Understanding Slipform Pavers
Designed to automate various concreting procedures, a modern slipform paver
still relies on basic practices and standard tools of the concrete trade
BY BOB RISSER
strikeoff tool. Vibrators. A
A tamper. Finishing equip-
ment. All these standard
tools for placing tradi-
tional, formed concrete flatwork
are also vital components of a slip-
form paving machine. Although
they may appear quite complex,
modern slipform concrete pavers
are made up of a series of strikeoff,
consolidation, and finishing tools
firmly mounted onto a self-pro-
pelled machine. The machine au-
tomates traditional concreting
procedures in a continuous
process that still relies on the fun-
damentals of placing, consolidat-
ing, and finishing concrete.
Slipforming Is Extrusion
All modern slipform pavers con-
solidate and shape concrete using
an extrusion process that pulls or
“slips” the forms continuously over
and through the plastic concrete.
The most common example of ex-
trusion is squeezing a tube of
toothpaste. The squeeze provides
the energy to move and consoli-
date the toothpaste; the top end of
the tube is the mold. The tooth-
paste emerges from the tube con-
solidated and in the exact shape of
the mold. The slipform paver pro-
duces similar results: Concrete is
squeezed through the mold to
form the pavement. One major dif-
ference is that in slipform paving
the mold moves, not the concrete.
The mold on the slipform paver
is the extrusion envelope. The
components of the extrusion enve-
lope consist of the bottom of the
profile pan and the interior sur-
faces of the sideforms (Figure 1).
The profile pan is also known as an
extrusion meter, or forming plate.
Despite the complexities of today’s models, slipform pavers still follow the basic
procedures for placing concrete flatwork: strikeoff, vibration, and finishing.
This system confines the concrete
(just like the toothpaste tube) and
provides the mold for the desired
shape.
A slipform paving machine pro-
vides the energy, or squeeze, to the
concrete to force it through the
mold. The concrete is squeezed ver-
tically by the weight of the paving
machine on the profile pan, and
h o ri zontally by the taper adjust-
ment of the sideforms confining the
concrete. The energy of the squeeze
comes from two sources:
1) The continuous movement of
the machine’s mold through
the confined concrete
2) The energy applied by continu-
ous vibration, which fluidizes
and consolidates the concrete
Uniformity Is Key to
Quality Paving
One important characteristic of
fresh concrete that affects slipform
paving is its hydraulic nature. Plas-
tic concrete acts like a fluid, which
means it cannot be compressed.
When confined inside the paving
machine, the energy applied to the
concrete for consolidation or fin-
ishing is transmitted through the
concrete in all directions back to
the paver. As a result, any changes
in the energy the paver applies to
the concrete or changes in the
concrete properties will alter the
results of the paving process.
This is why uniformity is a criti-
cal issue in slipform paving. Distri-
bution of concrete to the paver
must be continuous to meet the
demands of high production, and
the squeezing of the concrete
must be constant to produce a
continuous, uniform shape and
finish. Uniformity in design (mix
and geometrics), logistics (con-
crete supply and delivery), and en-
ergy levels (vibration, squeeze,
and movement) are all vital for sat-
isfactory machine perf o rm a n c e
and paving results. Any changes in
these variables will cause changes
in the concrete—some undesir-
able. Pavement smoothness,
 The angle at which the
nose of the profile pan shears
the concrete, also known as
the angle of attack, is critical.
Since the mix characteristics
will determine how much en-
ergy the machine needs to
put into the concrete to suc-
cessfully complete the extru-
sion process, the best angle of
attack will be different for dif-
ferent concrete mixes.
Achieving the proper angle of
attack of the profile pan
means applying enough pres-
Figure 1. Typical slipform paver cross section. Each element of the paver can affect the s ure to properly slipform the
machine’s reaction in the crucial extrusion envelope. c o n c re t e, but not too much
p re s s u re, which—through
h yd rostatic forces—will lift
strength, durability, and ove ra l l additional equipment for sec-
the machine (Figure 2).
performance may suffer as a result. o n d a ry finishing of the concre t e
Just in front of the nose of the pan
If the concrete mixture and applied s u rface behind the paver is used
is the tamper bar. It performs sec-
energy (squeeze and vibration) re- to re m ove slight irre g u l a ri t i e s
o n d a ry consolidation on the con-
main constant, the result is a uni- and provide a tight surface mi-
c rete mix and helps the performance
form, geometric shape and sur- c ro t e x t u re.
