Real Time Density and Smart Compact Pro from Wirtgen are helping operators achieve unprecedented accuracy and consistency with every pass, as Craig Yeats, Product Support Manager – Hamm explains.
Milling out and replacing improperly compacted asphalt is a time-consuming and financially intensive exercise, and one that can lead to further impacts on both client relationships and project timelines.
Methods and technology have evolved over time, helping to ensure that compaction measurements and density specifications can be satisfied.
It’s also an area that globally renowned road construction machinery manufacturer Wirtgen has been working hard on.
Craig Yeats, Product Support Manager Hamm – Wirtgen Australia has been integral to this development.
As he explains, traditional systems relied on stiffness measurements and pass counts to determine asphalt density. He reasons that the acceptance of such a method can be attributed to a lack of alternative and improved tools.
In 2022, Wirtgen ushered in a new era for the compaction industry, launching ‘Smart Compact Basic’. This method combines compaction measurement tools with automation features, which let a compatible unit control its own compaction process, also helping to support improved adaption to changing environmental inputs.
“Smart Compact Basic essentially took all of the traditional asphalt compaction measurement technology that existed at the time and put it all into one system or machine,” Yeats says.
“Thanks to the automation, the operator didn’t have to worry as much about the correct dynamic compaction. Instead, they could just focus on driving the machine forwards and backwards, and getting all their passes in.”
Despite the success of this system, it wasn’t long before the Wirtgen team started looking to the future, to see just how far the technology could be taken.
Next iteration
Wirtgen released Smart Compact Pro, the next generation of asphalt compaction measurement technology, at bauma 2025, one of the world’s premier construction conferences.
Yeats says Wirtgen Group’s Smart Compact(ion) Pro is the next evolution of intelligent compaction technology, taking what worked previously, and making significant improvements and changes along the way.
The new iteration represents the largest leap forward in compaction measurement to this date.
“Smart Compact Pro does everything that Smart Compact Basic can do. The biggest difference is the addition of a real-time density scanner, which marks a paradigm shift in the word of asphalt compaction,” he says.
“It’s significant because it’s something that nobody else has been able to achieve. It’s an addition that can dramatically improve the accuracy of what a roller can achieve.”
This real-time density scanner is a ground-penetrating radar sensor mounted on the machine. It measures the density of asphalt directly and immediately beneath the roller.
Unlike traditional compaction meters, this new scanner doesn’t require the operating machine to be vibrating, or for the asphalt to be set at a specific temperature.
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These benefits allow the scanner to measure density on cold asphalt, or even structures where vibration isn’t possible, such as a bridge deck for example.
“It really opens up a whole world of possibilities,” Yeats says.
Users of Smart Compact Pro don’t have to transform their current methods. In fact, the system has been designed to be compatible with existing methods and processes.
Just one example is the correlation of data and measurements.
“We’re able to calibrate the scanner to any trusted gage that the operator is already using, that way they can have real-time feedback and insight over the entire project,” Yeats says.
The system has already been used as part of live demonstrations at the Australian Flexible Pavement Association’s National Conference, with contractor Downer participating in trials at several job sites across Adelaide.
Attendees, consisting of major contractors, state road authorities, asset owners and councils got the chance to observe, validate and independently test the system – in some cases applications included parameters that Smart Compact Pro had not yet encountered.
These live demonstrations included a variety of mixes, some including EME2, and others, open grade asphalt.
“The initial feedback was – and continues to be – very positive,” Yeats says. “This system is something that contractors and asset owners have been looking forward to, for a long time.”
And for those looking for greater overlap between past and current solutions, Smart Compact Pro can also be used in a semi-automatic configuration. This allows the operator to maintain manual control over the compaction process, all the while still benefitting from live density feedback.
Additional applications
Beyond Smart Compact Pro, Wirtgen has also released a number of compaction management applications, again providing additional insight for operators and project managers.
Track Assist is just one of them.
An app designed for the roller operator, Track Assist provides a map-like display showing all the roller’s passes, the temperature, or the density – depending on what the operator chooses to see – and helps visualise exactly what is happening on the job in real time.
By allowing operators to track coverage and compaction quality as they work, Track Assist provides unique insights into field guidance and monitoring.
Another application that provides remote oversight is WPT (Working Performance Tracker) Compacting.
Developed for supervisors, engineers and more, WPT Compacting integrates with the John Deere Operation Center to provide near real-time monitoring and reporting on compaction activities at the site, helping management oversee progress and results from a remote dashboard.
Yeats says the potential of these supportive applications, along with Smart Compact Pro itself, help to greatly reduce the risk of costly penalties and rework due to missed density specifications.
“It’s a system that’s shown to deliver results with less than one per cent deviation compared to cores testing,”
he says.
“It’s truly a game changer, and one of the next big things in the world of road construction and maintenance.”
This article was originally published in the February edition of our magazine. To read the magazine, click here.
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