It’s been a rocky road for an unusual asphalt compactor design that once showed clear signs of outperforming traditional compactors. The Ministry of Transportation Ontario had been very keen on the new compaction method, which uses a rubber track instead of a steel drum roller. But poor performance during official tests have derailed the initiative.
The compactor, called AMIR TRAK, is the creation of Abd El Halim, former professor at the Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carleton University. The ministry (MTO) has worked with Halim, along with general contractor Tomlinson Group, to test the machine alongside traditional compactors. In trials each year since 2011, AMIR TRAK had consistently provided slightly better compaction results and much better permeability results than a traditional compactor.