TrackJet Lands at UK Airports
21 February 2006
Ringway Specialist Treatments at Dunsfold have just taken delivery of their long-awaited TrackJet. The machine, designed and manufactured in Germany by Weigel Hochdrucktechnik e.K is designed to remove rubber deposits from runways and retexture fatted up road surfaces.
The specification for the machine was developed and agreed between RST Plant Department and Weigel HDK to suit the UK market. Mounted on a Mercedes Benz Actros tractor unit coupled to a semi-trailer, the Ringway Trackjet is a self-contained unit capable of travelling anywhere in the UK and being set up and ready to operate within an hour.
The Trackjet is unique in utilising ultra high-pressure technology to deliver water at 2,500bar onto the pavement surface. The computer controlled system cleans rubber from runways and retextures fatted up road surfaces without damaging the integrity of the surface structure or the micro texture. Arisings are collected by vacuum from around the jetting head leaving behind a clean and virtually dry treated surface.
Two days after taking delivery of the machine at Dunsfold work started at Manchester Airport and the machine has a full programme of work at many of the UKs major airports well into next year.
Ringway Airport Services Project Manager Richard Powell says "Having raised the average friction value of the runway at Aberdeen Airport from 0.41 to 0.89 on a single treatment without creating any of the accelerated surface wear associated with other systems previously used in Scotland, BAA have now placed an order for six-monthly visits to each of its northern airports. This will run alongside the programme already in place in its south east airports".
Rob Gillespie, MD of RST adds "The project to develop TrackJet has been carried out to a high standard and its rapid commissioning is a demonstration of the pre-work put into the build by the team. Previous research and now early indications confirm that TrackJet is an important addition to the wider RST portfolio."