Figure 1 shows each part of a typ- of the profile pan by moving large
face—a smooth, durable concrete
ical slipform paver. To understand a g g regate to just below the pave-
pavement.
the crucial elements that affect ment surface at the critical shear
As with concrete flatwork, the
paver performance, it is important point at the nose of the profile pan.
characteristics of the concrete mix
to begin at the extrusion envelope, The thin layer of mortar created by
affect how the tools will perf o rm .
where the slipforming process ac- the tamper bar at the surface be-
Harsh or sticky mixes, which do not
tually takes place. Each machine el- t ween the concrete and the profile
consolidate or fluidize easily when
ement affects the concrete at the pan lowers friction between the ma-
vibrated, will affect the ability of the
front of the extrusion envelope. At chine and the concrete, helping the
slipform paver to produce a
this crucial point, the machine per- s l i p f o rm pan slide along the new
smooth, durable pavement.
formance and quality of the final p a vement surf a ce.
Slipform paving also requires a
balancing act with the concrete product are determined.
Internal Vibration
slump: The slump must be low The most crucial area of con-
c e rn in the slipform paving Consolidation is a vital part of fin-
enough to produce sharp pave-
p rocess is the front, or nose, of ishing concrete flatwork. In slipform
ment edges, yet the mix must re-
the profile pan. At this point, vi- paving, the role of the internal vibra-
spond well to the extrusion process
b rated, fluidized concrete is tor is even more vital to success—
and consolidate properly. Typical
s h e a red off at the proper eleva- the paver simply will not perform
slipform paving mixes require a 1-
tion to form the concrete slab. It is well without proper vibration of the
to 2-inch slump to meet these re-
also where uplifting forces that c o n c re t e. Im p roper concrete vibra-
quirements.
the concrete transmits to the ma- tion can also lead to the concre te
Tools of the Slipforming Trade chine concentra t e. The key to a p a vement not perf o rming as in-
smooth paving job is to maintain tended.
Despite its modern complexi-
There are two purposes for inter-
t i e s, the slipform paving pro c e s s u n i f o rm pre s s u re at the nose of
nal vibrators in the paving process:
still consists of using a series of the profile pan. Changes in pres-
to consolidate the concrete mass
s t a n d a rd concrete tools to per- s u re at this point will cause the
( re m ove undesirable voids), and to
f o rm the functions of consolida- slipform machine to compensate
f l u i d i ze the concre t e, helping the
tion and finishing: an auger or by lifting or diving. Since the pro-
p a ver move over and through the
paddle for uniform concrete dis- file pan cannot compensate ade-
c o n c re t e. Fluidization reduces the
t ribution in front of the pave r, a quately for large changes in pres-
f riction of the particles within the
strikeoff, a tamper bar (also used s u re at the nose, a nonuniform
concrete, permitting the “slipping”
for consolidation), and a finish- surface and nonuniform consoli-
required for the slipforming
ing tool (the profile pan). Often, dation can result.
process.
 Each vibrator on a slipform c re t e. Ge n e ra l l y, vibrators are set
paver is adjustable for both posi- to produce a uniform level of vi-
tion and energy level. Position is b ration energy ranging fro m
adjusted mechanically prior to 6,000 to 9,000 vpm.
paving. Energy level is adjusted The hyd rostatic head, or
h yd raulically to a uniform level of amount of concrete above the
vibrations per minute (vpm) to be- v i b ra t o r, also affects the effi-
gin paving, and then it’s readjusted ciency of an internal vibra t o r.
to appropriate levels depending The greater the hyd ro s t a t i c
upon the reaction of the concrete. head, the greater the effect the
Internal vibrators have a coni- v i b rator has at the bottom of
cal-shaped zone of influence. The the slab. Pa vers today are de-
zone of influence changes as the signed with a “g rout box” (Fi g-
energy level—vpm—changes. In- u re 1) to confine the concre t e
creased vpm widens the zone, de- and take advantage of this ef-
c reased vpm narrows the zo n e. fect. Another benefit of con-
The vibration energy level re- fined vibration in the grout box
quired for a particular mix design is the reflection of vibration en-
and depth of placement may re- e rgy back into the mass of con-
quire changing the number of vi- c re t e. This lowers the energy re-
b rators and operating them at q u i red to fluidize the mix and
higher or lower energy levels. p re vents or limits segregation of
Vibrators are mounted in a the particles within the con-
paver in a line across the width of c re t e.
