Bomag has introduced the "VarioControl+" intelligent compaction system for its BW 213 AD-5 AM series single-drum vibratory rollers, specifically engineered for large-scale airport runway and highway base construction. In subgrade compaction, soil heterogeneity is a persistent challenge: a single pass may transition from dense clay to loose sand. Applying a constant high vibratory amplitude to already-stiff clay causes the drum to "bounce" (double-jump), destroying the achieved density and inducing micro-fractures in the base, while low amplitude fails to penetrate loose sand.
The VarioControl+ system integrates a "Tri-Axial Drum Accelerometer" that continuously measures the rebound acceleration waveform after each drum impact. The engineering breakthrough is the "Predictive Amplitude Shifting" algorithm. Unlike conventional systems that reactively reduce amplitude only after the drum begins to bounce, VarioControl+ uses a forward-looking radar ground-penetrating sensor mounted to the front drum frame. The radar scans the soil density profile up to 1.5 meters ahead of the drum. If the radar detects a transition from loose sand to stiff clay, the ECU preemptively commands the dual-direction eccentric masses inside the drum to rotate into a reduced-amplitude configuration before the drum ever contacts the stiffer material.
Furthermore, the system features "Stiffness Map Cloud Logging." The drum accelerometer data is continuously correlated with GNSS positioning and uploaded to the Bomag 2.0 cloud platform. The system generates a color-coded stiffness map of the entire site, allowing site engineers to identify soft spots requiring additional passes. This predictive amplitude control increases compaction homogeneity by 28% and eliminates the double-jump damage that previously required expensive base rework.
