk-behind model, a ride-on model, and, in some cases, an engine that powers both.
Most of the time, cylindrical rollers are used at home, like in the yard. Rollers usually have a diameter of 1 metre and are made of iron, stone, or concrete.
2. Grid Rollers
The Hyster Grid type roller (left) by Dw1975 (own work) was shared on Wikimedia Commons and used with a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 licence.
Grid rollers have a steel drum with a grid pattern made of connected steel bars. Adding concrete blocks or steel attachments to the grid to make it heavier may raise the contact pressure. Most of the time, these rollers are pulled or towed by tractors or other big vehicles.
Because the cylinder drum is made up of grids, it creates high contact pressure with little kneading. So, they work well on coarse, well-graded soils, rocks that have been worn down, and road subgrade and subbase applications.
3. Pneumatic Rollers
Large Types of Rollers with rows of rubber tyres on the front or back are called pneumatic rollers or pneumatic-tired rollers. The pressure on the rubber tyres is the same across their whole width, which is 80% of their surface.
They work best for cold-laid bituminous or cold-mixed pavements and loose soil layers, but they can be used for any paving project.
4. Sheepsfoot
Rollers with many square or rectangular lugs are called sheep foot rollers, Padfoot rollers, and tamping rollers. These can work well to pack down soil and sludgy clay used to build roads.
When water, wet sand, or steel parts are added to the sheepsfoot drum, its weight increases. This makes it a better tool for compacting when used with more weight.
This Types of Rollers are also good for jobs where thick layers of wet clay or other fine-grained soils are needed. After sheepsfoot rollers have been used to pack down an area, pneumatic rollers can be used as the final step.
5. Smooth Wheeled or Static Rollers
Rolling equipment with smooth wheels is either single-drum or double-drum. They are also called static rollers.
Because these rollers don’t have much grip, they should only be used on smooth, flat surfaces like asphalt. They shouldn’t be used for any other job.
Double Drum or Tandem
The tandem, also known as a double drum roller, has two steel drums, one on each end. Because of the motion of the two drums, the roller is also able to progress. The two drums on a tandem roller allow for rapid and thorough paving of large roadway stretches.
Due to their poor traction, these rollers are best used on smooth, flat surfaces like asphalt and are not suggested for any other work.
Single Drum or Three-wheeled
Rollers with one drum or three wheels are common types of heavy equipment. Most people picture a three-wheeled roller when they think of a road roller. Most of the time, these vehicles have a steel drum in the front and two special wheels in the back to keep the tyres from going flat.
6. Vibratory Rollers
Vibratory rollers (single and double drum) are almost identical to smooth wheel rollers, except that they have a vibrating part that makes them stand out. The roller will shake as it pushes down on the ground to level and pack it.
Soil, asphalt, and concrete can have holes that can cause a building to lean or sink. A vibratory roller is an important tool for making sure that a building stays strong while it is being built. Crushed rock and gravel are two other soil types that vibratory rollers work well on.
Other Types of Compactor Equipment
Different Types of Rollers aren’t the only tools used in construction to pack things down. The rammer and the vibrating plate are common machines that pack things down.
Rammers you can hold in your hand are useful for quick repairs in tight spaces. Because they are portable and light, they are good for deep vibratory compaction by hand or machine.
Vibrating plate compactors make the soil more solid and fill in holes. Because these compactors are small and can be walked behind, they can be used in tight spaces where bigger tools can’t go.
How to Choose the Best Types of Rollers
If you choose the wrong rollers, you could end up with shoddy work, air pockets that could cause the structure to sink, and uneven spaces that could be dangerous.
There are a few things to think about when choosing the best roller. The first important thing to consider is when the project will be done. Depending on how long the project is, renting a roller may be cheaper than buying one.
You also have to decide what kind of soil will be packed down. There is a clay roller, but it won’t work on fine-grain sand. When laying asphalt, you should also consider whether a static or vibrating roller will work better.
When building something, deciding whether you need a smooth roller or a Padfoot roller might be hard. But if you know the differences, you can make a better choice.
Rollers are one of the most reliable pieces of the heavy equipment you can use on a job because they are so good at fixing and improving surfaces. If you know what the different rollers can do, it will be much easier to choose the best one for your work.
