Review of manufacturers'recommendations on technological capabilities of ejectable excavator vibroplates assessment during soil compaction

Introduction. Add-on compactors for excavators (ACE hereinafter) are replaceable working equipment for excavators. They are used for soil compaction after the backfill of trenches, wells, foundation cavities and other “narrow spaces” of construction, as well as soil compaction at slopes of embankments and excavations.In practical use of ACE, builders face two challenges:to justify the choice of an ACE for soil compaction under given conditions determined by the soil type and moisture, layer thickness, and the required compaction factor; to determine the time required to compact soil with an ACE at a single point positional compaction to ensure the required compaction factor of a given type of soil in a layer of required thickness.The problems above require the information regarding technological capabilities of ACEs in different technological situations of soil compaction. The assessment of such technological capabilities of ACEs, at the same time, should take into account the ongoing transition to a new regulatory framework in Russia in the field of assessment indicators for the results of soil compaction in construction.Materials and methods. ACE technological capabilities review was conducted based on the information provided on the official websites of the largest Russian and foreign ACE manufacturers and suppliers.Conclusion. The analysis of information provided by ACE manufacturers and suppliers showed that most of that information is technical specifications of ACEs and excavators. There is almost no information on technological capabilities of ACEs. At the same time, ACE manufacturers and suppliers use ambiguous terminology (for example, “compaction volume”) in the assessment of technological capabilities.Practical value. Lack of information on technological capabilities of ACEs in various technological situations of soil compaction leads to errors in selection of an ACE model and its operation time during single point positional soil compaction, which increases the risk of under compaction and reduced service life of constructed objects. To solve this problem, the Construction and Road-Building Machinery Department of Yaroslavl State Technical University is developing a methodology for calculating the results of soil compaction with an ACE in different technological situations.