the slab. Spacings are set for a The grout box also provides a
slight overlap of each zone of in- constant head of concrete in
fluence. Typical vibrator spacings f ront of the nose of the pro f i l e
on slipform paving machines pan, further reducing adjust-
range from 12 to 24 inches. Out- ments the machine has to make
side vibrators are usually set ap- in the extrusion pro c e s s. A con-
proximately 6 inches from each crete level in the grout box of ap-
sideform of the machine (Figure proximately 11⁄2 times the paving
3). The vertical position of the vi- depth is recommended.
brator should be kept as near hor- Paver speed can also change the
izontal as possible. zone of influence of the vibrator.
The vibration energy level re- The forward motion of most
q u i red to consolidate and flu- pavers should be maintained at 3
idize the concrete in a successful to 7 feet per minute, with uniform
s l i p f o rm operation va ries with concrete delivery in front of the
mix design and depth of con- paver to maintain constant speed.
Paver speed
should be ad-
justed to match
changes in con-
crete delivery
rates. Speeds
greater than 10
feet per minute
may require
changes in the
number and
spacing of the vi-
brators.
While neces-
Figure 2. The angle the profile pan makes with the sary for the
concrete surface is referred to as the angle of attack. If paving process,
the angle of attack is too high, it must be overcome by a
vibrators will not
combination of machine weight and vibration.
cure other problems in the paving
operation, such as poor paver ad-
justment or improper paving tech-
nique. Vibrators may identify and
accentuate a poor concrete mix
design, but they do not cause the
problem directly. Improperly ad-
justed vibrators can create unde-
sirable paving results.
Concrete Delivery to the Paver
At the front of the grout box is a
strikeoff plate (Figure 1), which
performs the same function as the
straightedge used to strikeoff con-
crete for flatwork. The strikeoff
plate is the first component to
control the amount of concrete in
the grout box and, therefore, in
front of the nose of the profile pan.
In front of the strikeoff plate is
an auger or some device used to
control the distribution and
amount of concrete in front of the
paving machine. The height of
concrete at this point influences
the amount of concrete, or hydro-
static head, in the grout box. As
discussed earlier, changes in con-
crete pressure will affect vibration
and machine performance. There-
fore, it is important that distribu-
tion of the concrete in front of the
machine be as uniform as possi-
ble.
As when placing concrete flat-
work in forms, concrete that will
be slipformed should be placed as
close as possible to its final posi-
tion. Distribution should be uni-
form in height. Since part of the
role of the slipform machine is to
vibrate and consolidate concrete,
apply the same rule used for the
operation of hand-held internal
vibrators: Do not use the vibrators
to move the concrete.
Remember that the slipform ma-
chine is designed primarily to con-
solidate and extrude concrete, not
to move the material. Control of
concrete distribution at this point
is why many contractors use plac-
er/spreader equipment in front of
the paver. A placer/spreader deliv-
ers the concrete very close to its fi-
nal position, allowing the slipform
Figure 3. Internal vibration is an
essential element of quality slipform
paving. Vibrators are typically set
horizontally at the paving surface at
12- to 24-inch spacings.

machine to perform its function of

consolidation and extrusion, rather
than act as a bulldozer.
Despite the complexities of mod-
ern slipform pavers, the basics of
placing and consolidating concrete
still apply. And although many ad-
vances have been made since the
machine’s invention in 1954, there
is always more to learn about the
art of slipform paving. When a del-
icate balance of concrete mix de-
sign, delivery, vibration, and ma-
chine adjustments is achieved, the
equipment can produce smooth,
durable, and economical concrete
pavements. Happy paving.
Acknowledgment
Information for this article was based
on a presentation made by Chapin
Sipherd, national accounts manager of
concrete paving products for CMI
Corp., Oklahoma City, at the Trans-
portation Research Board annual
meeting in January 1995.

PUBLICATION # C950521

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