Play resumes after flood damage

In recent years, the Federal German state of Saxony has been repeatedly hit by floods that have often inflicted enormous damage. The 2013 flood inundated large parts of West Saxony and the Vogtland region; a total of 295 out of 438 municipalities were affected by the flooding in June. The floods not only hit residential areas but also sports facilities, which gradually had to be restored to usable condition. Facilities damaged by the floods in Waldenburg included a sports ground that has since been rebuilt and renovated by Grünland GmbH, a company based in Bernsdorf. The company used a modified Ammann AFT 350 E paver to ensure that the sports ground was finally restored to optimal condition – with laser-sharp precision.

The sports ground in Waldenburg was rendered unusable by the flooding, and it was immediately clear that a comprehensive refurbishment of the crushed aggregate layer was the only way to restore it to its original condition. The contract for this refurbishment was awarded to Grünland GmbH of Bernsdorf. It just so happens that since 2014, Grünland has owned a modified Ammann paver that is exactly the right machine for this project.

Expertise in every “green” segment of the construction industry since 1993

Ever since it was founded in 1993, Grünland has been a company that stands for expertise and quality in all the “green” segments of the construction industry. As well as the recently completed project to refurbish the sports ground, Grünland (headed by CEO Thomas Reinhold) has specialised in tree care and landscape maintenance, hydraulic engineering and the construction of roads and paths in forested and rural areas.

The decision to buy an Ammann paver was made in 2014

Because these roads and paths call for a different type of construction to ensure that they are always safe and passable, Grünland considered the purchase of a paver for this purpose. After the paver had been converted by the Ammann team, it was also ideal for refurbishing the sports ground – so by purchasing the AFT 350 E, Grünland GmbH expanded the range of services it can offer.

Thomas Reinhold’s search for a suitable high-performance paver bore fruit when he came to Ammann: after a convincing presentation of the AFT 350 E track paver, Grünland GmbH opted for this model: equally suitable for laying asphalt and unbound material, it features a working width of up to 3.5 meters. Another argument that favoured the purchase of the Ammann paver: with the AFT 350, Grünland is now able to install a roof pitch on large flat areas. This means that the longitudinal centre axis is therefore the highest point, so rainwater can flow away to the sides of the area.

Individual conversion tailored for unbound material

Grünland only works with unbound material, so the paver still had to be modified by Ammann’s technicians: “The key factor for us was a slight shift in the position of the screed as compared to the standard version. This leaves a larger opening so that we have no problems when working with materials such as ballast (with a grain size of up to 0/45) and mixtures of chippings and sand,” Thomas Reinhold explains.

The sequence of work to save the “flood victim”

The project in Waldenburg did not require an entirely new construction, so the Grünland squad was able to focus on replacing the two upper layers in a technically correct manner. One objective was to provide optimal protection and ideal load-bearing capacity for the top layer by renewing the frost protection layer. The sports ground needs to be as weather-resistant as possible – it has to compensate for heavy rainfall as well as dry phases, and excessive amounts of dust must be avoided.

The work to refurbish the flood-damaged sports ground at Waldenburg took place in several stages: first of all, the old flooded layers of the crushed aggregate layer were removed. Then, the Ammann paver was used to install an anti-capillary frost protection layer of ballast, with grain sizes of 0/32 and 0/45. To ensure stability and proper frost protection, this substructure layer had to be an average of 15 cm thick.

After it was installed with the AFT 350, the next stage was to compact the substructure adequately with the help of an Ammann AV 33 tandem roller. Next, the four-member squad headed by Thomas Reinhold used the paver to install the top layer, with an average thickness of 4 cm. Thanks to the paver’s automatic laser-assisted levelling system, the finished surface was absolutely even. Then, the top layer was also rolled with the Ammann tandem roller until the desired degree of compaction was attained. The Grünland squad used a mix of stone, sand and chippings (grain sizes: 0/8) for the top layer.

Continuous filling from a wheel loader

While the layers were being installed, a wheel loader was used to continuously fill the paver, which has a capacity of up to eight tonnes depending on the material. Thomas Reinhold makes a comparison: “We usually fill the paver from a truck but in this case here in Waldenburg, we opted for a wheel loader because access to the site is restricted.”

On Ammann’s AFT 350 E, material is transported on a dual reversible conveyor belt. Control can be either manual or in automatic mode with rocker switches known as “paddles”. The screws (with hydraulic height adjustment) are reversible and are controlled via paddles on either side, to ensure optimal and uniform distribution of the aggregate in front of the screed. Another convincing feature of the AFT 350 E, according to Thomas Reinhold, is precisely metered control: “Our team particularly appreciates the electronic control system, because it allows even steering at a precisely constant speed. What’s more, the electronic control means that the Ammann paver starts up very gently, and comes to an equally gentle stop”.

Thomas Reinhold of Grünland GmbH concludes by expressing his great satisfaction with the result: “Especially here in Waldenburg, it’s become clear that our decision to opt for the Ammann paver was the right one. The combination of precisely metered control, the right individual conversion for unbound material and the laser-assisted levelling system – not to mention the enormous efficiency of this paver – have produced a perfectly refurbished sports ground that is sure to be a source of real satisfaction to everyone concerned.”

The athletes of the Waldenburg Sports Club can now resume playing and training on their home ground – where they can focus once more on scoring goals and points.