A compactor riding on two rows of smooth rubber tires, offset so the rear tires cover the gaps between the front ones, and ballasted with water or sand. The flexing tires knead the mix, sealing and tightening the surface in a way steel drums cannot, which is why it is the classic intermediate roller. Tires have to be warm to stop mix sticking, so operators fit skirts and keep the roller on the hot mat.
Get the pneumatic roller onto the fresh mat and keep it there, cold tires are going to pick up everything.
Also heard as
- rubber-tire roller
- pneumatic
- rubber tire
Related terms
Pickup
Mix sticking to roller tires or drums and tearing out of the mat, leaving pockmarks behind.
Rolling pattern
The planned number, order and coverage of roller passes needed to reach density across the full mat.
Breakdown roller
The first roller behind the paver, which does most of the compaction while the mat is still hot.
SMA
Stone matrix asphalt: a gap-graded, binder-rich surface mix built on a stone-on-stone skeleton.