The SP 33: an all-rounder at work between the mountains and valleys

• The Wirtgen SP 33 slipform paver showcased its versatility by completing two distinct paving projects in Austria within one week: a two-track farm road and kerb-gutter profiles in a tunnel.

• For the farm road, the machine used dual slipform moulds and stringline control to meet precise project specifications, with an option for satellite-based AutoPilot 2.0 control.

• In the Semmering Tunnel, the SP 33 paved kerb-gutter profiles on top of existing structures, requiring high precision and structural stability.

• The machine's quick mould exchange system significantly reduced reconfiguration time, enhancing flexibility and efficiency on site.

Two-track farm road and kerb-gutter profile in the space of one week

Two construction sites, numerous challenges and a machine that demonstrates its abilities as a real all-rounder. The new slipform paver from Wirtgen demonstrated its versatility by paving a two-track farm road and kerb-gutter profiles on two separate projects that led the SP 33 from the plains of Lower Austria to the Styrian mountains – all in the space of just one week.

With flexibility and precision on the road to success

On its first deployment in Austria, the slipform paver demonstrated its enormous flexibility on two radically different paving projects. Two projects were scheduled for completion within the space of only one week: the first of which specified the paving of a two-track road for agricultural use in Sieghartskirchen. After this, the machine was moved to the Semmering Tunnel to pave a kerb-gutter profile.

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Two-track road for agricultural vehicle access in Sieghartskirchen

In Sieghartskirchen, Lower Austria, the project brief specified the paving of two tracks with a width of 1 m and a gap of 1 m between them. The verges on both sides and the gap between them were later filled with crushed stone or gravel. To produce the two tracks of the farm road, the machine was fitted with two slipform moulds, one on the left side of the paver and one on the right. The material was fed to the paver via the belt conveyor and a split chute that evenly filled each of the two moulds.

‘I have to say that the crew was over the moon from the first day, and that no one has ever been so excited about a machine on its first day out”’, says Michael Stefaner, Group Manager, Civil Engineering and Road Construction East from HABAU, who worked together with Bickhardt Bau on the realisation of the construction project. 

As with all slipform paving projects, precise regulation of the height, cross slope and steering also played a decisive role in the construction of the two-track farm road and ensured production of the profiles in strict compliance with the project specifications. On the project site, the machine was controlled by means of a stringline. A potential alternative would have been the use of stringless control with AutoPilot 2.0. The satellite-based control system automatically controls the height, steering and cross slope of the machine and replaces the conventional stringline with a virtual 3D model. The SP 33 also offers an option for height regulation and steering with the aid of a 3D system.

Kerb-gutter profiles in the Semmering Tunnel

Following the completion of the first project, the lead contractor’s team had to make its way to the next job, this time in the Semmering Tunnel in Styria.

The task that faced them there was the paving of kerb-gutter profiles on both sides of the tunnel. The particular challenge here was that the new kerb-gutter profile had to be paved on top of the existing kerb profile in the tunnel. This meant that the work had to be carried out with extreme precision in order to ensure the structural stability and durability of the profiles. Following the completion of this work, a two-layer concrete track was paved between the two profiles with a slipform paver SP 1500.

As the tunnel is an important north-south traffic route, the construction project had to be completed as quickly as possible. Since only eight bolts need to be loosened when exchanging moulds on the SP 33, the team was able to save a lot of time.

‘Reconfiguring the machine, which would usually take us two or three days, was over and done with in just one day’, says Bernd Haberl, Foreman at HABAU Hoch- und Tiefbaugesellschaft, underlining the flexibility of the slipform paver.

Two construction sites, numerous challenges and a machine that demonstrated its abilities as a real all-rounder. The projects in Austria illustrated the importance of flexibility and adaptability on the construction site and the contribution that the SP 33 can make in this respect.