N12 Highway No Match for Diamond Tools

The rehabilitation project on the eMalahleni-bound portion of the N12 concrete highway is rapidly approaching completion in line with forecast deadlines, thanks to the high-quality standard of tools supplied to the project by Diamond Products – a leading specialist in the manufacture, assembly and sale of diamond tools and equipment for industrial applications.

Having been appointed as the contractor for the project in mid-2012 by South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL), KP Projects assumed responsibility for the rehabilitation of a total of 42 km of road, which also involved more than 220 km of concrete cutting and jointing.

Work on this demanding project officially started in December 2012, and KP Projects site supervisor Darin Phillipsreveals that the Diamond Products range of specialised tools have proven to be a highly effective replacement to standard specification tools that were initially used.

“The tools originally selected for the project were providing a performance considerably lower than expected, which ran the risk of the project falling behind schedule and over budget. Despite a short notice period, Diamond Products successfully provided us with the relevant tools, which have exceeded expectations. As a result, the expected completion date is December 2013,” he says.

According to Phillips, rehabilitation on the road surface was required as the old silicon joints in the road had lost their watertight properties. “This leads to water ingress under the ground surface, thereby resulting in deterioration of the sub-base, and subsequently cracked and uneven roads.”

Phillips reveals that the rehabilitation project also involved the texturing of the road surface by cutting special grooves that are 4 mm deep and 2 cm apart, in order to increase the tyre traction of the road surface during wet weather conditions.

Diamond Products director Darryl Gray notes that this process was undertaken using a specially designed texturing machine and the company’s range of 350 mm GC77 cutting blades, along with the 600 mm RC38 diamond blades used for the removal of broken and failing concrete panels.

“The Diamond Products range of GC77 Green Concrete blades are designed for use on low to medium horse power saws in the 13 hp to 35 hp categories. All GC77 blades are fitted with wedge segments for the protection of the steel centre. What’s more, they are also laser welded to eliminate the risk of segment loss, additional costs or unexpected down time,” he states.

In addition to the texturing of the road, Phillips indicates that a total of 67 KP Projects employees have also been involved in the cutting, grinding and drilling of the road surface. “The diamond blades were also used for cutting and grinding the road surface, while RC35 core bits were used for exploratory samples and drilling holes.”

In addition to supplying the highest quality tools, Phillips points out that Diamond Products also provided KP Projects with unrivalled after sales and technical support. “The company greatly assisted our team in selecting the blades and core bits that were most appropriately matched to the hardness of the concrete. I have no doubt that this level customer service excellence added substantial value to the project, where Diamond Products has played an important role.”